Canada - USA Trade War commencing March 2025

[Warwick1991]

I'm not convinced that he will be gone in four years. I have some belief, based on the radical changes he has made recently, that his plan is to change law so he can continue in the role of president as long as he wants. He was unwilling to step down the first time (even though he was not re-elected), so there's little reason to believe that will change this time.

One thing Trump has done is to try to place the Federal Election Commission (FEC) under his control. It has always been an independent agency. How this situation will impact our elections remains to be seen.

 

[JDG]

I can't discern a practical motive for a US trade war with Canada, except to benefit an adversary. JMO

How about to ruin the economy to make it easier to take over the sovereign country?

If people are weakened by poverty, they won’t fight as hard, etc, etc.

 

[otto]

No one in Canada cares that Donald is willing to remove USA necessities from tariffs. There is a free trade agreement in place signed by Donald. Tariffs violate that agreement except in the event that Canada presents a security threat.

Canada does not present a security threat, so Donald concocted one. He pretends that mental-illness drug-abuse in the USA is caused by Canada, Mexico and China. No one in the USA should take responsibility, according to Donald. Illegal fentanyl entering the USA from Canada is 0.02%. The remainder comes from other places. Canada reduced illegal drug exports from Canada to the USA by more than 90% in the last month. Canada is not a security threat, never was.

In the USA it is well understood that gun manufacturers to not cause death, it is the individual gun owner that causes death. With drug use, this logic is thrown away. Instead of the drug user having responsibility, it is the drug supplier who is responsible. Completely contradictory logic.

The only agreement that is acceptable to Canada is that Donald withdraws tariffs. Anything less means that Canada will retaliate as strongly as possible and necessary.

 

[Charlot123]

I do feel for folks who didn’t vote for him. I do. But please understand how it looks from the outside. He was elected in 2016. That could have been a terrible mistake. For him to get re-elected in 2024, that’s not a mistake. Like it or not, half of the US voters chose this. This is who the US is. As much as folks can say don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for him, I hope they’re prepared to do more than shrug and say don’t look at me. We Canadians are afraid as we’ve never thought we’d have to be afraid. I’m sure you feel helpless, but imagine how we feel. We are a sovereign country, we have a distinct culture and identity, and your President disrespects our Prime Minister and talks about us being the 51st state. No thank you.
I wish you well. I hope you find your way out of this mess as I hope we survive it without decimating our economy or losing our sovereignty.

Tell you what. I didn’t like Biden as the choice either in 2020. I wanted Pete Buttigieg but people told me “it would be too risky”. It is not about Republicans not voting for him, it is about scaring away the Democrats! Both of our parties are at fault, tbh, and mostly, it is our electoral system. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Or Franken who was stumped by the own party. Because he was viewed as the competitor at the forthcoming elections. Al Franken who was so good at working with both parties.

There are lot of mistakes made for which I hold the party I habitually vote for responsible as well. And from time to time, it bites back at them.

 

[keek]

No one in Canada cares that Donald is willing to remove USA necessities from tariffs. There is a free trade agreement in place signed by Donald. Tariffs violate that agreement except in the event that Canada presents a security threat.

Canada does not present a security threat, so Donald concocted one. He pretends that mental-illness drug-abuse in the USA is caused by Canada, Mexico and China. No one in the USA should take responsibility, according to Donald. Illegal fentanyl entering the USA from Canada is 0.02%. The remainder comes from other places. Canada reduced illegal drug exports from Canada to the USA by more than 90% in the last month. Canada is not a security threat, never was.

In the USA it is well understood that gun manufacturers to not cause death, it is the individual gun owner that causes death. With drug use, this logic is thrown away. Instead of the drug user having responsibility, it is the drug supplier who is responsible. Completely contradictory logic.

The only agreement that is acceptable to Canada is that Donald withdraws tariffs. Anything less means that Canada will retaliate as strongly as possible and necessary.

He did invent one, very clear. Always pointing fingers with gross false accusations. If I keep shouting it, it will be true, 'my people' will believe it and they do.

 

[Warwick1991]

How about to ruin the economy to make it easier to take over the sovereign country?

If people are weakened by poverty, they won’t fight as hard, etc, etc.

The thing is, he'll ruin the US economy, too. We will have a lot of people getting poorer under Trump's policies. Tariffs will raise the prices for many necessities, and there may be cuts to "safety net" programs. There are debates going on now about cuts to various US government programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Medicaid is a health insurance program for the poor. Social Security is a retirement program that people pay into while they are working. Medicare is a government health insurance program for seniors, started in the 1960s. JMO

 

[LovesPeace2]

Canada will not ‘go through this psychodrama every 30 days’, Joly says. Live updates on the trade war here.

U.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed tariffs against Canada, setting in motion a trade war between two countries with deeply linked economies, jeopardizing jobs and likely raising consumer prices on both sides of the border.

www.ctvnews.ca

4:19 p.m. EST: ‘Things are very, very fluid’: Foreign Minister Joly

Talking about Canada-U.S. relations and the cross-border imposition of tariffs, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says, “things are very, very fluid.” Amid some U.S. officials floating potential reprieves, Joly said “conversations are happening.”

“I completely understand what is at stake,” Joly said, speaking at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

She also confirmed – after saying yesterday she had a call planned with him at noon today – that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be attending next week’s G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Que.

Rubio’s visit will be the first time a member of the current Trump administration comes to Canada.

 

[otto]

I wouldn’t view it like this.

The neighbor has become unreliable not because of this guy. Maybe the fact that they’ve voted for this guy is a bad sign, but we can trace a lengthy track of events leading to it.

Don’t you have the same type of people in Canada? Who would have voted for another version of him? Surely you do. Once we were flying to *other neighbor* with a couple of Canadians. Well, the flight was long and I got an earful about your PM.

And I am not sure that Canada won’t move to the same direction with new elections either. One never knows.

I think it is just a sign for the reasonable people in the world to continue staying reasonable, united and raising their kids in the same way. While also, analyzing how things happen. After all, our “new one” tried to get elected in 2004. Few remember it. I think the chain of factors needs to be evaluated.

I've never been a fan of Trudeau, but Canada has a democracy. Sometimes people elect someone we like, sometimes it's someone we don't like. All we can do is wait and hope for better next time.

The last time Trudeau was elected he had a minority governments, meaning he was unable to do anything without forming a coalition with another party. Canada has more than two political parties, so this worked.

Unlike the USA, Canadians do not see government as two opposing teams. Therefore, it's less likely that Canada will see the rise of national populism to unify the nation by turning identifiable groups (such as migrants, Canadians) into villains that must be "punished" without due process. Canada first as a policy, sure, but a Canadians prime minister making false statements (e.g.: USA subsidizes Canada with hundreds of billions) and then publicly stating that foreigners need to be punished with tariffs? No, Canadians will never fall for that. That's ridiculous.

 

[Slebby]

I wouldn’t view it like this.

The neighbor has become unreliable not because of this guy. Maybe the fact that they’ve voted for this guy is a bad sign, but we can trace a lengthy track of events leading to it.

Don’t you have the same type of people in Canada? Who would have voted for another version of him? Surely you do. Once we were flying to *other neighbor* with a couple of Canadians. Well, the flight was long and I got an earful about your PM.

And I am not sure that Canada won’t move to the same direction with new elections either. One never knows.

I think it is just a sign for the reasonable people in the world to continue staying reasonable, united and raising their kids in the same way. While also, analyzing how things happen. After all, our “new one” tried to get elected in 2004. Few remember it. I think the chain of factors needs to be evaluated.

Well if you spoke to *some* Canadians on a flight and they were critical of the PM I guess that’s a strong representation of all Canadians…

 

[Slebby]

Tell you what. I didn’t like Biden as the choice either in 2020. I wanted Pete Buttigieg but people told me “it would be too risky”. It is not about Republicans not voting for him, it is about scaring away the Democrats! Both of our parties are at fault, tbh, and mostly, it is our electoral system. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Or Franken who was stumped by the own party. Because he was viewed as the competitor at the forthcoming elections. Al Franken who was so good at working with both parties.

There are lot of mistakes made for which I hold the party I habitually vote for responsible as well. And from time to time, it bites back at them.

If someone gave me the chance to vote in your election I would choose Pete Buttigieg. He seems to be the smartest and most sensible of US political figures, imo.

 

[keek]

If someone gave me the chance to vote in your election I would choose Pete Buttigieg. He seems to be the smartest and most sensible of US political figures, imo.

How can anyone not admire PB on all levels.

 

[Gemmie]

I do feel for folks who didn’t vote for him. I do. But please understand how it looks from the outside. He was elected in 2016. That could have been a terrible mistake. For him to get re-elected in 2024, that’s not a mistake. Like it or not, half of the US voters chose this. This is who the US is. As much as folks can say don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for him, I hope they’re prepared to do more than shrug and say don’t look at me. We Canadians are afraid as we’ve never thought we’d have to be afraid. I’m sure you feel helpless, but imagine how we feel. We are a sovereign country, we have a distinct culture and identity, and your President disrespects our Prime Minister and talks about us being the 51st state. No thank you.
I wish you well. I hope you find your way out of this mess as I hope we survive it without decimating our economy or losing our sovereignty.

Oh, I TOTALLY get how it looks from the outside and I hate that he's made us the laughing stock of the world. Also that some believe all of us are OK with him. I need a t-shirt that says "Not my President". And what I dislike more is about half the country is OK with it. HALF. This is not OK. Or it shouldn't be OK. And it's scary to say the least.

When I watched his meeting with Zelensky my heart fell. I was in utter shock. I wanted to write him, and other heads around the world a letter saying how sorry I am that they and their countries are dealing with all they are currently dealing with, and for what's coming down the pike. But I'm a nobody in the scheme of things, and they'd likely never see my letter telling them how sorry I am so I didn't do it. But I thought about it.

Our country is so divided right now and 4 years without him didn't change that. There was no healing which is not good. Due to that I fear that other countries, like yours/Canada, won't be able to move past the damage, even once he's long gone. For that I'm sorry. I don't want to be thought of negatively because of what others did to put him into office.

I'm going to end this by quoting something I've been quoting since the early 1990's....

"Cant we all get along?" - Rodney King (1965-2012)

Unfortunately it appears we can't, but I can keep wishing and hoping we can.

Note - My use of that quote was broad in nature. I wasn't addressing the "we"s in this thread. I meant the entire world. Knowing the answer to that question doesn't stop me from hoping and praying that it could come true.

 

[Warwick1991]

I've never been a fan of Trudeau, but Canada has a democracy. Sometimes people elect someone we like, sometimes it's someone we don't like. All we can do is wait and hope for better next time.

The last time Trudeau was elected he had a minority governments, meaning he was unable to do anything without forming a coalition with another party. Canada has more than two political parties, so this worked.

Unlike the USA, Canadians do not see government as two opposing teams. Therefore, it's less likely that Canada will see the rise of national populism to unify the nation by turning identifiable groups (such as migrants, Canadians) into villains that must be "punished" without due process. Canada first as a policy, sure, but a Canadians prime minister making false statements (e.g.: USA subsidizes Canada with hundreds of billions) and then publicly stating that foreigners need to be punished with tariffs? No, Canadians will never fall for that. That's ridiculous.

The only exception in Canadian history was the Social Credit party, which was anti-immigrant, sectarian and populist, although they never controlled the country. They did win a provincial election in Alberta, though.

Social Credit Party of Canada - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Vern]

Canadian airline offering 'tariffic flight deals' to anywhere but the U.S.​

MSM Link to the National Post article:

MSN

 

[Charlot123]

If someone gave me the chance to vote in your election I would choose Pete Buttigieg. He seems to be the smartest and most sensible of US political figures, imo.

Yes, but here are probably the politicians' thinking: "er, maybe older democrats won't vote for him because... you know. And surely, the swinging votes may not...and we won't take the swinging states because..." And then come Catholics from Ireland and say, "what the heck is going on with you people, we voted for our PM". It is absolutely archaic electoral system and...well, rather conservative country. I mean the US

 

[wendybtn]

As a man said, "It's not a tariff war. It's a drugs war."

 

[Charlot123]

Well if you spoke to *some* Canadians on a flight and they were critical of the PM I guess that’s a strong representation of all Canadians…

You know, the way they spoke though...I was tempted to ask, "do you guys have your own Fox News? And do you watch them after midnight?" (I once did on a cruise ship to Bermuda, and I am not inclined to listen to TV for a long time, so after a while I got up and checked what it was. Conspiracy on conspiracy).

 

[Charlot123]

I've never been a fan of Trudeau, but Canada has a democracy. Sometimes people elect someone we like, sometimes it's someone we don't like. All we can do is wait and hope for better next time.

The last time Trudeau was elected he had a minority governments, meaning he was unable to do anything without forming a coalition with another party. Canada has more than two political parties, so this worked.

Unlike the USA, Canadians do not see government as two opposing teams. Therefore, it's less likely that Canada will see the rise of national populism to unify the nation by turning identifiable groups (such as migrants, Canadians) into villains that must be "punished" without due process. Canada first as a policy, sure, but a Canadians prime minister making false statements (e.g.: USA subsidizes Canada with hundreds of billions) and then publicly stating that foreigners need to be punished with tariffs? No, Canadians will never fall for that. That's ridiculous.

Otto it is not as much about the democracy or not as it is about that electoral vote and bipartisan system.

 

[Tealgrove]

LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) has removed American products from their shelves. They are one of the largest liquor buyers in the world.


Ontario removing U.S. alcohol from LCBO as ‘first round of retaliation’ against Trump’s tariffs


View attachment 568343

Yup no more Josh Pino Grigio. No more Bacardi

 

[Charlot123]

It's interesting, but the US has been in the Canadian Arctic for a while - submarines have been traversing this area for years. US treaties with Canada have tied defenses together for years. The US doesn't need sovereignty over Canadian territory, especially for military purposes.

Since Trump denies climate change, and is shutting down much of NOAA, which predicts weather and models climate change, I think he lacks the foresight to envision the transformation of shipping lanes....

Well, I see it as a different issue. The global warming happens. Soon people will migrate up North. Canada has a huge territory that has been uninhabitable but will suddenly become very habitable. Think of this. While TX AZ or FLA will be a difficult place to live in.