Canada, Greenland, Mexico, etc - USA Tariffs / Trade War commencing March 2025 #5

[Lyanna]

Obama condemns Trump’s $2.3bn Harvard funding freeze as ‘unlawful and ham-handed’ – US politics live

In some of his most vocal criticism of the current administration, former president says move is ‘an attempt to stifle academic freedom’

www.theguardian.com

 

[LoveyG]

JFK talking to Canada in 1961

 

[Herat]

The Chinese Government has halted any further purchases or deliveries of Boeing airplanes, or parts.

This is pretty significant shot across the bow for Boeing that the US cannot fix at this point, especially as Boeing has been trying to climb back it's reputation.

It is estimated that commercial aircraft made for the Chinese commercial aviation market will be 20% of the world's market. Increasingly, China is working on it's own commercial aircraft production.

Meanwhile, the number of Airbuses in the Chinese airline fleets is increasing. Airbus plants that make and assemble airbus planes are largely in Hambourg, Germany, and Toulouse, France. There are some parts and assemblies also made in Canada, China, and in Mobile, Alabama. Airbus is owned by a European consortium, with governmental ownership also by Germany, France, and Spain.

Interestingly, India is now making some Airbus parts, too.

China orders its airlines to stop accepting deliveries of Boeing jets, report says

As its trade war with the U.S. widens, China has ordered its airlines to stop accepting Boeing jet deliveries, Bloomberg reports.

www.cbsnews.com

At this point, it appears to apply to mainland Chinese airlines Air China, Chinese Southern Airlines, and Xiaomen Airlines. Taiwan's China Air does not appear to be included in this. It also does not appear to apply to Cathay ( Cathay Pacific) which is owned by a consortium out of Hong Kong.

Trade War Escalates: China Directs Airlines To Refuse Delivery Of Boeing Jets - Live and Let's Fly

China has instructed Chinese carriers to refuse delivery of Boeing jets and directed existing customers to stop purchasing aircraft parts.

liveandletsfly.com

 

[otto]

Manitoba freezes some electricity exports to U.S., plans to turn northward

The Manitoba government says it is repatriating energy by not renewing two hydroelectric export contracts to Minnesota.

www.ctvnews.ca

Manitoba will soon have more energy for itself and other Canadian jurisdictions after two hydroelectric contracts with a Minnesota utility expire at the end of this month, Premier Wab Kinew said Monday.

That's great! He's such a cheerful man with a great sense of humour. Manitoba has always been a pass-through province - nothing there. He's trying to put the province back on the map with proposals to export energy to international markets via rail to Hudson Bay, and now to increase Northern Manitoba opportunities and simultaneously improve quality of life.

He's forward thinking - keep Canada's resources in Canada to develop Canada, use whatever is leftover to help neighbours.

"Kinew said he wants Manitoba Hydro to set aside 50 megawatts of power to be dedicated to a transmission line to Nunavut in the north.

"Can we put a transmission line there? Can we attach broadband to it? Can we connect that to Churchill along the way and open up opportunities here in Manitoba? I think we can," he said. Representatives from Nunavut will be in Manitoba on Wednesday to sign an agreement, and Kinew says he hopes the federal government will be on board after the federal election later this month.

The remaining 450 megawatts could be used to power a potential trade corridor heading into eastern or western Canada, Kinew said. "I think there's an appetite to approve a big energy and trade project that crosses provincial and territorial borders," he said. "We know that those trade corridors are going to need power."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-kinew-repatriating-hydro-1.7509857

 

[otto]

US sees biggest drop in Australian visitors since Covid as travellers avoid Trump’s America

Almost 4,600 fewer people went to the US in March compared with the same time last year, according to government data

www.theguardian.com

Australians are increasingly avoiding travel to the US under Donald Trump’s second presidency, fresh data shows, with forecasters expecting tourist numbers to plummet further throughout the year.

Official statistics from the US International Trade Administration reveal the number of visitors from Australia in March 2025 was down by 7% compared with March 2024 – a reduction of 4,559 people.

The figures – which count any visit of one or more nights – also show sharp drops in visitors from Europe and other areas, as countries updated their travel advice for the US. Overseas arrivals to the US from all origins dropped 11.6% in March, the government data showed.

The downturn in travel following Trump’s inauguration exceeded even the global tourism industry’s worst case predictions, according to travel analytics group Tourism Economics.

( this is a demonstration of the prevalence of 'unintended consequences ' ... )

Trump started talking about his Border Tzar in the context of managing illegal border crossings and illegal drug. Since implementing this change, illegal drugs have easily travelled from Mexico, through the USA, only to be stopped by Canadian border security. People are increasingly crossing the border into Canada because they are afraid of persecution by USA authorities. Quebec has announced another surge in legal USA residents in the USA, especially from Venezuela and Haiti, who are under threat. Quebec cannot handle the influx. The Border Tzar is not preventing these border crossings.

What started as increased force to protect the border has instead become harassment of tourists, researchers, and people with work visas. Everyone, regardless of who they are and the reason for travel, is placed in the position where they must hand over, for download, all contents of all digital devices. Innocent people are detained and imprisoned without access to a lawyer. One innocent man was detained and transported to prison in El Salvador and the USA government refuses to return him to his home. That is very different than what the Canadian government and others were told regarding increased border security.

 

[branmuffin]

A little more detail on the Trump pin.

Trump Is Now Mandating His Cabinet/Loyalist Wear "Trump Golden Bust" Pins

The Golden Trump Ego Age Marches On

deanblundell.substack.com

Authoritarian Alert! There’s a new dress code in Trump’s Washington, and it’s straight out of a dictator’s playbook. Remember Mao Zedong and those little red pins with a gold image of his head on them? Stalin had them, too, as does Kim Jong Un; as Dean Blundell notes, if you fail to wear your Kim pin properly, you can get arrested in North Korea. Trump apparently loved the idea of having similar pins with his head on them, as do some of his cabinet members;

Is this a true story? I read that the regular pins normally worn are meant to be worn all the time, that they are chipped and it's a way for security to know where these people are at all time. You can't get anywhere on Capitol Hill without them.

 

[Lilibet]

Is this a true story? I read that the regular pins normally worn are meant to be worn all the time, that they are chipped and it's a way for security to know where these people are at all time. You can't get anywhere on Capitol Hill without them.

It’s been posted twice that it has not been verified. I used a poor source.

 

[Cedars]

I don't think that works after May 2nd. They've scapped the de minimis on items sent by post from China.

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Closes De Minimis Exemptions to Combat China’s Role in America’s Synthetic Opioid Crisis

CLOSING LOOPHOLES IN THE TARIFF SYSTEM: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for

www.whitehouse.gov

One thing that others have pointed out: when something highly desireable becomes extremely expensive, the instant result is a black market, that will make a few people rich, and make many ordinary citizens into scofflaws...

JMO

 

[otto]

I agree with you but you say that as though people in the US have easy access to healthcare and the community health clinics aren't shutting down due to federal funding problems.

If you mean the US should adopt universal healthcare and everyone, even drug addicts, would have access, then, again, I agree with you.

At a very minimum, drug addiction should be addressed at the state and city level through charities and local fund raising. Many Canadian cities do this to provide mental health care above and beyond national health care. There's no reason to rely on federal government incentives and funding to address local problems.

 

[Herat]

Trump started talking about his Border Tzar in the context of managing illegal border crossings and illegal drug. Since implementing this change, illegal drugs have easily travelled from Mexico, through the USA, only to be stopped by Canadian border security. People are increasingly crossing the border into Canada because they are afraid of persecution by USA authorities. Quebec has announced another surge in legal USA residents in the USA, especially from Venezuela and Haiti, who are under threat. Quebec cannot handle the influx. The Border Tzar is not preventing these border crossings.

What started as increased force to protect the border has instead become harassment of tourists, researchers, and people with work visas. Everyone, regardless of who they are and the reason for travel, is placed in the position where they must hand over, for download, all contents of all digital devices. Innocent people are detained and imprisoned without access to a lawyer. One innocent man was detained and transported to prison in El Salvador and the USA government refuses to return him to his home. That is very different than what the Canadian government and others were told regarding increased border security.

Trump and his associates, including the Secretary of State Mark Rubio repeatedly went out of their way to denigrate Canada and it's once-stable relationship with the US. They also both threatened Canadian citizens in the US, and with the increase in border crossing harassment being reported sporatically, assure that this aggressive adversarial posture towards Canada is still ongoing.

As much as I love Canada and its people, I would certainly have second and third thoughts about encouraging Canadians to visit the US for the foreseeable future.

California has begun to feel the sting from reduced Canadian tourism, enough that the Governor is starting a special promotion for Canadian visits to California, and Palm Springs ( a major Canadian snowbird haven) has also set out a welcome mat. I guess that's fine, once you are allowed in and have had the border agents review your private phone messages.

Disneyland ( and Disneyworld) had already seen a significant drop in visitors in February due to the increase in ticket prices, has also noted a drop in Canadian visitors. They have come up with a lower ticket price promotion for this year, only for those registering from a Canadian address:

Disneyland Canada Resident Ticket | Disneyland Resort

Canadian residents can visit the Disneyland Resort for as low as $77 US per day for visits May 16, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

disneyland.disney.go.com

 

[Yellowbelly]

One thing that others have pointed out: when something highly desireable becomes extremely expensive, the instant result is a black market, that will make a few people rich, and make many ordinary citizens into scofflaws...

JMO

Yes, high tariffs tend to lead to smuggling on a grand scale.

 

[Herat]

Dollar is continuing a downward slide against the Euro. Warnings are out about the strength of the USD.

It will be a 'pretty ominous' sign for the U.S. dollar if it doesn't begin to rebound soon versus the euro: strategist​

https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-and-nasdaq-eye-steady-start-as-tariff-angst-eases-bofa-and-citi-earnings/card/it-will-be-a-pretty-ominous-sign-for-the-u-s-dollar-if-it-doesn-t-begin-to-rebound-soon-versus-the-euro-strategist-rA8ZoL8C88XnjbTDUjm2?mod=mw_quote_news

 

[tarabull]

Trump Sends Desperate Message to Farmers as Tariffs War Gets Worse

American farmers are already feeling the shocks of Trump’s reckless tariffs war.

newrepublic.com

 

[LovesPeace2]

American takes out ads to apologize to Canadians

An American who is 'distressed' by the way the United States government has been treating Canada has bought advertising space in Vancouver to apologize to Canadians.

www.ctvnews.ca

An American who is “distressed” by the way the United States government has been treating Canada, has bought advertising space in Vancouver to apologize to Canadians.

 

[LovesPeace2]

Avoid U.S. travel if possible, Canadian academics are being urged - National | Globalnews.ca

Canadian university and college professors, as well as other staff at these institutions, are being encouraged to avoid all non-essential travel to the U.S.

globalnews.ca

 

[acutename]

Thanks for pointing this out,@acutename. I apologize for sloppy research.

no problem.... it seemed plausible ... a lot of things these days, i hope they are untrue but....

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Is this a true story? I read that the regular pins normally worn are meant to be worn all the time, that they are chipped and it's a way for security to know where these people are at all time. You can't get anywhere on Capitol Hill without them.

It was stupid story the first time I saw it. I’m calling fake. It would be all over MSM.

 

[SouthAussie]

Trump Sends Desperate Message to Farmers as Tariffs War Gets Worse

American farmers are already feeling the shocks of Trump’s reckless tariffs war.

newrepublic.com

His desperate message is a lie. It is obvious to all rational people that what is hurting the farmers is a 145% tariff on China. A trade war that Trump recklessly started.

imo

 

[otto]

His desperate message is a lie. It is obvious to all rational people that what is hurting the farmers is a 145% tariff on China. A trade war that Trump recklessly started.

imo

Trump is the problem, not China. USA farmers know this, but the rest of the population might believe Trump Propaganda. Trump's tariffs on Canada are devastating for USA farmer. That was long before he put tariffs on China.

"American farmers say U.S.-imposed tariffs on Canadian goods are having a "devastating effect" on the local agriculture sector south of the border.
...

"This was just a horrible idea," he said." Whoever thought that tariffs were good for the country, they really don't understand civics and/or economics very well." Sombke said 90 per cent of the state's potash — which is used as a fertilizer and is currently being tariffed at 10 per cent — comes from Canada, while much of its farming equipment carries a "made in Canada" stamp.
...

The 25 per cent steel tariffs could make purchases of necessary farm equipment much more expensive, he told host Marcy Markusa in a Friday interview with CBC's Information Radio.

For example, he says Canada makes good-quality no-till drills — specialized equipment that plants seeds without disturbing the soil — but their $1-million price tag would cost a U.S. farmer $250,000 more with the tariff.
...

It's still possible that Trump could reverse the tariffs yet again, but Cardwell worries it might be too late. "Even if these tariffs disappear tomorrow, that uncertainty still exists," he said. "I don't see a way to turn that around."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/canada-us-tariffs-north-south-dakota-farmers-1.7502342

 

[TootsieFootsie]

MSN

9News

Sophia lost 20 per cent of her business' revenue because of Trump​

Most Australians are yet to feel the direct impact of the trade war between the United States and China, which has seen US tariffs on Chinese imports spike from 10 per cent in February to 145 per cent in April.

The same can't be said for some small business owners like Sophia Argyropoulos, director and designer of swimwear brand RAQ.

Last week she was forced to shut down the brand's US website and pause all sales to the US as a result of US President Donald Trump's skyrocketing tariffs, wiping out 20 per cent of RAQ's revenue in the process.

You remove 20 per cent of your revenue that can mean you're not profiting at all," Argyropoulos told 9news.com.au.

Though the brand is Australian owned and operated and all orders are shipped out of a warehouse in Melbourne, RAQ's bikinis are manufactured in China and are therefore considered Chinese goods when being imported to the US.

That means that any orders RAQ sends to the US are subjected to Trump's China tariffs.