Canadian workers will pay for Trudeau-Trump trade spat

June 26, 2018 Brian Lilley Canadian Politics 20

Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau speak together at the G7.

Things are unraveling quickly on the Canada-U.S. trade file and that puts millions of jobs and millions of Canadian workers at risk.

Last night, Donald Trump took aim at Canada again, even did a Justin Trudeau impersonation of sorts during his speech. He is ticked and not backing down.

Some Canadians are saying great, and it is fascinating to watch Canadians swear off all things American on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, likely posted using their iPhones. Seems many will swear off all American products while using American products and not see a problem. They just want a fight.

None of that helps Canadian workers.

Now before we get to what Trump said last night, let’s check out what happened last Friday. In a moment of honesty that was not meant for the cameras, Canada’s top negotiator said there have been no talks with the Americans in weeks.

See the video from CBC.

“We don’t have any active negotiations. I haven’t talked to them in a little while,” Canada’s chief negotiator Steve Verheul said.

When asked when the last time they spoke, Verheul expanded.

“Two or three weeks. Um, I’ll have the odd conversation, but no real engagement, no real negotiation session,” Verheul explained.

Foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland shut down the casual banter quickly nothing the cameras in the room.

No talks in weeks.

That is not a good sign for Canada and not a good sign for the possibility of a trade deal with the United States. As I have noted before, we need the Americans more than they need us. We send more than 75% of our exports to the U.S. while they send about 18% of their exports to us.

The trading relationship is lopsided and we are the more dependent party.

All the chest thumping in the world won’t help secure a deal and the Canadian pride, really anti-Americanism, being espoused by so many won’t feed Canadian workers or their families.

Which brings me to Trump’s latest comments.

Trump once again raised the issue of dairy tariffs and Trudeau’s antics at the G7. I’ve written about what Trudeau did to set Trump off before, using all left wing sources, and Trump appears to confirm it here.

He had a deal with Trudeau and then Trudeau went around talking about the Americans as bullies after Trump gave Canada concessions that we wanted.

The end result……no talks in weeks. An angry president. A president that now has Canada in his cross hairs.

If Trudeau took these issues seriously then he would have spoken personally to Donald Trump since the G7 but according to Trudeau at his press conference to close Parliament last week he hasn’t. He also said at that time that he would not speak to Trump until the NATO meetings in mid-July.

What kind of game is Trudeau playing?

He made a mess of NAFTA and the relationship with the U.S. He won’t speak to Trump. When asked by the Conservatives to immediately ratify the Trans Pacific Partnership to diversify Canadian trade in the face of the American trade war, Trudeau said no.

So he is at war with our closest trading partner and won’t speak to their leader, won’t expand trade with other countries, can’t get a simple pipeline built in Canada, is imposing new taxes and costs onto Canadian businesses which will hurt our competitiveness.

You would think he was working against Canada instead of for us.

 

 

  • Trudeau is your Obama. Less melanin, of course, but then that is largely the standard North of the Border. Not enough sunshine to buff the tans…

  • The first Trudeau was a nazi sympathizer in the 1940s and ran against the American influence on Canada in the 60s, 70s, and 80s – why would you expect someone raised in his household to act differently?

    This one has drunk the progressive koolaid and bet the country on Trump being ousted and, while that looks less likely by the day, he has enough media support to go ahead and bet the liberal party’s electoral chances on it too.

    Bottom line: I would not expect him to change anytime soon.

  • PM nicehairandsocks is trying to destroy Canada like his herp(zero) Obamad tried to do to the US.
    I wonder if all those Candians mad at the US feel ANY obligation at all to supporting Nato like they should. Weve been hiding behind the shirt of the US for 75 years.Maybe its time to pull our weight.

    Looks good on Ontario and Quebec though.Let those bastards suffer like we have in the west.

  • Trump has said:
    No multi-party trade deals
    Reciprocity
    No thru-trade (using NAFTA access as an enticement for third party trade deals (EU?)

    Trudeau says:
    NAFTA with Mexico
    No reciprocity
    Third-party deals.

    What part of Donald Trump do they not understand?

  • That’s one way of looking at it, however, Canada is not the only country pushing back against new tariffs from Trump. Is it that he is right and the rest of the world is wrong? Maybe instead of people bowing to Trump they need to stand up to him just as Trudeau has. Keep in mind the U.S. needs more from Canada then Canada needs from the States. If the U.S. chooses not to trade with us there are lots of other countries that will. Hell Trump’s tarrifs are pushing Harley Davidson to make bikes in Europe due to his tarrif war, a company that has been known as an American icon since 1903. If Canadians choose to continue to buy things from the U.S. they are undermining our country and our economy. I think it’s said best in our national anthem “O Canada!
    Our home and native land!
    True patriot love in all of us command.

    With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
    The True North strong and free!

    From far and wide,
    O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

    God keep our land glorious and free!
    O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

    O Canada, we stand on guard for thee”

    Note, no one there does it say bow to an asshat or any other country.

    • Jesus Christ, Tom, what have you been smoking? Canada folds up shop tomorrow at noon if the U.S. stop buying from us. We need them 80% more than they need us… Wake up and put down the Bong. Trudeau is driving this train into the ditch faster than we can keep track. The lap-dog media fawn all over ‘how firm and tough he is being’ with Trump when trump will flick Canada off like flea. Trudeau is NOT tough, NOT brave, He doesn’t even look tough… he still looks like the panty-waiste he has always been.. Not capable, not serious and certainly not READY. God help us! MR Harper…. PLEASE COME BACK!

    • We express our love for Canada by outing Trudeau as a sell-out to globalists. It was Trudeau who wanted this trade war. The US gave him and the EU time to stopped the dumping on Chinese steel. Trudeau & the EU did not fix the problem till after Trump removed the tariff exemption. And low and behold…
      ” The Canadian government is preparing new measures to prevent a potential flood of steel imports from global producers seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs…The measures are said to be a combination of quotas and tariffs aimed at certain countries including China, said the people, asking not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.”

      “The moves follow similar “safeguard” measures being considered by the European Union aimed at warding off steel that might otherwise have been sent to the U.S.” (Bloomberg)

      EU said they weren’t going to deal under the threat of tariffs. So Trump stopped threatening and put the tariffs on.

      Trudeau could have had a deal had he acted sooner with a little more decency.

    • Tom Attwood: You are wrong Trudeau under Butt’s & Soros guidance will destroy CANADA!! Unless the Liebral party stops him and they had better do something soon or the electrate will!!

  • If Justin is elected again in 2019 he surely will finish off the country. Shithole status confirmed by 2021 at this rate; foreign investments gone, deficits to no end, spending mega $$$ in questionable ventures and high taxes. Why even bother waking up at 5:30 am to go to work?

  • Trudeau is not trying to hurt Canada.

    Trudeau is your classic trust fund, pretty boy, low IQ, semi-retard, egomaniac who believes utterly in himself. He’s too stupid to plot anything but breakfast, and even that his wife has to do.

    I’m not too worried because he’s so bad that there’s going to be a resignation for personal reasons quite soon at the behest of every sane liberal in Ontario and Quebec. After all, they’re entitled to their entitlements and if the country is broke, their entitlements will shrink.

    The Canuck buck is already worth dog-shit and Florida winters in comfort are imperiled.

  • It is time for Mr. Scheer, the alleged leader of the Federal Conservatives to start acting like the Prime Minister in waiting. He should be on the next jet south to attend a round of meetings with the Americans on the future of NAFTA. Clearly Spud and the Duds can’t handle any situation that does not include jobs for Quebec and so Mr. Scheer should seize the moment and act like he is the ‘heir apparent’.

    • Scheer has been on those meetings already.
      So have several CPC caucus members like Randy Hoback and Erin O’Toole.
      As much as they can lobby for Canada, they can’t sign the deals.

      • And Mr. Harper is slated to be in Washington and possibly at the White House.

  • And Mr. Harper is slated to be in Washington and possibly at the White House.