Eighteen months ago, Mark Carney said Trump’s tariffs had taught Canada that we had to look out for ourselves. This week, Canada showed what that lesson looks like.
This seems like an excellent time to nail down purchase of 50+ Swedish Gripen fighters and the Canadian manufacturing jobs and maintenance training that go with them.
This is just what we need to help us focus. Thanks, Fred.
A related thought: I got in touch with the small business that CBC featured last Wednesday to see if I could buy something to help out a bit. I m waiting for a polished fossil necklace, made in Calgary, modestly priced, that I will wear and announce it s origins to whoever admires it. Free shipping too. But the owner admits she s terrified because her customers are mostly Americans who will drop her with the added 50%. I suggested that her work is lovely and might do well in the ROC, but she isnt so sure and advertising is a huge investment. She s on Etsy too but doesnt stand out as Canadian.
So I suggested and still believe this could be possible: What if the federal government were to host or support some kind of national marketplace where we could all go to find Canadian goods and maybe services. A counter Amazon, not necessarily for buying but more a directory for finding?
I m not a business person and maybe am missing the obvious. But government has subsidized such things in the past, maybe it s time again? Who do we encourage to advocate this? just our local MP? I m guessing that the country is so big nowadays that people in the west cannot connect us on the Atlantic with a target at all never mind get past Ontario and Quebec. But while we don t have the buying power of the USA. we re also quite possibly big enough to support a small business across the country with the right advertising am awareness.
The problem isn't simply convincing Canadians to buy Canadian. A lot of us already want to.
**The problem is finding Canadian.**
Your Calgary necklace maker is a perfect example.
She's sitting in Alberta wondering how she'll replace American customers, while somebody in Nova Scotia may be looking for exactly what she makes and have absolutely no idea she exists.
That's a market connection problem.
I'm not sure government needs to build another Amazon... God help us if Ottawa decides it needs a shopping cart. 😂
but a properly promoted national **Canadian-made business directory/marketplace** is a different proposition entirely.
Businesses could identify what is actually made in Canada, where it's made, where Canadians can buy it, and whether they ship nationally.
Government could potentially support verification, promotion and visibility without trying to become the retailer.
And you've given me something else to investigate: **what already exists, what's missing, and whether anybody in Ottawa is seriously working on this.**
Because you're right about the underlying opportunity.
We have nearly 42 million people scattered across one enormous country.
A small Canadian business shouldn't lose an American customer without at least having a fighting chance of being discovered by another Canadian somewhere else.
I think this deserves a proper look.
Thanks, Bev. You may have just sent me down another rabbit hole. 😁🇨🇦
Thanks great news Fred. I was hoping. And of course another Amazon isnt the way to go, bad analogy. I stopped buying Amazon when the orangutan got elected but I still use it as a reference tool when all else fails. I look things up there, get specs, pricing, options, availability, reviews, like that. Our Directory could do a lot of that. Godspeed advancing the notion!
You are the kind of Canadian that makes us strong. Thinking outside of "the box" but inside of Canada. "A National Directory of Crafted Canadian Products" designed by, and made by the talented people of our own nation - it would give buyers access to a huge market of quality goods. Thank you. Liz
With Fred s approval, here is the company name. it s also a website. As I told her, she might be surprised how many home shoppers there are in Canada. Joan Rivers found the Canada trip worth her while, and often shouted out to her far flung clients. Now that I m in the same age bracket as my mother and aunties, and dont easily get about, sometimes it s nice to find a pretty on line. Cheers one up.
CINDYLOUWHO2. website and Etsy. Since she uses fossils and natural metals I expect they ll be more durable than Joan s which are disintegrating in my mothers old boxes.
I don t know if I m allowed under geezerrules but I just found the name in the cbc article last wednesday and searched. There s a website and she s on Etsy.
Trough the Post Office…they have the network, they already have a website with items on sale as of now ( very small selection not too tempting as of now) , they own Purolator, a second distribution network. They also need new income so would be the time for a Canadian “Amazon”. I would go for that
I d love to see the Post office expand their role including maybe door to door service again. larger mandate? There are a lot of things we need to rethink. If by chance this seige become sustained or escalates, it will become a priority.
Whether the US government avoids the coming election or takes some other aggressive actions, they re in trouble and the public will to become more aggressive might falter.
I d also like to see us get out from under more and more US based services. I ve cut as many as I could and keep looking for more ways. when we have options, Ill keep going. Glaring at my iphone and mac.
Maybe this isn't simply about **buying Canadian** anymore.
Maybe it's time to start asking... **What Canadian systems do we need to rebuild or strengthen so Canadians can do more business with Canadians?**
Canada Post is interesting in that context.
We already have a national delivery network reaching communities that private companies don't necessarily find profitable.
Could its mandate evolve to help Canadian small businesses reach Canadian customers more easily?
I don't know... but that's exactly the sort of question worth investigating rather than dismissing.
And your last point may be even bigger.
We've spent decades building an economy where an astonishing amount of our commerce, technology and digital life runs through American companies and platforms.
We aren't going to replace all of that... nor should we replace something merely because it's American.
But where good Canadian alternatives exist, I'd like Canadians to be able to **find them.**
That's the recurring problem I'm seeing in these conversations...
The willingness is there.
The businesses are there.
The customers are there.
**The connections between them aren't always there.**
Maybe that's the rabbit hole we need to go down next.
And yes, Bev... I can practically hear that iPhone getting nervous from here. 😂
This is a wonderful idea. A directory, not a marketplace. Perfect. Tod Maffin has a Tuesday feature on his channel asking for people to post a new Canadian product they tried. And he found snacks across the country for a list. Grassroots, would be great to have something scale up. Write your MP, at the least they may have ideas how it could start.
Proud of our government ,our leadership, and the moral integrity of our people, who said - No deal is better than a bad deal.
It is no surprise that trump pulled his own surprises at the last moment. However, he would never have expected to be left alone at the table. I wish I had been a fly on the wall for that one..........
I am sure that those final demands were anticipated, but the fact that there was already a plan in place to reciprocat is what I am most proud of. Canada is a nation of proud people, and we will stand strong. Bullies do not deserve to win.
It will not be easy for our people, nor for the American people, to get through this period of adjustment. There will be pain and losses for many on both sides of the border, but in the long run, if we had accepted a bad deal, our pain would have been worse.
As Canadians always seem to do, we will get through it. We have a strong man to protect us. We are stong in ourselves. Most important, we will continue to develop our country as a world leader.
It seems to me that this outcome was ensured the moment Trump made his statement about an imminent deal on Wednesday . It was a pressure tactic, get the public excited , than drop last minute demands on the table. Than,”Oh look, those selfish ungrateful bastards walked away , after we were so good to them.” These are the juvenile tactics you’ll find if you are stupid enough to read “The Art of The Deal”
The American economy needs the Canadian economy and the Canadian economy needs the American economy. It’s that simple what’s been going on over the last year is simply public grandstanding. The American political environment always needs a bad guy in a dark hat at the gate. They’ve decided to use canada in this capacity now
Canada and by that I mean, Canadian citizens need to have the gumption to stand tall now. I congratulate Carney on showing the gumption to stand on principles the outlined two years ago.
Well put Fred. I don't think we will ever get a good trade deal as long as Trump is in power. That's okay, because the sun will still come up and soon he and his cabal, will be gone. It will take years after that to just establish a semblance of the working relationship we had before. The Americans, in the future, are going to have to bend over backwards, so to speak, just to show that they can be trusted again.
Excellent analysis, Fred, as always. The 'no deal' option will always be superior to a bad deal. The bullies of the Trump administration, led by the biggest, most malignant, narcissistic bully of them all, will never just deal in good faith. One of my favourite quotes from " The Notebooks of Lazarus Long", by Robert Heinlein, is "Never appeal to a man's better nature. He may not have one.".
Leslie, that Heinlein line certainly found the right comment section. 😂
And your first sentence is where I keep landing: **the ability to walk away is part of negotiating.**
If the other side knows you *must* have a deal, you've already surrendered an enormous piece of your leverage.
That's why I'm less interested in trying to determine Trump's character or what might motivate him and much more interested in what Canada can control.
Build alternatives. Diversify customers. Strengthen Canadian businesses.
Reduce vulnerabilities.
And negotiate with the United States whenever there's a deal worth having.
Then if somebody changes the terms at the eleventh hour, Canada doesn't have to appeal to anybody's “better nature.”
**We can simply say no.**
Thanks, Leslie.
That quote is going into my mental filing cabinet. 😁
Robert Heinlein was a fine sci-fi writer. Methuselah's Children is one of my faves that he wrote, along with Stranger in a Strange Land. You're absolutely right about being more interested in what Canada can control; I'm in the same boat. After all, we already know what Trump's character (does he actually have any?) is like; in a word, awful. We need to do only what is right for Canada, and I wholly approve of Carney doing just that by walking away from a truly bad deal for Canada.
The retaliation and the financial support for the hit to our 🍁economy can come in one fell swoop, IMHO, by putting a small export tax on "stuff" going to USA such as on our energy, (yes, Dani, oil, too!), our potash, and some critical minerals needed for perhaps a war one is losing, like on aluminum, and make that an escalating export tax until we get a fair trade agreement. I think of it like "waterboarding by export tax". 🤔😉
Cath, “waterboarding by export tax” is certainly one way to make sure I don't forget the idea. 😂
I agree with the bigger point behind it... **Canada has leverage too.**
Energy, potash, aluminum, critical minerals and other resources don't suddenly become worthless because Trump puts tariffs on Canadian goods.
The United States buys them because American businesses and consumers actually need them.
Where I'd be cautious is assuming an export tax automatically hurts them more than it hurts us.
I'd want to know exactly who ultimately pays, what Canadian producers get caught in the crossfire, what retaliation it might trigger, and whether there are smarter ways to use the same leverage.
But that's precisely the conversation Canada should be having now.
Not simply...
**“What can Trump do to us?”**
But also...
**“What does America depend on Canada for... and how intelligently can we use that leverage?”**
We've spent enough time acting like only one country at this negotiating table has cards.
It doesn't.
Thanks, Cath.
You've given me another damn rabbit hole to investigate. 😂
If more than 50% of 🇺🇸 citizens are living paycheque to paycheque, there is no viable market to trade with, except for the top 1%. No big deal if 🇨🇦 can access a bigger market overseas.
Excellent article, Fred. The Americans have underestimated our collective resolve; the pain will be difficult for us but anything is better than an assault on our sovereignty and economic subjugation.
The PM’s announcement and particularly his answers to media show he astutely thinks on his feet. Mr. Trump is helpless without a teleprompter and worse otherwise.
And in future, Canada will sign agreements signed in ink and verified. Go Canadians!
The shock was when Trump got reelected to a second term. He is a con man with no morals! Canada will have pains but we have something that the US doesn’t and that is trust! Other countries will be happy to deal with Canada.
Dan, I think you've put your finger on an asset that's difficult to put on a balance sheet...
**Trust.**
Canada doesn't have America's market size, military power or population.
We're not going to pretend otherwise.
But when countries and companies decide where to invest, who to trade with and where to build relationships that may last decades, **predictability and reliability have economic value too.**
That's why I think Canada's response has to be bigger than simply surviving Trump's tariffs.
We need to make ourselves the country that says what it means, honours its agreements, welcomes investment and can still be trusted five years after the handshake.
Trump can change tariff rates overnight.
Canada's job is to build something considerably harder to change overnight...
**a reputation as a reliable place to do business.**
If we protect that, Dan, I think you're right...
there will be countries very interested in dealing with us.
Deeply ashamed American here. I absolutely love how Canada is standing up to the orange bully. I only wish we had more of our own politicians with a spine like you. Well played, although I'm sorry you have to suffer a bit. At least you have pride, unlike so many of us!
Tani, please don't carry the shame for what your government does.
One thing I've tried very hard to keep straight through all of this is the difference between **America's government and Americans.**
I've heard from far too many Americans like you who are horrified by what's happening to believe the country can simply be reduced to the man currently sitting in the White House.
Canada does have to stand up for itself.
There will be economic pain here, and unfortunately ordinary Americans will feel plenty of it too.
That's the rotten part of these trade wars.
The people making the decisions aren't usually the people standing at the cash register paying for them.
But friendships between Canadians and Americans don't have to disappear because the political relationship has changed.
Governments come and go.
**Neighbours remain neighbours.**
Thanks for standing with us, Tani.
There's always room for decent Americans on this side of the conversation. 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸
We miss the friendly banter with our American family & friends, but, when DJT is gone, hopefully things will return to some form of civility. Hang on & keep your chin up, we are cheering for you :) <3
Patsy, that's one of the saddest parts of this whole mess.
For most Canadians, Americans weren't some foreign enemy.
They're our friends, relatives, neighbours and people we've worked, travelled and laughed with for decades.
Politics has damaged something much more personal than a trade agreement.
I hope civility returns too.
But I suspect Canada will come out of this relationship a little wiser and considerably less dependent, regardless of who eventually occupies the White House.
We can rebuild friendship without rebuilding dependency.
And when all this political madness eventually passes, maybe that will leave both countries with a healthier relationship.
Until then, we'll keep our chins up.
And knowing decent Americans are cheering for us certainly helps. 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸
I'm also very proud of our negotiating team and PM Carney! TFG is a criminal and stealing from his country as much as possible. And he seems to be getting away with it so far. The midterm elections are coming up and starting in January 2027 many things will change. Americans are sick to death of their government and the administration. Canada will get the tariffs dropped soon after the Democrats win the House and Senate! And I predict that TFG will be impeached as well.
This seems like an excellent time to nail down purchase of 50+ Swedish Gripen fighters and the Canadian manufacturing jobs and maintenance training that go with them.
Absolutely right!
absolutely - can land and take off from the road!! Thats as Canadian as it gets!
The US menace has given Canada every reason to go with Swedish Gripen
This is just what we need to help us focus. Thanks, Fred.
A related thought: I got in touch with the small business that CBC featured last Wednesday to see if I could buy something to help out a bit. I m waiting for a polished fossil necklace, made in Calgary, modestly priced, that I will wear and announce it s origins to whoever admires it. Free shipping too. But the owner admits she s terrified because her customers are mostly Americans who will drop her with the added 50%. I suggested that her work is lovely and might do well in the ROC, but she isnt so sure and advertising is a huge investment. She s on Etsy too but doesnt stand out as Canadian.
So I suggested and still believe this could be possible: What if the federal government were to host or support some kind of national marketplace where we could all go to find Canadian goods and maybe services. A counter Amazon, not necessarily for buying but more a directory for finding?
I m not a business person and maybe am missing the obvious. But government has subsidized such things in the past, maybe it s time again? Who do we encourage to advocate this? just our local MP? I m guessing that the country is so big nowadays that people in the west cannot connect us on the Atlantic with a target at all never mind get past Ontario and Quebec. But while we don t have the buying power of the USA. we re also quite possibly big enough to support a small business across the country with the right advertising am awareness.
What do you all think?
Bev, I think you're onto something here.
The problem isn't simply convincing Canadians to buy Canadian. A lot of us already want to.
**The problem is finding Canadian.**
Your Calgary necklace maker is a perfect example.
She's sitting in Alberta wondering how she'll replace American customers, while somebody in Nova Scotia may be looking for exactly what she makes and have absolutely no idea she exists.
That's a market connection problem.
I'm not sure government needs to build another Amazon... God help us if Ottawa decides it needs a shopping cart. 😂
but a properly promoted national **Canadian-made business directory/marketplace** is a different proposition entirely.
Businesses could identify what is actually made in Canada, where it's made, where Canadians can buy it, and whether they ship nationally.
Government could potentially support verification, promotion and visibility without trying to become the retailer.
And you've given me something else to investigate: **what already exists, what's missing, and whether anybody in Ottawa is seriously working on this.**
Because you're right about the underlying opportunity.
We have nearly 42 million people scattered across one enormous country.
A small Canadian business shouldn't lose an American customer without at least having a fighting chance of being discovered by another Canadian somewhere else.
I think this deserves a proper look.
Thanks, Bev. You may have just sent me down another rabbit hole. 😁🇨🇦
Thanks great news Fred. I was hoping. And of course another Amazon isnt the way to go, bad analogy. I stopped buying Amazon when the orangutan got elected but I still use it as a reference tool when all else fails. I look things up there, get specs, pricing, options, availability, reviews, like that. Our Directory could do a lot of that. Godspeed advancing the notion!
Hi Bev,
You are the kind of Canadian that makes us strong. Thinking outside of "the box" but inside of Canada. "A National Directory of Crafted Canadian Products" designed by, and made by the talented people of our own nation - it would give buyers access to a huge market of quality goods. Thank you. Liz
What is the name of the business? I would be interested in supporting them.
With Fred s approval, here is the company name. it s also a website. As I told her, she might be surprised how many home shoppers there are in Canada. Joan Rivers found the Canada trip worth her while, and often shouted out to her far flung clients. Now that I m in the same age bracket as my mother and aunties, and dont easily get about, sometimes it s nice to find a pretty on line. Cheers one up.
CINDYLOUWHO2. website and Etsy. Since she uses fossils and natural metals I expect they ll be more durable than Joan s which are disintegrating in my mothers old boxes.
I don t know if I m allowed under geezerrules but I just found the name in the cbc article last wednesday and searched. There s a website and she s on Etsy.
Bev no problem dropping products or company name here just don't drop web links to them.
Thanks for the clarification.I ll put in her company name. here and back in the query.CINDYLOUWHO2
🇨🇦 CANADIAN VENDORS ONLY - Type into ETSY’s Search bar to funnel Canadian talent. 🫶🏼
Trough the Post Office…they have the network, they already have a website with items on sale as of now ( very small selection not too tempting as of now) , they own Purolator, a second distribution network. They also need new income so would be the time for a Canadian “Amazon”. I would go for that
I d love to see the Post office expand their role including maybe door to door service again. larger mandate? There are a lot of things we need to rethink. If by chance this seige become sustained or escalates, it will become a priority.
Whether the US government avoids the coming election or takes some other aggressive actions, they re in trouble and the public will to become more aggressive might falter.
I d also like to see us get out from under more and more US based services. I ve cut as many as I could and keep looking for more ways. when we have options, Ill keep going. Glaring at my iphone and mac.
Bev, I think you've hit on the bigger question.
Maybe this isn't simply about **buying Canadian** anymore.
Maybe it's time to start asking... **What Canadian systems do we need to rebuild or strengthen so Canadians can do more business with Canadians?**
Canada Post is interesting in that context.
We already have a national delivery network reaching communities that private companies don't necessarily find profitable.
Could its mandate evolve to help Canadian small businesses reach Canadian customers more easily?
I don't know... but that's exactly the sort of question worth investigating rather than dismissing.
And your last point may be even bigger.
We've spent decades building an economy where an astonishing amount of our commerce, technology and digital life runs through American companies and platforms.
We aren't going to replace all of that... nor should we replace something merely because it's American.
But where good Canadian alternatives exist, I'd like Canadians to be able to **find them.**
That's the recurring problem I'm seeing in these conversations...
The willingness is there.
The businesses are there.
The customers are there.
**The connections between them aren't always there.**
Maybe that's the rabbit hole we need to go down next.
And yes, Bev... I can practically hear that iPhone getting nervous from here. 😂
This is a wonderful idea. A directory, not a marketplace. Perfect. Tod Maffin has a Tuesday feature on his channel asking for people to post a new Canadian product they tried. And he found snacks across the country for a list. Grassroots, would be great to have something scale up. Write your MP, at the least they may have ideas how it could start.
I AM SO PROUD.
Proud of our government ,our leadership, and the moral integrity of our people, who said - No deal is better than a bad deal.
It is no surprise that trump pulled his own surprises at the last moment. However, he would never have expected to be left alone at the table. I wish I had been a fly on the wall for that one..........
I am sure that those final demands were anticipated, but the fact that there was already a plan in place to reciprocat is what I am most proud of. Canada is a nation of proud people, and we will stand strong. Bullies do not deserve to win.
It will not be easy for our people, nor for the American people, to get through this period of adjustment. There will be pain and losses for many on both sides of the border, but in the long run, if we had accepted a bad deal, our pain would have been worse.
As Canadians always seem to do, we will get through it. We have a strong man to protect us. We are stong in ourselves. Most important, we will continue to develop our country as a world leader.
We gave "ol orange" a nightmare last night.
Liz
Liz, I think you've captured why so many Canadians are feeling differently about this one.
Not because tariffs are something to celebrate.
There will be real businesses, workers and families caught in this mess on both sides of the border, and we shouldn't minimize that for a second.
What I'm proud of is that Canada appears to have gone into this understanding that **walking away had to remain an option.**
That's what “no deal is better than a bad deal” actually means.
It's easy to say when nothing is at stake.
It's considerably harder when billions of dollars, jobs and industries are sitting on the table.
And you're right about something else... this isn't the end of anything.
Canada still has an enormous amount of work ahead...
new customers, new infrastructure, stronger Canadian supply chains and better connections between Canadian businesses and Canadian consumers.
Maybe that's the lasting lesson from all of this.
**Standing up to a bully isn't the strategy.
Building ourselves strong enough that the bully has less leverage next time is.**
And I think that's where Canada is heading.
Thanks, Liz.
As a Brit I am so impressed with Canada!
It seems to me that this outcome was ensured the moment Trump made his statement about an imminent deal on Wednesday . It was a pressure tactic, get the public excited , than drop last minute demands on the table. Than,”Oh look, those selfish ungrateful bastards walked away , after we were so good to them.” These are the juvenile tactics you’ll find if you are stupid enough to read “The Art of The Deal”
The American economy needs the Canadian economy and the Canadian economy needs the American economy. It’s that simple what’s been going on over the last year is simply public grandstanding. The American political environment always needs a bad guy in a dark hat at the gate. They’ve decided to use canada in this capacity now
Canada and by that I mean, Canadian citizens need to have the gumption to stand tall now. I congratulate Carney on showing the gumption to stand on principles the outlined two years ago.
John, this is pretty close to how I see it too, with one distinction.
We can't know whether Trump's Wednesday announcement was deliberately designed to set up exactly what followed.
That's getting inside his head, and I don't have a key to that particular haunted house. 😂
But the **effect** was certainly pressure.
Announce that a deal is imminent, create public expectations, and suddenly Canada isn't merely negotiating terms...
it's under pressure to explain why the anticipated deal hasn't happened.
Then the terms change and Canada has a choice... swallow them or walk.
Carney walked.
Your other point is important too.
Canada and the United States still need each other economically.
That's precisely why I don't buy the idea that Canada is powerless here.
The objective isn't to stop trading with America.
It's to build enough alternatives that **neither country can use economic dependence as a weapon against the other.**
That's where Canadians come into this.
Buy Canadian when it makes sense.
Find Canadian businesses.
Support the workers caught in this. Build new markets.
And stop treating every Trump deadline as though it's the end of Canada.
Carney showed some gumption at the negotiating table.
Now the rest of us need some too.
Thanks, John.
Well put Fred. I don't think we will ever get a good trade deal as long as Trump is in power. That's okay, because the sun will still come up and soon he and his cabal, will be gone. It will take years after that to just establish a semblance of the working relationship we had before. The Americans, in the future, are going to have to bend over backwards, so to speak, just to show that they can be trusted again.
That trust has been broken worldwide. It will take longer than one election cycle to prove that Americans can be trusted.
Ron, I think the trust issue may ultimately be bigger than the tariffs themselves.
Tariffs can be removed with the stroke of a pen. **Trust doesn't come back that easily.**
Even when Trump is eventually gone, Canada can't simply flip a switch and return to the relationship we had before all this happened.
Governments change.
Another American president could decide to use the same economic weapons again.
That's the lesson I don't think Canada will forget.
And maybe that's healthy in the long run.
We can remain friends with Americans.
We can trade heavily with them.
We can rebuild a productive relationship with Washington someday.
But we should never again build Canada's economic security around the assumption that **the United States will always be a reliable partner.**
That innocence is gone.
The sun will indeed come up tomorrow, Ron.
And Canada had better keep building while it does.
Excellent analysis, Fred, as always. The 'no deal' option will always be superior to a bad deal. The bullies of the Trump administration, led by the biggest, most malignant, narcissistic bully of them all, will never just deal in good faith. One of my favourite quotes from " The Notebooks of Lazarus Long", by Robert Heinlein, is "Never appeal to a man's better nature. He may not have one.".
Leslie, that Heinlein line certainly found the right comment section. 😂
And your first sentence is where I keep landing: **the ability to walk away is part of negotiating.**
If the other side knows you *must* have a deal, you've already surrendered an enormous piece of your leverage.
That's why I'm less interested in trying to determine Trump's character or what might motivate him and much more interested in what Canada can control.
Build alternatives. Diversify customers. Strengthen Canadian businesses.
Reduce vulnerabilities.
And negotiate with the United States whenever there's a deal worth having.
Then if somebody changes the terms at the eleventh hour, Canada doesn't have to appeal to anybody's “better nature.”
**We can simply say no.**
Thanks, Leslie.
That quote is going into my mental filing cabinet. 😁
Robert Heinlein was a fine sci-fi writer. Methuselah's Children is one of my faves that he wrote, along with Stranger in a Strange Land. You're absolutely right about being more interested in what Canada can control; I'm in the same boat. After all, we already know what Trump's character (does he actually have any?) is like; in a word, awful. We need to do only what is right for Canada, and I wholly approve of Carney doing just that by walking away from a truly bad deal for Canada.
Well presented, Fred. Thank you.
The retaliation and the financial support for the hit to our 🍁economy can come in one fell swoop, IMHO, by putting a small export tax on "stuff" going to USA such as on our energy, (yes, Dani, oil, too!), our potash, and some critical minerals needed for perhaps a war one is losing, like on aluminum, and make that an escalating export tax until we get a fair trade agreement. I think of it like "waterboarding by export tax". 🤔😉
❤️🇨🇦
Cath, “waterboarding by export tax” is certainly one way to make sure I don't forget the idea. 😂
I agree with the bigger point behind it... **Canada has leverage too.**
Energy, potash, aluminum, critical minerals and other resources don't suddenly become worthless because Trump puts tariffs on Canadian goods.
The United States buys them because American businesses and consumers actually need them.
Where I'd be cautious is assuming an export tax automatically hurts them more than it hurts us.
I'd want to know exactly who ultimately pays, what Canadian producers get caught in the crossfire, what retaliation it might trigger, and whether there are smarter ways to use the same leverage.
But that's precisely the conversation Canada should be having now.
Not simply...
**“What can Trump do to us?”**
But also...
**“What does America depend on Canada for... and how intelligently can we use that leverage?”**
We've spent enough time acting like only one country at this negotiating table has cards.
It doesn't.
Thanks, Cath.
You've given me another damn rabbit hole to investigate. 😂
You're welcome. 🐰Wonderland or Looking Glass? It all seems like The Mad Hatter's Tea Party. ❤️🇨🇦
Thank you Fred, you said it so well
Trump is a rapist and will always have the mentality of a rapist. It infuriates him if anyone says no.
Yes, he thinks he can take whatever he wants!
With any luck he will have an aneurysm
If more than 50% of 🇺🇸 citizens are living paycheque to paycheque, there is no viable market to trade with, except for the top 1%. No big deal if 🇨🇦 can access a bigger market overseas.
Isnt this what everyone wanted?
Excellent article, Fred. The Americans have underestimated our collective resolve; the pain will be difficult for us but anything is better than an assault on our sovereignty and economic subjugation.
The PM’s announcement and particularly his answers to media show he astutely thinks on his feet. Mr. Trump is helpless without a teleprompter and worse otherwise.
And in future, Canada will sign agreements signed in ink and verified. Go Canadians!
Scott, that word **resolve** is exactly where I think this has landed.
There will be pain.
Pretending otherwise would be foolish.
But Canadians seem increasingly prepared to accept some short-term pain rather than buy temporary relief with long-term dependence.
And I especially like your last point.
Whatever eventually replaces this mess, I suspect Canada will approach American agreements differently for a very long time.
**Get it in writing. Read the fine print. Verify the commitments. And always keep another door open.**
That's not anti-American.
That's what you do after discovering that assumptions you relied upon for decades aren't as dependable as you thought.
Trump may have wanted Canada concentrating on how badly we need the United States.
Instead, we're increasingly concentrating on **how strong Canada needs to become.**
That's a very different conversation.
Go Canadians indeed, Scott.
The shock was when Trump got reelected to a second term. He is a con man with no morals! Canada will have pains but we have something that the US doesn’t and that is trust! Other countries will be happy to deal with Canada.
Dan, I think you've put your finger on an asset that's difficult to put on a balance sheet...
**Trust.**
Canada doesn't have America's market size, military power or population.
We're not going to pretend otherwise.
But when countries and companies decide where to invest, who to trade with and where to build relationships that may last decades, **predictability and reliability have economic value too.**
That's why I think Canada's response has to be bigger than simply surviving Trump's tariffs.
We need to make ourselves the country that says what it means, honours its agreements, welcomes investment and can still be trusted five years after the handshake.
Trump can change tariff rates overnight.
Canada's job is to build something considerably harder to change overnight...
**a reputation as a reliable place to do business.**
If we protect that, Dan, I think you're right...
there will be countries very interested in dealing with us.
Deeply ashamed American here. I absolutely love how Canada is standing up to the orange bully. I only wish we had more of our own politicians with a spine like you. Well played, although I'm sorry you have to suffer a bit. At least you have pride, unlike so many of us!
Tani, please don't carry the shame for what your government does.
One thing I've tried very hard to keep straight through all of this is the difference between **America's government and Americans.**
I've heard from far too many Americans like you who are horrified by what's happening to believe the country can simply be reduced to the man currently sitting in the White House.
Canada does have to stand up for itself.
There will be economic pain here, and unfortunately ordinary Americans will feel plenty of it too.
That's the rotten part of these trade wars.
The people making the decisions aren't usually the people standing at the cash register paying for them.
But friendships between Canadians and Americans don't have to disappear because the political relationship has changed.
Governments come and go.
**Neighbours remain neighbours.**
Thanks for standing with us, Tani.
There's always room for decent Americans on this side of the conversation. 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸
Both sides will suffer with the exception of your oligarchs.
We miss the friendly banter with our American family & friends, but, when DJT is gone, hopefully things will return to some form of civility. Hang on & keep your chin up, we are cheering for you :) <3
Patsy, that's one of the saddest parts of this whole mess.
For most Canadians, Americans weren't some foreign enemy.
They're our friends, relatives, neighbours and people we've worked, travelled and laughed with for decades.
Politics has damaged something much more personal than a trade agreement.
I hope civility returns too.
But I suspect Canada will come out of this relationship a little wiser and considerably less dependent, regardless of who eventually occupies the White House.
We can rebuild friendship without rebuilding dependency.
And when all this political madness eventually passes, maybe that will leave both countries with a healthier relationship.
Until then, we'll keep our chins up.
And knowing decent Americans are cheering for us certainly helps. 🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸
I totally agree Fred! Canada Strong!
I'm also very proud of our negotiating team and PM Carney! TFG is a criminal and stealing from his country as much as possible. And he seems to be getting away with it so far. The midterm elections are coming up and starting in January 2027 many things will change. Americans are sick to death of their government and the administration. Canada will get the tariffs dropped soon after the Democrats win the House and Senate! And I predict that TFG will be impeached as well.
Sandi, I'm proud of the Canadian team too...
particularly because they demonstrated that walking away really was an option and not just negotiating rhetoric.
Where I'll leave myself some wiggle room is predicting what happens next in American politics.
I've learned not to bet the beer money on anything happening exactly as expected down there. 😂
Maybe the midterms dramatically change Washington.
Maybe they don't.
Maybe a future Congress or administration removes these tariffs.
I certainly hope the relationship eventually becomes sane again.
But I don't want Canada's strategy depending on any of those things happening.
**Canada has to build as though the tariffs might remain.**
New customers.
New markets.
Canadian supply chains.
More east-west trade.
More infrastructure.
Less vulnerability to whichever party controls Washington.
Then if American politics eventually changes and a reliable trading relationship returns, wonderful.
We'll welcome it from a position of greater strength.
**Hope for better neighbours. Build a country that doesn't depend on getting them.**
Thanks, Sandi.