Canada - USA Trade War commencing March 2025 #2

[Herat]

and the stock market is tanking daily....

It's not really tanking daily, it is carefully rebalancing and trying to sort out the chaos. European markets, however, have been showing robust health and steady gains.

 

[Vern]

<RSBM>

"And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again," Leavitt said."

Karoline Leavitt shuts down AP reporter after 'insulting' question on tariffs

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on Associated Press reporter Josh Boak during a press briefing on Tuesday over a question on economics.

www.yahoo.com

Well, in all fairness she is a Project 2025 girl. Explains a lot.

 

[Vern]

It's not really tanking daily, it is carefully rebalancing and trying to sort out the chaos. European markets, however, have been showing robust health and steady gains.

Until P47 opens his mouth again ...

IMO.


-

 

[indicolite22]

I am not sure who is getting rich. Curious.

Musk is, with guaranteed government contracts for his businesses. And Trump seizing other countries' natural resources would make him richer.

 

[Herat]

It's transparent from the outside looking in. It is people in the USA that can't seem to see the big picture.

Common sense says that tariffs, on the global scale that the USA government is imposing, will lead to unemployment, higher cost of living, and recession. The USA government propaganda machine announces on a daily basis the tariffs mean a tax cut, higher wages, and wealth.

The USA government skipped the most important step in the plan. Manufacturing has to first be established in the USA, then tariffs can be added for protectionism. Tariffs alone do not suddenly create local manufacturing jobs or wealth.

"He is actually not implementing tax hikes," Leavitt said. "Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts."
...

"I’m sorry, have you paid a tariff? Because I have," Boak responded. "They don’t get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers."

"And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again," Leavitt said."

Karoline Leavitt shuts down AP reporter after 'insulting' question on tariffs

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on Associated Press reporter Josh Boak during a press briefing on Tuesday over a question on economics.

www.yahoo.com

It's evident that far beyond prior Presidents who would evade and obfuscate some issues to the press, DJT is well-prepared to sell outright boldfaced lies and Levitt has no problem being the bearer.

I agree, US manufacturing of big-ticket items made of US steel is about a decade away from being a reality. There is no way manufacturing can make an impact on job or wage growth in this presidential term. Actually 52% of the steel manufactured in the US is used in construction, housing, or infrastructure, not automobiles or appliances. Shut down the housing market or reduce the federal investments in road and bridge repair or pipeline work and you will shut down demand for steel.

There are a lot of us who are delaying any major purchases, major vacations or trips - especially overseas, any major housing changes or moves. This economy is going to stagnate and wallow in pain for the rest of his term. It's the NEXT term I am worried about at this stage.

 

[acutename]

The USA has had no problem painting Canada with a broad brush based on Trump's eight year anger at Trudeau. Almost everyone declares that Canada is a liberal, borderline communist, country based on what Trump says. Few, if any, acknowledge that the Liberal Party had a minority government in 2021, meaning most Canadians were not in agreement with those party values.

Most assume that if Canada were annexed, the entire country would vote Democrat. Why? Because Trump has falsely stated for years that Canadians are woke Democrats. Canadians want to know why people South of the border believe Trump rather than Canadians - propaganda brain-washing?

How many people look at Canada as a country where many value Conservative Party values? How many people in the USA understand that Liberal is not Democrat and Conservative is not Republican? How many recognize Canada as a strong, sovereign country that has little in common with the country to the South?

It's hard to believe that Trump was elected twice against the will of the people. Once, sure. Twice? Not really.

US news is 90% US- if you travel anywhere else you will see that other countries' news is maybe 50-60% their news, 20% US news and at least 20% other countries' news. US news does not have a lot about Canada- it just does not. I think, until DJT started his trade war, people had no news about Canada.
The US news was always myopic but not hostile. This has been my experience anyway- does anyone else want to chime in? If a person travels in New England, there used to be Canadian TV stations and PSAs about safe snow mobiling but that was in the good old days when we had snow.

_____________________________________________________________________________
up until today I did not look at Project 2025 which is about 900 pages long.

Mandate for Leadership | A Product of The Heritage Foundation

This was a project of more than 100 organizations to prepare for a new conservative administration through policy, training, and personnel.

static.project2025.org

It says:
"Similarly, the United States must work with Mexico, Canada, and other
countries to develop a hemisphere-focused energy policy that will reduce
reliance on distant and manipulable sources of fossil fuels, restore the free
flow of energy among the hemisphere’s largest producers, and work together
to increase energy production, including for nations that are looking for
dramatic economic expansion."
p. 184

and:

"Delegating tariff-making might have worked in the short run, but in the long
run, it was both constitutionally dubious and ripe for abuse. That came to pass in
2018. The Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs, invoked in 2018 against Canada,
Europe, and other allies on national security grounds, raised car prices by an aver-
age of $250 per vehicle and gave America the world’s highest steel prices. They
also harmed the construction, canned food and beverage, and other metal-us-
ing industries. While this may have benefited the steel industry itself, each steel job saved cost
an average of $650,000 per year that had been taken from elsewhere in the econo-
my. 54 That is no way to strengthen American manufacturing. The New York Federal
Reserve estimated in 2019 that the Section 301 China tariffs cost the average house-
hold $831 per year,55 a figure that has likely increased with inflation.
The new tariffs have a clear record of failure—as conservative economists
almost unanimously warned would be the case. Job number one for the next
Administration is to return to sensible trade policies and eliminate the destruc-
tive Trump–Biden tariffs."
p.802

2. Decrease International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to facilitate
trade with such allies as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia."
p.101

I am not by any means defending this document(!) but it does not say to annex Canada
and even some one who read it in 2023 and liked it, would not have thought it would herald
a new era of US expansionism. And it says that tariffs are bad, BTW.

 

[303gmf]

and the stock market is tanking daily....

As well as my retirement fund, threats of Social Security cuts & Medicare, meager as they are, finishing us off faster seems like part of the plan

 

[indicolite22]

It's transparent from the outside looking in. It is people in the USA that can't seem to see the big picture.

Common sense says that tariffs, on the global scale that the USA government is imposing, will lead to unemployment, higher cost of living, and recession. The USA government propaganda machine announces on a daily basis the tariffs mean a tax cut, higher wages, and wealth.

The USA government skipped the most important step in the plan. Manufacturing has to first be established in the USA, then tariffs can be added for protectionism. Tariffs alone do not suddenly create local manufacturing jobs or wealth.

"He is actually not implementing tax hikes," Leavitt said. "Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts."
...

"I’m sorry, have you paid a tariff? Because I have," Boak responded. "They don’t get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers."

"And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again," Leavitt said."

Karoline Leavitt shuts down AP reporter after 'insulting' question on tariffs

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on Associated Press reporter Josh Boak during a press briefing on Tuesday over a question on economics.

www.yahoo.com

I wonder what percentage of the US population (or even Trump supporters) actually buys Leavitt's gaslighting? It seems that nothing is too absurd for her.

 

[otto]

US news is 90% US- if you travel anywhere else you will see that other countries' news is maybe 50-60% their news, 20% US news and at least 20% other countries' news. US news does not have a lot about Canada- it just does not. I think, until DJT started his trade war, people had no news about Canada.
The US news was always myopic but not hostile. This has been my experience anyway- does anyone else want to chime in? If a person travels in New England, there used to be Canadian TV stations and PSAs about safe snow mobiling but that was in the good old days when we had snow.

_____________________________________________________________________________
up until today I did not look at Project 2025 which is about 900 pages long.

Mandate for Leadership | A Product of The Heritage Foundation

This was a project of more than 100 organizations to prepare for a new conservative administration through policy, training, and personnel.

static.project2025.org

It says:
"Similarly, the United States must work with Mexico, Canada, and other
countries to develop a hemisphere-focused energy policy that will reduce
reliance on distant and manipulable sources of fossil fuels, restore the free
flow of energy among the hemisphere’s largest producers, and work together
to increase energy production, including for nations that are looking for
dramatic economic expansion."
p. 184

and:

"Delegating tariff-making might have worked in the short run, but in the long
run, it was both constitutionally dubious and ripe for abuse. That came to pass in
2018. The Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs, invoked in 2018 against Canada,
Europe, and other allies on national security grounds, raised car prices by an aver-
age of $250 per vehicle and gave America the world’s highest steel prices. They
also harmed the construction, canned food and beverage, and other metal-us-
ing industries. While this may have benefited the steel industry itself, each steel job saved cost
an average of $650,000 per year that had been taken from elsewhere in the econo-
my. 54 That is no way to strengthen American manufacturing. The New York Federal
Reserve estimated in 2019 that the Section 301 China tariffs cost the average house-
hold $831 per year,55 a figure that has likely increased with inflation.
The new tariffs have a clear record of failure—as conservative economists
almost unanimously warned would be the case. Job number one for the next
Administration is to return to sensible trade policies and eliminate the destruc-
tive Trump–Biden tariffs."
p.802

2. Decrease International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to facilitate
trade with such allies as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia."
p.101

I am not by any means defending this document(!) but it does not say to annex Canada
and even some one who read it in 2023 and liked it, would not have thought it would herald
a new era of US expansionism. And it says that tariffs are bad, BTW.

"... free flow of energy among the hemisphere’s largest producers, and work together
to increase energy production, including for nations that are looking for
dramatic economic expansion."

Canada isn't looking for dramatic economic expansion with the USA. However, robbing Canadians of their country and natural resources would result in the "free" flow of energy to the USA and increased energy production.

 

[LoveyG]

I should have been clearer, sorry. The people in Congress or whatever it's called are letting it happen - why are they not impeaching him? Granted they've tried twice before (not sure why) and he was found not guilty, then there is the fact that Trump is controlling everything by fear or by force so appreciate it would be difficult, particularly in light of one of his most recent executive orders targeting the lawyers that were attempting to prosecute him last time. He's undermining the constitution and changing it for his benefit. It's not right and it isn't fair.

(Get a bit muddled with the house of representative or senate stuff so may have confused a few things - apologies!)

Moo
Ebm

To impeach the president, you need a two-thirds vote in the Senate. The Senate has 100 seats. Currently, 53 of those seats are taken by Republicans (Trump's party).

In the House, where impeachment starts, the Republicans have the majority with 218 seats to the Democrats 215.

He can't be impeached unless enough of the Republicans in the Senate and House can be convinced to stop licking Trump's boots. So you see, we are in a bit of a pickle here.

 

[Lyanna]

To impeach the president, you need a two-thirds vote in the Senate. The Senate has 100 seats. Currently, 53 of those seats are taken by Republicans (Trump's party).

In the House, where impeachment starts, the Republicans have the majority with 218 seats to the Democrats 215.

He can't be impeached unless enough of the Republicans in the Senate and House can be convinced to stop licking Trump's boots. So you see, we are in a bit of a pickle here.

Yes! Bit of an issue. Fingers crossed some of them will get the message from the American people that Trump isn't what the people want. Except the Republicans are hiding from their voters.

Thank you for explaining

 

[Herat]

I wonder what percentage of the US population (or even Trump supporters) actually buys Leavitt's gaslighting? It seems that nothing is too absurd for her.

If I try using facts and truth with my Trumper relative, I get a lengthy outbust that is essentially: Obama's fault, Hilary's emails, Hunter Biden's computer, Jill Biden running the government, Gavin Newsom is ultra~ left wing, trump is the most financially successful man in history. Ad nauseum.

It's not worth my sanity to have any contact.

 

[JDG]

LILLEY: Mark Carney starts off as PM by lying to Canadians

Mark Carney’s first act as a prime minister of Canada was to lie to the Canadian people.

torontosun.com

 

[musicaljoke]

I am not sure who is getting rich. Curious.

When tariffs are introduced, the stock market falls. By manipulating the market with tariff threats, one can sell high, announce a tariff, then buy up when the market drops. The US stock market lost trillions of dollars in the last three week. Ordinary investors lose. One of the reasons why tariffs are illegal in the US except for reasons of national security, is because those who make decisions about tariffs stand to make enormous wealth.

Another way that the rich get richer, is that the average person in the US pays for the tariffs through the purchases they make of things they need. A large part of the ordinary person's income goes to buying consumer goods, food,, energy, etc that have tariffs. The wealthy, however, use a fraction of their income to buy consumer goods. Therefore most of their money is shielded from the higher costs of tariffs. Their money can continue to grow while the ordinary American family's money brings less into the home. Tariffs are paid for by consumers who continue to lose while the wealthy profit.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/14/us-stock-market-loses-5-trillion-in-value-in-three-weeks.html

 

[musicaljoke]

LILLEY: Mark Carney starts off as PM by lying to Canadians

Mark Carney’s first act as a prime minister of Canada was to lie to the Canadian people.

torontosun.com

I wonder if there is another article from another paper that discusses this. The Sun is a rag.

 

[SouthAussie]

"Trump is breaking existing trade law [with his tariffs]. And the additional measures he has announced against China, the EU, and other countries would also violate international trade law. But that doesn't seem to concern him much.

China, for example, lodged a WTO complaint immediately after the Trump administration slapped an additional 10% levy on all goods from the Asian powerhouse that enter the US.

However, legal challenges before the trade body are currently not leading anywhere ....

The WTO's dispute settlement system was once described as its "crown jewel," but since the first Trump administration blocked appointments of two judges to the appellate body in 2019, it has been stuck in limbo.

This is an unsatisfactory situation for the 166 WTO members, which — not least due to US influence — joined the organization in order to have at least a minimum set of binding rules in international trade."

Trump tariffs: Can US be punished for breaking trade laws? – DW – 03/03/2025

US President Donald Trump has threatened and imposed steep import duties since taking office. Experts say he is violating existing trade agreements — so how is he able to get away with it?

www.dw.com

 

[JDG]

I wonder if there is another article from another paper that discusses this. The Sun is a rag.

If you read the article, no PM signs off on orders as he stated he was doing.

It would take an act of parliament to reverse any form of taxation.

Don’t need other articles, he did it as a stunt.

As for what constitutes ‘rag’ that is a matter of opinion.

So much of the media is in the pocket of a certain party but we won’t go there.

 

[Trooper]

That's a question for the USA government.

"Boarding Air Force One on March 12, President Donald Trump quipped, “We’re going to raise hundreds of billions in tariffs; we’re going to become so rich we’re not going to know where to spend that money.”

Trump claims tariffs will make the U.S. 'rich again.' But 5 undisputed facts about how they work throw cold water on that notion | Fortune

A deep analysis of how tariffs work bodes poorly for U.S. economic growth.

fortune.com

Look ... this is a perception from another culture, but really, this is how carnival barkers speak.. 'roll up, roll up, hit the jackpot...' it is not how statesmen, or women speak. . it is the hallmark of the hustler...He's trying to convince people who are one paycheck away from bankruptcy that they are all going to live the Mar a Lago life, with a gold plated lavatory to piddle in.. How is the USA going to erect 350 million Mar a Whacko's??? where?? with whose lumber?? who's steel?? It's pie in the sky talk, it has no foundation in reality. .. Its a sort of terrible madness , is what it is..

 

[tarabull]

B.C. Hydro cuts Tesla from charger rebate program in tariff fight

In a response to the U.S. tariff threats, the utility has cut off the subsidy for Tesla's proprietary chargers

vancouversun.com

 

[otto]

LILLEY: Mark Carney starts off as PM by lying to Canadians

Mark Carney’s first act as a prime minister of Canada was to lie to the Canadian people.

torontosun.com

Add to that, Carney incorrectly publicly declared that he saved the financial day during the 2008 financial crisis. Stephen Harper had to come forward to clarify that it was Jim Flaherty who made decisions and who saved the day - not Carney.

The Bank of England must have assumed that Carney was the brains behind managing the Canadian financial crisis. He wasn't. He has no track record for managing financial difficulties that tariffs demand.

"In a fundraising letter, Harper wrote that Carney — widely seen as the front-runner in the race — was not involved in the "day-to-day management" of Canada's economy during the global recession and is undermining former finance minister Jim Flaherty's legacy. Flaherty died in 2014.

"I have listened, with increasing disbelief, to Mark Carney's attempts to take credit for things he had little or nothing to do with back then," Harper said."

"He has been doing this at the expense of the late Jim Flaherty, among the greatest finance ministers in Canada's history, who sadly is not here to defend his record," Harper wrote.

"But let me be very clear: the hard calls during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were made by Jim."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/harper-carney-financial-crisis-1.7473091