Appears Canada and Mexico have come to the bargaining table with TRUMP....
No; we haven't. Will things be discussed? I am sure they will. But don't rush to determine who approached who.
The current trade deal between Canada, Mexico and the US is the USMCA. The
USMCA was insisted upon, negotiated and signed by Donald J. Trump and brought into effect in 2020.
At 0001hrs yesterday morning (4 March 2025), Trump breached that International Trade Agreement that he himself designed and put into force, by placing 25% tarrifs onto Canadian goods. Canada reciprocated yesterday afternoon (4 March), by placing "
retaliatory tarrifs" of the same amount onto the US. for his breaching of his very own trade agreement. Even Trump acknowledges that our 25% are actually "retaliatory" for the 25% he placed on us.
Then
this presser hit the airwaves from Premier Doug Ford (LCBO just happens to be the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world). LCBO meand there is now no American alcohol on their shelves, in any bars, restaurants etc .... or on any other provinces shelves for that matter). He also discusses "just shutting off the hydro and energy" provided by them to 1.5 million US households in NY, Minnesota & Michigan. BTW, a mere 5 days ago Doug Ford won his 3rd straight
Conservative Majority government in Ontario after he called to have the election 2 years early ... based exactly upon getting a clear mandate from the voters to clearly and fully retaliate AGAINST any breach of USMCA by Trump.
Apparently,
Kentucky isn't happy
American refineries are specificly designed and built to process heavy crude. Heavy crude to the tune of 4.5 million barrells a day from Canada. Not the regular oil.
Ref Their prices, thus yours, are going up.
Canada exports 46% of our potash worldwide, but 85% of the critical potash that America needs to produce its fertilizers for high yield for farmers comes from Canada.
US tariff on Canadian potash imports goes ahead | Latest Market News Those very same US farmers still haven't fully recovered from the impacts of Trump's tarrifs that he imposed at the beginning of his
last term in office as 45. They arent happy.
Canada has uranium. The US needs to import 95% of its
uranium. Uranium is used in medicine to create radioactive isotopes that treat cancer and other conditions. Think 'radiation' therapy, MRIs, X-Rays. Maybe that's why he (or DOGE is it?) is cutting cancer research?
The US auto industry is alarmed (because steel, aluminum etc):
Automakers warn that Trump tariffs will hike vehicle prices as much as 25%
and
The auto industry can withstand only a few weeks of President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico until costs to automakers and suppliers rise astronomically, resulting in higher consumer prices and risking massive job losses, experts said Tuesday.
The thing is: Canada actually exports
raw material goods required to 'build stuff'. We also export
services (heat, power, electricity). We import
finished goods. We import
luxury items from the US, but we already can & do egt those goods from elsewhere too. We are also now in the process of increasing getting them from elsewhere - just switching out our main supplier.
As for 'food'; we've got plenty. Grain for the world, beef, pork, chicken (and no bird flu!) etc etc. A flat of 30 eggs still cost me just $4.88 Canadian at Costco today. We're switching to Mexico for our fruits etc.
<modsnip> Bt then, Trump announced he was going to breach his very own International Agreement USMCA and impose tariffs on us ... the Liberals will have a new leader shortly and the polls have changed to a super majority
for the Liberals. <modsnip> Canadians are
that united against this breach of international agreement by your President and against Trump's threat to bring us to our knees economicly so that we will collapse as a nation and become your "beloved 51st State".
We'll weather it.
I do know that the US Commerce Secretary (Lutnick)
reached out to talk Ontario Premier Doug Ford after Ford's presser and the prime Minister's pressers today (Ford told him the same message that we all saw at the presser: he'd turn the power off if required) ... and after that stock market started nose diving asking us 'to meet half way'.
Trump is the President of the United States. <modsnip> But, he is a
chaos leader. And he has elected to do that on the world stage at home and abroad with his own citizens and with allies.
But, much like Ukraine and the breach of the Budapest Memorandum, please don't just expect us to ignore the chaos, 'be diplomatic' and heap praise and thanks on him when he is threatening our very existence and survial as a
democratic sovereign nation. Like Ukrainians, Canadians won't 'just surrender' - we
never have.
Personally, IMO, I can't wait for the next 4 years to be done with ... if only to put an end to the chaos and I know many Americans who feel the exact same way.