# 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:** 55
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1081 "2025-03-29T20:30:28Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > How shall such “sanctions” be enforced? Given his infatuation with Putin, I suspect he’ll start threatening people with nukes like Putin has. And like Putin, watch as people stop taking it seriously after the first few empty threats. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1082 "2025-03-29T21:02:44Z")
Maybe it makes _me_ an America-hating fuckstick, but I got teary-eyed watching Mark Carney break up with the US over Trump. Elbows up, Canada. Lots of us are with you, with Greenland, with Panama, and with the EU. I’m going to make myself a list of things (let’s be honest: alcohol - preferably whiskey) that we still import from Canada and that I just might need to try\*. I wanted this one, but it doesn’t _look_ like it’s exported to the US: > **[Confederation Oak](https://fortycreekwhisky.com/product/confederation-oak-reserve/)** > > Awarded Whisky of the Decade, the Confederation Oak Reserve is a uniquely Canadian whisky. See what all the fuss is about - order today. Shame. We’ve lost our country, and our country has lost its Got Damned mind, but please bear in mind how many of us are struggling to figure out what we can _actually do_ to change this intolerable situation. 'Cuz we ain’t winning, here, either. \*I’m open to suggestions, particularly if you _know_ that it’s generally available in the US. Fuck the tariffs. I’d like to take some of the economic sting out of this for our Northern neighbors in any minimal way I can. ETA: I found that bottle [**online**](https://www.whiskyshopusa.com/forty-creek-whisky-confederation-oak/?searchid=8667110). Just ordered it. See, Canada? I’ll risk a _hangover_ for you!! ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1083 "2025-03-29T21:29:42Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Shame. > > We’ve lost our country, and our country has lost its Got Damned mind, but please bear in mind how many of us are struggling to figure out what we can _actually do_ to change this intolerable situation. > > 'Cuz we ain’t winning, here, either. My base advice is to simply survive, that is resistance enough, to endure. However if you have the strength and the means, show your anger. I can’t tell you how and when, these are to be decided minute-by-minute in the context of your life, but if you are angry then show it. Let people know you are upset. For example, Trump uses his pulpit to subjugate people by aggressively attacking them and lying that they “owe him”. They owe him money, favours, respect, all sorts of craziness. So I make it a point to loudly and openly tell people that we do not owe anything. Not money, not land, not civility, not the benefit of the doubt, not respect, nothing. This is a VERY SMALL form of protest; but I’ve staked my flag on it. This is my project. “We are not slaves to Trump. We do not need to agree with his rules, nor the rules of his fascists, nor the rules of his countrymen.” Everyone needs a hobby, being loudly obstinate towards Overton window shifting right-wing nutters is mine. Always has been. ---
**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 29, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1084 "2025-03-29T21:53:08Z")
This melodramatic interpretation is a little harder than any of the major Canadian newspapers report, and none of them are fans of Trump. The statements were made but the context is changed somewhat. Carney is not going to roll over, nor should he. But he is in election mode. When the fat hits the fire in early April we will see what happens. But Carney has little political choice except to go ahead with the expanded tariffs unless he and Trump can come to a smarter arrangement. Carney might be unwise to insult Trump personally, though maybe that would make little difference. Poilievre telling Trump to “cut it out” is also very tough and macho, like every substitute teacher you ever had. It is good to know he will deal with Trump from a position of strength. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dUe-HcdEnzo/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - I can be very, very persuasive") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUe-HcdEnzo) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1085 "2025-03-29T22:18:22Z")
Oh, sure. Kayfabe is always a factor in these on-camera diplomatic negotiations. Still … I like what I’m seeing from Carney and Ford right now. Sadly, I think it’s the only thing Trump _could_ either understand or respect. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1086 "2025-04-03T18:02:21Z")
So, why was Canada excluded from the math-formula-based “reciprocal” tariffs yesterday? Hypothesis: Trump and/or associates think a carrot and stick approach makes it more likely that Canada will surrender its sovereignty, so they decided to, from their POV, send a carrot. Then where does Mexico fit? Not anywhere easily. My guess is that USMCA gave a convenient excuse for treating Canada differently, and Mexico was given their partial reprieve as a fit to the more significant Canadian program. Greenland wasn’t even on the tariff list. Greenland media seems to think they were let off easily and will only get the 10 percent rate. If so, that fits my hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1087 "2025-04-03T18:08:03Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > So, why was Canada excluded from the math-formula-based “reciprocal” tariffs yesterday? > > Hypothesis: Trump and/or associates think a carrot and stick approach makes it more likely that Canada will surrender its sovereignty, so they decided to, from their POV, send a carrot. That and, someone in his orbit figured out that they’ll need corridors for smuggling in tariff-free luxuries, so the rich people can still get their champagne and caviar while the poors suffer. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1088 "2025-04-03T18:08:50Z")
I don’t know if the Senate vote agreeing the “emergency” being used to sidestep USMCA was fictitious had anything to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1089 "2025-04-03T18:18:31Z")
Re last post, that’s plausible. But the 25 percent vehicle tariffs violate USMCA, and Trump isn’;t stopping them. There may be several factors. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1090 "2025-04-03T18:22:33Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > So, why was Canada excluded from the math-formula-based “reciprocal” tariffs yesterday? Perhaps because it’s targeted for conquest, not just tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1091 "2025-04-03T18:25:42Z")
Could it have anything to do with the fact that the tariffs on Canada have already been in place for weeks now? It’s absolutely incorrect to say that Canada was excluded. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2025, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1092 "2025-04-03T18:28:00Z")
The biggest one is nobody expects the House to approve the bill passed by the Senate. Still, it showed there is real opposition to his cunning plan. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1093 "2025-04-03T19:47:17Z")
Shots fired…_politely_. “If the U.S. no longer wants to lead, Canada will.” Video here: > **[Reddit - The heart of the internet](https://www.reddit.com/r/goodnews/comments/1jqp7d1/canada_announces_it_will_build_a_coalition_of/?rdt=43488)** ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1094 "2025-04-03T22:07:05Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > So, why was Canada excluded from the math-formula-based “reciprocal” tariffs yesterday? > > Hypothesis: Trump and/or associates think a carrot and stick approach makes it more likely that Canada will surrender its sovereignty, so they decided to, from their POV, send a carrot. Canada is already being hit with significant tariffs; the auto tariff is much more impactful to Canada than a 20% overall tariff is to most countries. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1095 "2025-04-03T23:27:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Canada At least to Ontario for manufacturing and Quebec and BC for steel and aluminum. Not sure if it moves the needle in Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1096 "2025-04-04T00:15:08Z")
The provinces are all interconnected. Might hurt them LESS, but it will hurt us all. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2025, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1097 "2025-04-04T00:39:05Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Not sure if it moves the needle in Alberta. Tariff on steel exports to US leads to lower prices for domestic steel leads to cheaper to build pipelines good for Alberta!! There may be a non-zero chance some people in Alberta would believe that. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1098 "2025-04-04T01:09:43Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > There may be a non-zero chance some people in Alberta would believe that. Danielle Smith will certainly be selling that line ---
**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:** [April 4, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1099 "2025-04-04T12:03:37Z")
Here is a quote from Marco Rubio, member of that crack team of Trump experts. It is worth noting well this was made now, **and that markets had reached all time highs early this year.** _“We have to reset the global order of trade,” Rubio said. “The worst thing is to leave it the way it is forever. I mean, this just can’t continue. We can’t continue to be a country that doesn’t make things.”_ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! New motto: Let’s make a global recession together. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734/1100 "2025-04-04T12:53:23Z")
The USA is the second largest manufacturing country on the planet. The only bigger one has three times as many people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-states-declares-economic-war-on-canada/1013734.md?page=56)