# The United States Declares Economic War on Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 1, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734 "2025-02-01T21:16:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/621 "2025-03-05T18:27:34Z")
I’m not sure they do anymore. While Polievre still leads in the ‘if the election were held today’ polls, the polls positing Carney as Liberal leader have it as a dead heat in popular vote, at least the ones I’ve seen. And Carney is massively ahead of Freeland in Liberal leadership polling. I suspect, but am not sure, that the Liberals would be more efficient in turning popular vote into seats - fewer blowout wins, more competitive in Quebec. If I were wagering, I’d put the odds on a Liberal minority. I wouldn’t even rule out the possibility of Trump turning that into a majority. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/622 "2025-03-05T19:28:21Z")
The liberals one campaign ad should be to never stop asking, ‘Which US political party do you believe PP’s politics, most closely aligns with? There’s only two parties, should be a slam dunk! No one bothered to ask Ford. l hope they ask PP, non stop. Make him say it, out loud. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/623 "2025-03-05T19:37:58Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Trump has been known to back down, but last time he did, it was before tariffs were raised. Now they’re on. He’s not going to be quick to back down now; even he knows he’ll look weak unless he gets some enormous win. Nothing stopping him from backing down and then falsely claiming he’s achieved an enormous win. His supporters aren’t going to fact-check him anyway. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/624 "2025-03-05T19:38:44Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I think Trump is intending on blatantly influencing the Canadian elections this year, at some point he’ll offer to ease the tariffs and back off the encroachment if the Canadian people elect the candidate he likes. Trump doesn’t like any of them. He’s already said Poilievre isn’t MAGA enough and, much worse, hasn’t praised him enough. The rest are all radical libs, in his mind. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/625 "2025-03-05T19:48:59Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > oilievre is leading The Economist poll 39% to 33%. This is a big change over a 20%+ lead especially when the Libs have not yet elected a leader. The countryside will vote Conservative, and the Libs rise is also due to low NDP numbers, and possibly Quebec independence seeming to be on the wane for now. The odds still favour Pierre, though it is early days. The political reality of the situation is that even if Poilevre wins, Trump has created a political climate in Canada where Poilevre will have to act essentially the same way Trudeau has with regards to this issue or his approval rating will fall to zero and his government will fall. There is no sense of humour in Canada for this anymore. Politicians are always limited in what they can do. A Canadian government can’t get rid of universal health insurance and now they can’t be nice to Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/626 "2025-03-05T20:09:14Z")
This is true, but really the difference between the modern Conservative and Liberal parties have always been subtle; mainly of style and semantics. All the parties support free trade, women’s rights, public health care, supporting NATO. Much is made of mild differences. PP has been an effective opposition leader but it is not clear if he has effective new ideas or a more mature governing style. Carney is a good central banker with economic knowledge, but it is not clear to what extent he was responsible for previous (somewhat disastrous) Liberal economic policy and ethical fails, or if he has exceptional retail political skills. Both have plenty of work cut out for them. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/627 "2025-03-05T21:03:27Z")
So tariffs on cars are suspended for one month at the request of the Big Three automakers. Hard to see how it helps that the industry will be killed a month from now instead of right away. I fear that this may make any automaker wary of building a new assembly plant in Canada. Plants like the GM facility in Oshawa and the Ford plant in Oakville are a huge part of the local economy. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/628 "2025-03-05T21:12:58Z")
Well, it gives Canada time to accept doing… whatever (?) it is that Trump wants them to do. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/629 "2025-03-05T22:24:43Z")
Things will have to change more for that to happen. The current CBC Interactive poll gives the Cons an 80% chance of winning. > **[Poll Tracker](https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/)** > > If an election were held today, who would win? The CBC News Poll Tracker is your guide to following the polls. Get the latest numbers and analysis on where the political parties stand from Éric Grenier. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/630 "2025-03-05T22:29:16Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > So tariffs on cars are suspended for one month at the request of the Big Three automakers. Hard to see how it helps that the industry will be killed a month from now instead of right away. It doesn’t. This makes no real difference at all. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Well, it gives Canada time to accept doing… whatever (?) it is that Trump wants them to do. He wants Canada to give up its independence and become a US territory. He’ll try this approach in 2025. He’ll have the US armed services plan invasion for 2026. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/631 "2025-03-05T22:52:48Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > So tariffs on cars are suspended for one month at the request of the Big Three automakers. Hard to see how it helps that the industry will be killed a month from now instead of right away. It gives them a month to convince the administration to drop the harmful tariffs. The tariffs’ unpopularity will be their own undoing and one month might be enough for that to happen. [quote=“wolfpup, post:627, topic:1013734, full:true”]I fear that this may make any automaker wary of building a new assembly plant in Canada. Plants like the GM facility in Oshawa and the Ford plant in Oakville are a huge part of the local economy. [/quote] This is a feature and not a bug for the US. If the tariffs encourage US manufacturers to build more the US, the administration will take that as a win. Sure, prices for cars will be higher and US demand for what remains will probably drop due to the tariff-weakened economy causing higher inflation but the administration will tout that a greater number of cars getting built here (or at least a larger share of the remaining market) and say that we won. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/632 "2025-03-06T00:00:25Z")
Our (Canada’s) foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly: “We will be there to stand strong and it’s not true that we will go through this psychodrama every 30 days,” Not that we can do a lot about it but I love the sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/633 "2025-03-06T00:31:38Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > While Polievre still leads in the ‘if the election were held today’ polls, the polls positing Carney as Liberal leader have it as a dead heat in popular vote, at least the ones I’ve seen. And Carney is massively ahead of Freeland in Liberal leadership polling. I voted today. It’s a ranked ballot and I chose Carney, Gould, Bayliss, Freeland in that order. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/634 "2025-03-06T01:26:48Z")
Wait a minute - I’m out of touch! Beck’s Bayliss is campaigning to be Prime Minister ?!? That speech training must have really taken off! > [@Bayliss speaks!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991): > > Well, not yet. I’ve watched many videos of people teaching their dogs and cats to use buttons to say words. Some of them are quite amazing. So I ordered some. Does anyone have any experience with this? I don’t expect Bayliss to recite or have deep meaningful conversations. He’s very smart and almost communicates any way he can. Is this a fool’s errand? @Beckdawrek ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/635 "2025-03-06T01:40:36Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Wait a minute - I’m out of touch! Beck’s Bayliss is campaigning to be Prime Minister ?!? I’m fine with a dog campaigning to be PM – it may well be the species best suited to the job. But an **American** dog from Arkansas? No way! P.S.- The actual Baylis here is spelled with one “L”, and apparently has two legs, not four. Also lacks fur and has an incredibly inferior sense of smell. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/636 "2025-03-06T02:26:55Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The actual Baylis here is spelled with one “L”, and apparently has two legs, not four. Also lacks fur and has an incredibly inferior sense of smell. Also significantly wealthier, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/637 "2025-03-06T03:12:39Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > The S&P 500 only went down by 1.22 percent today. I thought it would take more than that. > > I guess the idea is to keep all of North America guessing and then be grateful he didn’t mess up the economy even more. I know, won’t work with Mexicans and Canadians, but could work in my country. My theory (of which I admittedly have no direct evidence). Is that a lot of this is Trump and his cronies cashing in on market manipulation. The administration has completely ignored all ethical norms regarding placing assets in a blind Trust and trade policies are official acts so legally his motives can’t be questioned Thus there is nothing stopping him from doing the following steps 1. Sell a bunch of well chosen stocks short 2. Announce a crippling tariff affecting those companies 3. Stock crashes 4. Cover short for a profit, and buy a bunch more stock 5. Announce the rescinding of the tariff. 6. Stock recovers 7. Sell shares for big profit 8. Rinse and repeat. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/638 "2025-03-06T04:04:57Z")
So - these tarrifs are supposed to usher in america’s golden age - its what the country needs to make LOTS of money and put two pots in every chicken! This will abolish income taxes and make everyone happy. Yet - he keeps postponing them? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/639 "2025-03-06T04:12:46Z")
I haven’t seen that he has postponed them again (it has been like watching a tennis game), but I see he is now considering a bunch of exceptions. Either way, can we say this is an excellent example of a well thought out process that will bring prosperous times to all? /s ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/640 "2025-03-06T04:17:00Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > My theory (of which I admittedly have no direct evidence). Is that a lot of this is Trump and his cronies cashing in on market manipulation. Based on policy that he’s executed, it seems fairly certain that he’s planning to manipulate cryptocurrencies. 1. He’s blocked the Federal government from [investigating](https://www.amlintelligence.com/2025/02/latest-pam-bondi-shuts-doj-anti-corruption-task-force-redirects-seized-funds-to-detention-centres/) money laundering. 2. He’s shut down [rules](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0038) that require businesses to divulge ownership. 3. He has set the Federal government to [buy](https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/g-s1-51748/trump-crypto-reserve-bitcoin-stockpile-ether) large quantities of crypto, to create a Federal reserve. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734.md?page=33)