The sombre mien—that’s what stayed with me. On Saturday, Mark Carney looked less like a prime minister briefing media on trade negotiations than a wartime leader telling his country a feared turn had finally arrived and preparing them for a long ordeal. The intense, all-out effort to stop crushing new tariffs had failed, with Carney grimly explaining that the United States insists on “short-term transactions” rather than “long-term partnerships” and that its commitments could no longer be assumed to hold.
American demands reportedly went well beyond tariffs, market access, and sectoral protections. They targeted Canada’s freedom to set domestic cultural policy, interpret agreements it had already signed, and conduct trade relations with third countries. The loss of our sovereignty was too high a price for preserving economic integration. What prime minister would accept Canada becoming a vassal state on his watch? With the collapse of talks, and Carney describing the country as being “attacked,” it’s hard not to feel like we have crossed into a different moment—that we are living in a slightly darker reality.
Throughout the weekend, The Walrus spoke to economists, policy experts, and political observers about what exactly has changed and what this new period might demand of Canada.
Then some conservative pundits, or supposed pundits, attempt to assure that Canada wouldn’t keep it up after the mid-terms and when they’re proven right, such will embolden them.
If Carney put a 100% tariff until we went back to the presumably relatively more liberal trade under NAFTA, and held off well into 2027, that might have more effect.
Why are we boycotting wine from California and New York State?
For that matter, maybe have a sort of DEI for American companies owned by blacks, women, and/or of LGTs? Maybe allow imports of cans of beer provided they have pride colours.
Isn’t California’s population bigger than Canada’s?
Maybe give speeches on how California should separate. Californians are far more progressive and richer than red states. Red states hate women, LGBTQs, and people born in 1980 and after. They tried to start their own confederacy—a slave confederacy—but lost miserably to a Republican president who wasn’t even 60 years old—one who split logs and won wrestling bouts, rather than drive around in a golf cart—one who didn’t give 2 hoots if southern politicians didn’t like him.
Ah, 19th century Republicans—so strong and virile—unlike today’s wimpy Republicans who adore Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Nathan Bedford Forest.
Texas as a Lone Star State?!? Hah! The secessionists split from Mexico because Mexico banned slavery, and Texans wanted slavery, and then spent 10 years trying to join the US, begging them to join. Then left again—make up your mind, Texans! Meanwhile the wp:Vermont Republic lasted 14 years! I’ll take a Green Mountain boy over a Texan Ranger—the former has more stamina!
The South’s gonna do it again—yeah, lose again.
MAGA: Make America GO Away.
Ukraine is fighting for its existence as a nation.
Higher oil prices are perhaps more to Canada’s benefit than the US’s.
Ukraine is showing the world that one can hold off a big bully by fighting asymetrically.
But we shouldn’t ally, or ally too closely, with dictatorships; nor, IMO, is such necessary. We should trade freely with all (or nearly all) nations, even if unreciprocated. China, Mexico, UK, EU, and even the US sell us stuff because they want Canadian money; but what good is Canadian money except to buy Canadian goods and services? But how can they get Canadian goods and services when their countries’ governments have stupid tariffs? They can’t eat Canadian money; nor trade Canadian money for other currencies unless those potential buyers of Canadian money value Canadian money, and for what again?: Canadian goods and services. No retaliation: the free market—the free market being something Trump and his billionaire sycophants aren’t well acquainted with—will do the retaliating—as it’s beginning to do, and while there are many politically stupid (and even generally stupid) Americans—numbering well in the 10s of millions—not all are.
If we—and by “we” I might as well include all non-Americans—can’t sell to Americans, we can’t get American money (or at least get far less), and thus we can’t buy American goods and services (or buy far less).
Let’s say before the idiot became President, an American could buy an American product for $100 and Canadian product for $90. Then their lord and master, their “god emperor” as 4chan put it, puts a 50% tariff—and the Canadian good rises to $135.
Americans will either pay the extra tax—the Trump tariff is a Trump tax on Americans—or buy the American product; but now the American producer has less incentive to produce better quality and lower prices. Indeed, they hike it to, say, $120. The American producer then gives $5 of that per unit sold, to bribe Trump. The Trump supporter says “Yes great god emperor Trump, abuse me more. I enjoy getting pushed by you.” while the average American grumbles and stews in anger.
Meanwhile, the Canadian company isn’t totally without customers, but still takes a bit of a hit and sells at perhaps $75 to another country and/or domestically, who might prefer it to the exported American product.
Americans grow even more weary with Trump, and his term isn’t even half over.
What is that saying? “For whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
Doug Ford is a buffoon and a bit like Trump himself, but I’m enjoying him getting personal with the senile bully.
Ford has a longer term than Trump and when he finishes it he won’t even be a senior technically.
I somewhat expect the ridicule of Trump, his supporters, and the US to increase—a stupid President of a stupid people. Artermis is Trump’s to fail. Trump could use Ukrainian drones to deal with Iran, but he’s not interested because he perhaps hates Zelenskyy almost as much as he loves Putin and Kim.
Silicon Valley in the past seemed to have presented itself as aloof of politics and internationalist in scope. Their alliance with Trump makes them weak in this regards and shows how much the corporation is a creature of the nation-state—including, if you want, the fascist state. They have their gold, in their lairs, in pedophile islands, and golden parachutes, but their scores are highly exaggerated, and probably distasteful to the young entrepreneurs. Maybe those with OnlyFans accounts should maintain them as such are more dignified than working for these “tech bros.”
In our stupidity we made the “tech bros” rich: a few of them even fancy themselves as “trillionaires”, though their assets (e.g. wp:SpaceX) aren’t even 10% of their market caps—and methinks also that a lot of those “assets” are paper. An AI generated centerfold is probably more genuine than their corporation’s market cap.
Maduro was a dictator. I don’t miss his passing, nor has the US benefited much from the coup.
Perhaps no war the US has fought in the past 70 years has benefited the US—not even Afghanistan.
I’m pretty sure you’ve seen this:
US-Iran war explained by Chinese AI animation: Legend of the Valley of Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As0rplNJTZI
5:22
It’s CPC propaganda, but I still enjoy it. 😁 🙂
If there is truly a “Rules based world order”, the US might have little to do with it, particularly with Trump as America’s HIIC.