Canada - USA Trade War commencing March 2025

[otto]

Too bad I don't seem to be able to add above emoji as a Like anymore.
otoh having a certain clown south of Canada is clearly dangerous world-wide atm and could make one cry with frustration and desperation too.
MOO

It's mind-boggling that a foreign leader makes daily comments about Canada given that the foreigner knows absolutely nothing about Canada.

I guess that's why Donald thinks that the second largest country in the world will become a state of a much smaller country with the offer of reduced taxes. He mistakenly believes were a bunch of greedy losers who will sell our souls for a tax break. We have to wonder how he got that strange idea - is that how he views the people of the USA? Is he watching USA people sell their souls so they can get "rich again" with a promised tax break?

 

[LovesPeace2]

That is a problem for Poilievre - supporting the destructive USA-funded truck convoy in Ottawa, anti-vaccine, labeling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau radical left, getting stuck on carbon tax (which is issued as rebate across the country), stating that war means Canada should increase exports to USA. All of that is problematic, so Carney (I assume) has to take a solid stance during the federal election debate. He needs to practice public speaking now.

Canada is a country where people easliy vote for one provincial party and a different federal party. Alberta has been a Conservative stronghold for decades, but that government has been corrupt on more than one occasion. If Carney supports new trade partners for Canada's oil; new export options (including rail), he has a better chance with swinging Conservative vote to Liberal. As posted upthread - all Canadians are proud of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is responding to war. Many wish that he was not stepping down at this time. Unfortunately, he landlocked Canada's natural resources to appease the USA - a big problem for Western Canada, so his replacement has to put all of Canada first.

For the Liberal Party to win the next federal election, the leader has to support Western Canada - and has to clearly say so during the next debate. Tariff strategies need to be clearly stated because that is what how Canadians will vote.

Trudeaus undoing was the truck convoy and carbon tax, and it's stupid we got threw COVID because of Trudeau and our provincial leaders. BC has had a strong NDP leadership that worked. Wish we had federal leadership like that.Manitoba had conservative Palister he didn't do much for manitoba. Come Sunday it's either Carney or Freeland as prime minister.we know Trump's feelings on Freeland but I'm not sure of his feelings for Carney .it's going to be interesting seeing how they will work with the USA. Jmvho

 

[otto]

i live in western europe. with trump threatening to introduce 25% tariffs for europe, there has been a growing movement here to buy european! but i will gladly make an exception for a canadian product, i think i’m rooting for you guys!

This has been in place for a while, but needs some final details sorted.

"The European Union (EU) is one of the largest economies in the world and Canada’s second-largest trading partner. The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) presents Canadian businesses with preferential access to and excellent opportunities for growth in the EU. September 21, 2023 marked the sixth anniversary of CETA’s provisional application. The Agreement will come into full effect when all EU Member States have completed the ratification process. Until then provisional application of CETA will continue and remain accessible to Canadian and EU business alike."

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

The European Union (EU) is the world’s second-largest economy and Canada’s second-largest trading partner. The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) presents Canadian businesses with preferential access to and excellent opportunities for growth in the EU. Learn...

www.international.gc.ca

 

[Oliverleo]

As B.C. stores pull red state liquor from shelves, Eby says tariff war will cost U.S. | Globalnews.ca.
We didn’t ask for this fight that the president has brought to Canada and to British Columbia,” Eby said.

“But I’ll tell you this, we’re not going to shrink from it. The president wants to hurt Canadians if he wants to hurt British Columbians. Then we have no choice but to respond in kind to the United States.”

Trade disputes can be tough, but retaliatory measures often escalate tensions further. Hopefully, both sides find a resolution that benefits everyone.

 

[otto]

Trudeaus undoing was the truck convoy and carbon tax, and it's stupid we got threw COVID because of Trudeau and our provincial leaders. BC has had a strong NDP leadership that worked. Wish we had federal leadership like that.Manitoba had conservative Palister he didn't do much for manitoba. Come Sunday it's either Carney or Freeland as prime minister.we know Trump's feelings on Freeland but I'm not sure of his feelings for Carney .it's going to be interesting seeing how they will work with the USA. Jmvho

Freeland is by far the best and most experienced candidate. Conservatives will easily vote Liberal if she is elected Liberal Party leader. Unfortunately, the majority of her party support newcomer Carney (looks like old boys club).

Donald is afraid of Crystia Freeland, which is why he is so rude towards her. If she was harmless, he would say nothing. Harvard, Oxford, Rhodes Scholar, speaks several languages including Russian and Ukraine, and that's just the start. She is the best person to lead the Liberal Party, she will defend Canada and she can talk circles around Donald.

"Freeland studied Russian history and literature at Harvard University. During 1988–89, she was an exchange student at the Taras Shevchenko State University of Kyiv in Soviet Ukraine, where she studied Ukrainian, which she is fluent in. ... She completed a Master of Studies degree in Slavonic studies from the University of Oxford in 1993 having studied at St Antony's College as a Rhodes Scholar."
wikipedia bio

 

[flipp]

That is a problem for Poilievre - supporting the destructive USA-funded truck convoy in Ottawa, anti-vaccine, labeling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau radical left, getting stuck on carbon tax (which is issued as rebate across the country), stating that war means Canada should increase exports to USA. All of that is problematic, so Carney (I assume) has to take a solid stance during the federal election debate. He needs to practice public speaking now.

Canada is a country where people easliy vote for one provincial party and a different federal party. Alberta has been a Conservative stronghold for decades, but that government has been corrupt on more than one occasion. If Carney supports new trade partners for Canada's oil; new export options (including rail), he has a better chance with swinging Conservative vote to Liberal. As posted upthread - all Canadians are proud of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is responding to war. Many wish that he was not stepping down at this time. Unfortunately, he landlocked Canada's natural resources to appease the USA - a big problem for Western Canada, so his replacement has to put all of Canada first.

For the Liberal Party to win the next federal election, the leader has to support Western Canada - and has to clearly say so during the next debate. Tariff strategies need to be clearly stated because that is what how Canadians will vote.

I want to add as an Albertan, our rural Conservatives are pissed at Danielle Smith and her corrupt UCP government. Beyond being a Maple Maga and being a separatist, her Alberta Health Scandals have made emergency health care in small rural towns almost non-existent with multiple ERs being shut down or without staff for weekends or weeks at a time. She's also pissed off the farmers which was a critical misstep, threatening their access to clean water reserves due to the coal mining scandals. Not to mention her very unpopular (yet continued attempts) to leave the Canadian Pension Plan for an Alberta Pension Plan.

She's been loudly claiming we need to be nicer to Trump and has been trying to wine and dine him and commending him publicly, but her blaming Trudeau for everything is no longer working. An economist with centrist values like Carney has a huge chance to swing a lot of typically conservative Albertans this election. The rural farmers are typically guaranteed conservative voters, but thanks to the UCP being full of Trumpers and Pierre bringing nothing to the table beyond his Canada is broken rhetoric, I know a huge number of rural Albertans that will be voting Liberal for the first time ever. IIRC Carney is Albertan, grew up in Edmonton, and is wildly popular here.

Unfortunately Freeland is hated in Alberta, even more than Trudeau was. Sadly I cannot see her claiming as much Albertan support for the Liberals as much as Carney could. I am really curious to find out which of them will become the new Liberal leader.

 

[otto]

Trade disputes can be tough, but retaliatory measures often escalate tensions further. Hopefully, both sides find a resolution that benefits everyone.

This is not a "trade dispute", this is a Trade War. Donald signed an trade agreement, and neither Mexico nor Canada have violated that agreement. The USA has illegally violated that agreement.

There is no option other than retaliation. I have read many opinions from South of the border asserting that Canada better not retaliate because it's only going to get worse. What that suggests is that Canada should accept the USA war goal to economically cripple Canada, and to then give the USA whatever is demanded - which is to rob Canadians and Indigenous Peoples of their natural resources wealth, destroy the environment, and seize control of Canada's territorial borders.

I guess that's what people in the USA would do if war came to their shores, but that is not what Canadians do.

The only resolution that Canada will accept is that the USA honour legal commitments and withdraw from waging war on Canada.

 

[Cedars]

. Come Sunday it's either Carney or Freeland as prime minister.we know Trump's feelings on Freeland but I'm not sure of his feelings for Carney .it's going to be interesting seeing how they will work with the USA. Jmvho

My impression is everyone currently in power, everywhere, agrees with the current strategy.

Normally, it wouldn't bother me if Tories were elected, they're just a different flavor of the same toothpaste and it goes back and forth every 10 years.

But what worries me is they're all absolute newbies. Being an MP is not like actually running things. Or having personal relationships with others. PP in particular has only brief experience being a very junior cabinet minister.

There are so many Liberal cabinet ministers and bureaucrats that will probably stay on with a new Liberal leader, keeping up all those quiet connections vs a completely new set of people trying to find their way at a critical moment.

JMO

 

[otto]

I want to add as an Albertan, our rural Conservatives are pissed at Danielle Smith and her corrupt UCP government. Beyond being a Maple Maga and being a separatist, her Alberta Health Scandals have made emergency health care in small rural towns almost non-existent with multiple ERs being shut down or without staff for weekends or weeks at a time. She's also pissed off the farmers which was a critical misstep, threatening their access to clean water reserves due to the coal mining scandals. Not to mention her very unpopular (yet continued attempts) to leave the Canadian Pension Plan for an Alberta Pension Plan.

She's been loudly claiming we need to be nicer to Trump and has been trying to wine and dine him and commending him publicly, but her blaming Trudeau for everything is no longer working. An economist with centrist values like Carney has a huge chance to swing a lot of typically conservative Albertans this election. The rural farmers are typically guaranteed conservative voters, but thanks to the UCP being full of Trumpers and Pierre bringing nothing to the table beyond his Canada is broken rhetoric, I know a huge number of rural Albertans that will be voting Liberal for the first time ever. IIRC Carney is Albertan, grew up in Edmonton, and is wildly popular here.

Smith was bad news from the beginning. She played dirty to take the position of premier and, as you point out, her government is now under RCMP investigation for political interference and conflict of interest. It is good timing for the federal Liberal Party because Conservatives want to put distance between themselves and Smith.

Still, it will come down to the federal debate and party strategies for responding to the war. The Liberal Party has to say that they will work with Western Canada to support alternate trade routes for natural resources. That is where Trudeau went wrong, and now is the opportunity to fix that mistake. Any Liberal Party endorsement to take oil East, West and North will gain the support of Western Canada.

 

[LoveyG]

Trade disputes can be tough, but retaliatory measures often escalate tensions further. Hopefully, both sides find a resolution that benefits everyone.

Perhaps but Canada has little choice. The alternative, to take DJT's threats without retaliatory measures, would be humiliating to the people of Canada. To just let them be bullied would weaken the resolve of Canadian people. Now, we see a unified, strong Canada. Their people need that.

 

[Herat]

Not intending to go off topic:

Is there a thread on WS about the threatened changes at Social Securiy in the US?

There was a chilling interview with the ex-head of Social Security Administration and his take was very worrisome. I'd like to find a forum to explore this. Looking for some non-FB recommendation

Thank you for your time, back to regular programming here.

 

[LovesPeace2]

Not intending to go off topic:

Is there a thread on WS about the threatened changes at Social Securiy in the US?

There was a chilling interview with the ex-head of Social Security Administration and his take was very worrisome. I'd like to find a forum to explore this. Looking for some non-FB recommendation

Thank you for your time, back to regular programming here.

I haven't seen anything except some articles on USA today,

 

[otto]

Not intending to go off topic:

Is there a thread on WS about the threatened changes at Social Securiy in the US?

There was a chilling interview with the ex-head of Social Security Administration and his take was very worrisome. I'd like to find a forum to explore this. Looking for some non-FB recommendation

Thank you for your time, back to regular programming here.

Good to hear that someone is sounding the alarm! There needs to be more awareness of Donald's long game and how that will change the day to day lives of everyone in the USA. Reaction needs to happen today, as a wait-and-see stance means a reaction will happen too late to do anything.

 

[Cedars]

Unfortunately Freeland is hated in Alberta, even more than Trudeau was. Sadly I cannot see her claiming as much Albertan support for the Liberals as much as Carney could. I am really curious to find out which of them will become the new Liberal leader.

I just can't believe the Libs would be so foolish as to elect Freeland. They've been lining up Carney for a long time, whereas she suddenly stabbed Trudeau in the back.

Former PM Jean Chretien is probably sending personal messages to every member reminding them about what happened when his back-stabbing Finance minister, Paul Martin (who?) was voted in to replace him.

 

[LoveyG]

Not intending to go off topic:

Is there a thread on WS about the threatened changes at Social Securiy in the US?

There was a chilling interview with the ex-head of Social Security Administration and his take was very worrisome. I'd like to find a forum to explore this. Looking for some non-FB recommendation

Thank you for your time, back to regular programming here.

You must be talking about Dr. Ed Weir. I spent decades working for SSA and IMO his opinions are spot on.

 

[otto]

I just can't believe the Libs would be so foolish as to elect Freeland. They've been lining up Carney for a long time, whereas she suddenly stabbed Trudeau in the back.

Former PM Jean Chretien is probably sending personal messages to every member reminding them about what happened when his back-stabbing Finance minister, Paul Martin (who?) was voted in to replace him.

They won't elect Freeland. I liked Frank Baylis in the English debate, but he leans too far right for Liberals. He is a hard liner who will support Western Canada.

It will be Carney. There is some evidence that he fibs, as he did when he claimed full credit for the work of now deceased Jim Flaherty. There's also some conflict of interest history (links below).

"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

The UK heat-pump conflict of interest (similar to Ontario rent-a-furnace scandals):

MSN

Carney 100% support to move head office from Toronto to USA, then claimed it happened without his input:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-brookfield-1.7469116

 

[Herat]

You must be talking about Dr. Ed Weir. I spent decades working for SSA and IMO his opinions are spot on.

No, it was Martin O'Malley the Commissioner of Social Security Administration under ex-President Biden.

His advice for SS recipients was "Save, Save. Save" as he voiced strong concern that there would be inerruptions and delays in disbursememts of SS funds to recipients, causign major financial problems for those Americans, and huge problems with maintaining the unique and outdating information systems that are used by SSA. Getting rid of 12% of the staff will not improve anything at all, he commented.

He also voiced concern that the point of all this was unclear, but that claiming adminsrative costs for SSA were out of control was false. He gave a figure of 1-2% overhead for current SSA in contrast to 12-23% overhead for major commercial insurances companies. This really hints that the intent is to make SSA private, with the consequeces obvious by the increase in overhead "costs".

Thank you for the name of Dr. Ed Weir. I will look for his opinions.

I am particularly concerned about the blatant lies that our elected officials are accepting as truth.

 

[Herat]

I haven't seen anything except some articles on USA today,

It is worth listening to the video I linked. This was a good discussion by someone in the position to know how SSA works/

 

[LoveyG]

No, it was Martin O'Malley the Commissioner of Social Security Administration under ex-President Biden.

His advice for SS recipients was "Save, Save. Save" as he voiced strong concern that there would be inerruptions and delays in disbursememts of SS funds to recipients, causign major financial problems for those Americans, and huge problems with maintaining the unique and outdating information systems that are used by SSA. Getting rid of staff will not improve anything at all, he commented.

He also voiced concern that the point of all this was unclear, but that claiming adminsrative costs for SSA were out of control was false. He gave a figure of 1-2% overhead for current SSA in contrast to 12-23% overhead for major commercial insurances companies. This really hints that the intent is to make SSA private, with the consequeces obvious by the increase in overhead "costs".

Thank you for the name of Dr. Ed Weir. I will look for his opinions.

Having been there, I can vouch that SSA works on extreme austerity as it is. My own agency was already down over 200 workers with a 'no hiring' policy. There is high attrition due to work loads but no ability to replace workers who leave until budgeted. Customer service tanks. The public screams that no one is answering the phones or helping them. Everything is too slow. Yea, duh.

IMO, SSA needs more support, in the form of money and employees.

Edit: to keep this on topic, with the increased prices on food and household goods via tariffs, expect a much larger than usual number of people turning to SSA for assistance, with even fewer people there to take the calls and help the public. This will be interesting. Mark my words, the remaining employees will be blamed for the poor service and failures of the agency.

 

[sds71]

A day after offering Canada a one-month reprieve on punishing nearly across-the-board 25% tariffs, President Donald Trump has threatened new tariffs as soon as Friday on Canadian lumber and dairy products.

“Canada has been ripping us off for years on lumber and on dairy products,” Trump said in an Oval Office address Friday, citing Canada’s roughly 250% tariff on US dairy exports to the country. Trump said America would match those tariffs dollar-for-dollar.

“We may do it as early as today, or we’ll wait until Monday or Tuesday,” Trump said. “We’re going to charge the same thing. It’s not fair. It never has been fair, and they’ve treated our farmers badly.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/business/tariffs-trump-canada?Date=20250307&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1741368874&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter