Canada - USA Trade War commencing March 2025

[otto]

Talk that the US (read Trump) wants to kick Canada out of 5eyes? Come on Canada, turn it up a notch. Put the heat on DJT and End this madness.

Canada is relying on people in the USA to deal with their elected politicians. That's where change can happen, not in a foreign country.

 

[otto]

One big issue is that each province controls it's own natural resources.

Tell Albertans that the oil sands contain 'Canadian oil' and they'll throw you into the steer wrestling ring.

Alberta has been seriously flirting with the idea of independence since the 2010s, I believe that's where the whole 51st state idea came from. The current premier was head of the Independence Party, until they merged with the conservatives in 2014 to fight their arch-enemy, the Trudeau dynasty...

But whatever glee she felt after the US election, she can't express her support for Trump now, not even on Fox News.

JMO

The federal government decides tariffs, and can decide to add tariffs to oil regardless of what Alberta wants.

 

[LoveyG]

Canada is relying on people in the USA to deal with their elected politicians. That's where change can happen, not in a foreign country.

We've got a year and a half before elections that could shift anything. Also, folks in congress are discouraging contact (townhall meetings) between officials and constituents. They said to cut down on viral videos that might influence the electorate. IMO. Ok, ok I'll go find links.

Edit: Is Politico MSM? https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/04/congress/gop-town-halls-richard-hudson-00210024

 

[Bigditch]

I don't think you are alone with this thought. Donald had a shouting match tantrum on live TV last week. That's very unusual. He said that he is "punishing" Canada, as though Canadians have been bad little children who need to be punished. Bizarre. He signs orders to impose a 25% tariff on Canada due to border security claims, then he keeps changing the dates and the tariffs even though the alleged border security is unchanged - per claims from Donald. It's incoherent.

Donald claims that that the USA subsizes Canada in the amount of "hundreds of billions of dollars" annually, but no one anywhere can find evidence of this. He claims that Biden is responsible for the egg shortage, even though everyone knows it's due to bird flu in the USA. There are many more strange remarks - too many to list.

T belongs in a nut house.

 

[SusanDonim]

We've got a year and a half before elections that could shift anything. Also, folks in congress are discouraging contact (townhall meetings) between officials and constituents. They said to cut down on viral videos that might influence the electorate. IMO. Ok, ok I'll go find links.

Edit: Is Politico MSM? https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/04/congress/gop-town-halls-richard-hudson-00210024

Absolute cowards!

 

[Warwick1991]

We've got a year and a half before elections that could shift anything. Also, folks in congress are discouraging contact (townhall meetings) between officials and constituents. They said to cut down on viral videos that might influence the electorate. IMO. Ok, ok I'll go find links.

Edit: Is Politico MSM? https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/04/congress/gop-town-halls-richard-hudson-00210024

Politico is apparently independently owned but often linked through CNN.

 

[Cedars]

I won’t be throwing anyone into the steer wrestling ring, thanks.
As an Albertan I fear you are over-generalizing all Albertans as separatists and this is not so. Nor do I think DS was gleeful, except insofar as the fact that traditionally, republican presidents have been more positively disposed toward Alberta’s energy industry.
Moo

Yes, I was generalizing: but I lived in Alberta 1998-2017...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/danielle-smith-sovereignty-act-judge-power-company-executive-1.7041743

 

[Vern]

From the Premier of British Columbia:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897790931593838896

 

[Auntie Cipation]

.

 

[LovesPeace2]

From the Premier of British Columbia:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1897790931593838896

Hell ya. I like Eby and I loved Horgan , I wish we had federal leaders like them. I like what they have done for bc they may not always be correct but they try

 

[Warwick1991]

Politico is not affiliated with CNN. Politico - Wikipedia

Corrected original post.

 

[Snoopster]

As a US citizen I plan to boycott anything coming from Canada or Mexico. Looking through my cabinets and my routine purchases, I don't see but one or two items that I have purchased in the last year. They were from Mexico, specialty food products.

I live on the east coast, fruit and vegetables are abundant even in winter months, our gas and oil prices are very low. We have more than enough lumber. There's actually a lumber company in my area that was purchased by Canadians. They only employ Canadians, rotating them in and out every 3 months and all the lumber is exported to Canada. All the Canadian workers have been extremely nice, so very polite and participate in many local activities. We've learned about their families, follow when they're returning. It's white oak, sort of a rare very strong oak.

I paid 2.50 for gas on Sunday, lowest in years.

I'm committed, we need to end drugs and illegal fentanyl from entering the US.

Moo

What research have you done about the fentanyl problem in the USA? Many, many people have posted the facts on this thread that Canada is not a meaningful contributor to the problem. No one has countered these facts. Because they can't.
In 2024, 0.4% of fentanyl seized in the US came from Canada, and more recently much less than that. That means that over 99.5% of the fentanyl problem in the US has nothing to do with Canada. AND, if some fentanyl made it into the US then isn't that a US border control problem?

In the meantime Canada has taken many steps to ensure that even less fentanyl even makes it to the US border. Canada had already put some increased surveillance on the border and more recently appointed a fentanyl tzar.

And, in contrast, massive amounts of drugs and illegal arms come across the US border into Canada. Did Canada start a trade war? No.

Please post when you have had some time to support your comments. You are slamming an entire nation based on the lies of your President. Many people have tried to point this out, but many people refuse to look at the facts.

Here's a recent fact-check article that indicates that only 0.2% of fentanyl seized in the US came from Canada.
Federal statistics show US border authorities seized 21,889 pounds of fentanyl in the 2024 fiscal year. Of that amount, 43 pounds were seized at the Canadian border — about 0.2% — compared with 21,148 pounds at the Mexican border, about 96.6%.

ETA: Just to be factual, that last article was about drugs seized at the border...not seized overall. So that accounts for the difference between the stat I posted further up (0.4%) vs the stat in the article (0.2%).

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Corrected original post.

Deleted mine.

 

[Trooper]

The federal government decides tariffs, and can decide to add tariffs to oil regardless of what Alberta wants.

One of the reasons, as an Australian, relying on Canadian imported potash, I keep my beady eye on Scott Moe of Saskatchewan... a bit dicey, in many ways, for one thing , he should not be driving even a scooter, but so far, he has not interfered with trade with AU, but..... he is a kind of wierdish trumpophile, a bit antivax, a bit insular.. I see that his party is losing ground a bit, especially in Regina, and Saskatoon... it is not impossible that he might go against the grain and run is own race re export of potash...

PS. The only clever thing Stephen Harper did was haul in Mark Carney in a bit of cross political non partisan way, to get him out of the fiscal swamp he fell into.. .. here's hoping Carney gets to Ottawa as prime minister. He comes off as the most sane person I've heard speak on fiscal matters, and a lot of other stuff, too.

 

[Snoopster]

One of the reasons, as an Australian, relying on Canadian imported potash, I keep my beady eye on Scott Moe of Saskatchewan... a bit dicey, in many ways, for one thing , he should not be driving even a scooter, but so far, he has not interfered with trade with AU, but..... he is a kind of wierdish trumpophile, a bit antivax, a bit insular.. I see that his party is losing ground a bit, especially in Regina, and Saskatoon... it is not impossible that he might go against the grain and run is own race re export of potash...

PS. The only clever thing Stephen Harper did was haul in Mark Carney in a bit of cross political non partisan way, to get him out of the fiscal swamp he fell into.. .. here's hoping Carney gets to Ottawa as prime minister. He comes off as the most sane person I've heard speak on fiscal matters, and a lot of other stuff, too.

Yes, we have some Conservative provincial Premiers. (And, unfortunately we just re-elected Doug Ford in Ontario. But at least he is on the Canadian bandwagon for now.) But most of them are rising above the political in-fighting to fight for Canada. The only province that remains deeply troubling is Alberta...our Maga-land. There are many left and center-leaning folks in Calgary, and to a lesser extent, Edmonton (the two largest cities in Alberta, and both great!).

The problem is that Alberta is like Texas, with ranches and oil rigs. The province rides high when oil & gas are doing well, but suffer when they aren't. They dismiss any talk of climate change, as that will impact their O&G business. And they are fiercely independent. They don't want any laws. They don't want to help their fellow citizens. (HUGE generalization there on my part.) So, they are our Maple Magas.

Don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful people in Alberta. They have a wonderful free spirit. But some of the rural folks don't like anyone that is different from them. AND, most importantly, their Premier truly sucks. She is bleeding their healthcare system dry. It's shameful. (IMO)

But back to your main point...with Saskatchewan you should be less worried. Yes, they have O&G and rural as well, but the rural folks are truly lovely. I don't think Moe will side with Trump (unlike the Alberta premier).

 

[Cedars]

The federal government decides tariffs, and can decide to add tariffs to oil regardless of what Alberta wants.

Tariffs are applied to another country's imported goods, the US is adding tariffs to Alberta oil. Canada is applying tariffs to US goods imported to Canada.

 

[acutename]

This is a great example of the impact of imposing significant economic polity changes in the form of tariffs, without a professional assessment of the impact of the changes, of the goals of the changes, without proper consideration of notifications and role-out processes to make the changes as responsible and accountable as they should be.

And this is just one small businessman whose restaurant business relies on readily available Mexican produce. It really emphasizes how much of a clown car this administration is and how disruptive this is to all levels of business of all sizes. Unable to accurately predict the impact of changes in costs, labor availability, this fellow can't even figure out what to tell his customers.

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/sf-mexican-restaurants-tariffs-20205311.php

just cannot imagine doing anything like this without a big study on the impacts on all the economic sectors and input from interested parties but this seems to be a "throw up a tariff" and see who squeals a lot. I am back to thinking that we put a "Wheel of Fortune" at the border and whatever spin you get is the imposed tariff for that shipment.

 

[Kemug]

This is wild. Yeah, Canada and Mexico are 'saying they'll do better'. Seriously? Do you think we are stupid? Trump is caving. He had an ill-conceived plan to make Mexico and Canada out as the bad guys, and when the markets showed that they didn't believe him, the markets tanked. False excuses by Trump's supporters.

View attachment 568257

Shouldn't that be Nutlick?

 

[Cedars]

just cannot imagine doing anything like this without a big study on the impacts on all the economic sectors and input from interested parties but this seems to be a "throw up a tariff" and see who squeals a lot. I am back to thinking that we put a "Wheel of Fortune" at the border and whatever spin you get is the imposed tariff for that shipment.

IMO, the Trump view is that US manufacturing is heavily dependent on Canada's raw resources.

If US manufacturing were to return to c. 1952, when 'America was great', that will involve also enriching Canada, because the US gets so much energy, steel, critical minerals, etc, from Canada.

IMO he wants to wave a magic wand and have it all come from within the US.

It can't, because geology.

So he wants to bring Canada to it's knees, and get stuff that way

However, the reason for decline in US manufacturing isn't the cost of resources from Canada, it's US companies choosing to manufacture in low-cost countries, to take advantage of cheaper labour. And it's also US consumers choosing to buy cheaper products from non-US companies, especially in China.

JMO

 

[Kemug]

.

This, yes. For sure. This I have already asked. I have some friends with good "designer" taste. And don't get me wrong, they are traveling too. But I thought there should be some interesting routes. Or even thinking of making some. Never been to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia, btw, I might need some good advices.

Even if you can't travel, you can always buy Canadian stuff online.