Praying for a reasonable end to all this. It's costly on both sides. Probably high time to scrap NAFTA and the USMCA which have resulted in hard feelings on both sides.
Let the markets decide.
And that would probably be best for all.
Let the markets decide price, and if nations need tariffs to level the playing field, that is perfectly ok as long as it's understood that BOTH sides can tariff to their heart's content. Eventually the markets will level out and it's all good.
The American tariffs on Canadian exports into America started with a demand that most Canadians found quite reasonable by President Trump, and we agreed.
End the drugs and migrants from both sides of the border. Trudeau has been dreadful in that regard and we welcomed Trump forcing him to fix that issue.
Fix it, and he would end the tariffs.
When Trump gave a reprieve at the end of January to allow us to fix the border, Canada dropped our tariffs on incoming American goods.
Canada was operating in good faith. We trusted Trump's word that this was about drugs and migrants.
All was good.
March 3rd the rules seem to have suddenly changed, and it wasn't about drugs and migrants at all. Now the tariffs President Trump put back up in March, are an attempt to rewrite the the USMCA and NAFTA both of which President Trump agreed with in his first term and called a good deal.
Fair enough, it's probably time to scrap that deal and start over.
Canada didn't appreciate having the NAFTA and USMCA agreements torn up without notice and when that was coupled with repeated comments about making Canada the 51st State, alongside similar comments about Greenland, it started to sound a lot more threatening to Canadians.
Then President Trump mentioned redrawing the border and renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty between our nations. Those are very serious concerns. America is 10x our size. We can't stop President Trump - he's already renamed the Gulf of Mexico. A joke perhaps, but Mexico isn't laughing.
I can see Trump's negotiating style at work in the jokes and in the threats. Fewer and fewer of my countrymen and women do though. They really do think Trump wants to invade Canada and take us over one way or another.
The tariffs were back up on both sides, as of March 3rd for the USA, and March 4rth for Canada.
Canada left our tariffs up, as did President Trump. The article doesn't make that clear.
The only things he's actually dropped tariffs on are on the USMCA and NAFTA stuff all of which have legal penalties if he breaks them.
Those will be coming back according to his statements at some point (the agreements are up next year I think) but it's unclear now what and why. He legally can't charge tariffs on those.
So Canada is leaving our tariffs up- on the things that aren't covered under NAFTA. or the USMCA
Just as President Trump is doing.
One of the complaints Trump made is that Canadian goods are undercutting the prices in the States, therefore at an unfair advantage. We shouldn't be selling our goods below market. Our dollar is worth a lot less so that is partly why our goods are cheaper.
That is a reasonable complaint, so exports of our goods have now got an extra surcharge either already added or about to be- as an export tax on crude oil, potash, electricity and maybe other products.
Some of the surcharges are a bit excessive- 25% on electricity from Ontario, but it will probably get negotiated in the next weeks. It's our counter to his initial bargaining. Our dollar is worth a lot less than the American dollar so by the time the exchange rate is figured in, it's not as bad as it sounds.
What the article doesn't point out is that Canada does have strict regulations of what can be allowed in our dairy and meat supply- as an example antibiotic residues, growth hormones, aren't allowed, nor is evidence of infection ie pus or blood in the dairy supply. American farmers who use these practices object to being held to Canadian standards, which is why President Trump is talking about American's not being allowed access into our markets.
FWIW he's using the same arguments on Europe who have similar regulations as Canada does. (France and Canada share a number of regulations health wise including sunscreens and cheese of all things- we import a lot of French cheese and they import a lot of our cheese). Europe doesn't want some of the bad stuff that RFK is trying to remove from American foods, just like Canada doesn't.
We have allowed some American dairy products into our markets that meet our standards though so it's not impossible. I think it's mostly in the organic stuff where the regulations are similar.
I'm no fan of marketing boards, and I see Trump's problem with those. I think a free market should be a free market. However they are legal here in Canada, and we are a different country with different laws. One of the things about national boundaries is that inside a different country they have their own laws and regulations. That make sense to them.
I think the FDA in the States has every right to judge what is and isn't safe for American consumption and our version of the FDA should in fairness also be allowed to judge what is safe to be sold as food. I shouldn't be allowed to export something into America that the FDA doesn't allow and vice versa.
US banks are allowed in Canada, especially in the lucrative credit card market, contrary to claims we don't allow American banks. Those are getting lumped into the grievances.
We did manage to catch some drugs going south, and bust a lot more gun runners and surprise -drugs going north. LOL interfering with the free trade agreements of the drug dealers! A good start regardless of how this whole thing shakes out. Less drugs and illegal guns up here is a good thing.
Trudeau is out, but his gang in power remains under his best buddy since Chrystia Freeland, namely Mark Carney.
Unfortunately the net result of all this back and forth is that the Liberals will remain in power, possibly winning the next election which was looking unlikely until the tariff situation went bad.
They are advertising themselves as the only defenders of Canada. Poilievre who is the leader of our Conservatives, and pegged to win next fall is dropping in the polls as the Liberals are rising again.
BUT
God is the one who puts people in power, and takes them out so I have to see His plan in all of this regardless of how it seems and feels.
One of the things I think this will do is put pressure on the markets (they don't like uncertainty and tariffs and trade wars are uncertainty) which will eventually result in whatever economic system will be in place during the 10 kings period and later in the Tribulation.
Canada will not remain on it's own as a nation if it falls economically. Whether that is part of Trumps plan or not, I have no idea, but if God is dealing with us it may be HIS plan. We have had our finger in His eye so to speak on the issues of abortion, and physician assisted suicide (MAID), not to mention our stance on Israel and protecting our Jewish Canadians.
There is much that is wrong with my country. But there is also much that is good. Just like the States.
In the end God will allow what He wills in this situation. His will be done.
Hopefully this will help shed some light on a very complicated topic.
www.breitbart.com
