13 minutes of your time - Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, speaking about tariffs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiaACQpFUfE&t=768s
Pass it around if you can. I bet this won't get much coverage on American media.
Done Buckworks. I posted to: Micro.blog, Tumblr, Bluesky, Mastodon and XTwitter.
That was a good speech.
CA version of The Onion:
"I'm a pretty savvy shopper," explains Howard Rusnick, of Mobile, Alabama. "But just to check, there's no way that lumber, gasoline, electricity, AND cars are all made in Canada, and will immediately cost me thousands of dollars more per year. Right?"
Rusnick added, "Also, there's no chance that potash is made in Canada, and that America gets 50% of our potash from there, and also what is potash?"
The Canadian government has insisted that information on domestic goods is readily available to all trading partners, even including nations that recently elected a felony-convicted game show host to be their head of state. Instead, the United States has decided to employ a rarely-chosen trade tactic that international economists refer to as the "fuck around and find out" model.
Americans choose most expensive way possible to discover what goods made in Canada - The Beaverton
https://www.thebeaverton.com/2025/02/americans-choose-most-expensive-way-possible-to-discover-what-goods-made-in-canada/
Quote from: buckworks on February 02, 2025, 10:39:11 AM
I bet this won't get much coverage on American media.
Perhaps not. That is fundamental to the strategy. The reaction in the traditional US media is overwhelmingly negative (WSJ called it the "Dumbest Trade War in History"). If you go over to the Fox website, it's hard to even know the tariffs are happening. The only prominent article on the front page, was a story about how hockey fans in Canada booed when the US national anthem was played, which actually is on the front page twice. You have to go way way way down and look at the small thumbnail, small font articles to even see that Canada retaliated.
I think you have to zoom out here to see a few aspects of this strategy. Ezra Klein has a good analysis that starts with this quote from Steve Bannon from 2019:
QuoteSteve Bannon: The opposition party is the media. And the media can only, because they're dumb and they're lazy, they can only focus on one thing at a time. ...
All we have to do is flood the zone. Every day we hit them with three things. They'll bite on one, and we'll get all of our stuff done. Bang, bang, bang. These guys will never — will never be able to recover. But we've got to start with muzzle velocity. So it's got to start, and it's got to hammer, and it's got to —
Michael Kirk: What was the word?
Bannon: Muzzle velocity.
IN short, as Ezra writes, "If you're always consumed by the next outrage, you can't look closely at the last one. "
That comes from this essay
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-trump-column-read.html
Ontario cancels, then restores, $68 million Starlink contract after protesting US tariffs
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/03/ontario-cancels-then-restores-68-million-starlink-contract-after-protesting-u-s-tariffs/
The Achilles heel of getting in a trade war with an administration having such a love affair with billionaire broligarchs.
A harsh article in the Vancouver Sun:
https://vancouversun.com/news/opinion-farewell-america-pete-mcmartin
QuotePete McMartin: Where there was once admiration, there is now a firm and angry resolve. Schoolyard bullies don't want to be buddies. They want your lunch.
Another harsh article, this from Charlie Angus:
https://charlieangus.substack.com/p/from-this-moment-everything-changes
QuoteThere was a time when we used to joke that we were the mouse sleeping in bed with an elephant. Then the comparisons got darker: being a neighbour to America was like living in an apartment above a meth lab. Now we are coming to terms with the fact that we share border with a predatory regime run by men who look on democratic nations as suckers for a shakedown. While we may share incredible relations at the individual level, Canadians understand that we are no longer neighbours.
Honestly, I am having a hard time responding to this. Trump got the roughly 1.5% more votes than Harris. Most of those who voted for him knew what was coming -- that says something about human nature. At this point I could only hope that incompetents overpowers malevolence.
>> hard time
Honestly, I have a lot to say, but it's not in keep with the forum, definitely not in a public thread. But sitting here amidst a lot of hard-working federal employees being vilified daily by the administration is, I think, maybe a bit like being a Canadian.
Meanwhile.... (paywall)
Behind Closed Doors, Trudeau Says Trump Threat to Take Over Canada Is RealPrime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a talk with business leaders, said Canada's wealth of critical minerals are behind Mr. Trump's comments about making its northern neighbor a U.S. state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/world/canada/trump-canada-trudeau.html
Meanwhile redux... this was not prominent in the NYT, CNN or Foxnews (meaning that I could not find it there). Basically being ignored by US media across the spectrum (see, "flood the zone" above), but it is the second most-read news story of the day on Le Monde.
After the sanctions against the ICC announced by Donald Trump, 79 countries denounce the increased risk of "impunity for the most serious crimes"In a joint declaration, these 79 countries regret "any attempt to undermine the independence" of the International Criminal Court after the signing of the American decree prohibiting entry into the United States to its directors, employees and agents.Quote"As fervent supporters of the ICC, we regret any attempt to undermine the independence of the Court," add these 79 signatories in a joint declaration launched by Slovenia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu, joined in particular by France, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Palestinians, Germany, Canada, Chile and Panama.
https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/02/07/apres-les-sanctions-contre-la-cpi-annoncees-par-donald-trump-79-pays-denoncent-l-augmentation-du-risque-d-impunite-pour-les-crimes-les-plus-graves_6536243_3210.html
Monthly family book club was tonight.
My cousin from Canada basically doesn't want anything to do with the US anymore. When looking at next books, she is avoiding US authors, publishers and booksellers. As a general rule, she is avoiding whenever possible engaging with the US economy. She does not find talk of the 51st state amusing at all.
>> avoiding whenever possible
That attitude is spreading far and wide.
Many people I know who were formerly quite relaxed about where their goods and services came from have shifted to active, emphatic avoidance and distaste for anything American.
The catch phrase is "buy Canadian, bye American".
Traditionally, it's a better strategy to attack your enemies, but the consequences of attacking your allies tend to be more subtle and play out over longer time spans.
I don't think most people realize how deeply integrated the USA's and Canada's economies truly are. We have vehicles that cross the boarder multiple times in production. We do over $900 billion in total trade each year and are each other's largest trading partners.
If someone wanted to come up with a plane to disrupt the economy of North America this would be an excellent way to start.
So, it turns out you don't even need tariffs to create a trade war.
Here's an email my Canadian cousin sent to the broader family today...
For privacy reasons, I put "XX" in for anything that is specific to my family.
QuoteHi all,
Unfortunately, I could not find anything from XX in my library; I will skip the upcoming Family Book Club get-together. Yes, I could have purchased it but now refuse to consume American products. This sentiment is now shared by so many Canadians We cannot let your government bully us based on inaccurate data and extraordinary statements. I wish you luck as you fight for your democracy and the Rule of Law.
followup
QuotePS As you know our markets are highly integrated, flowing north south north ( in the auto industry - up to seven times). It is not a clear path. I can choose away from Amazon, Netflix, American movies, books, media (reluctantly) food (I will miss OJ so much!), clothing, shoes, the list goes on... It does mean that I will choose to go without. It might help us rethink how we do trade, but is a drop in the bucket. What a mess.
The bottom line is that trust in the US is broken.
Meanwhile over in Europe
Calls for boycotting US products spread in northern Europe"While tens of thousands of people have joined Facebook groups in Sweden and Denmark calling for no longer buying American, Norwegian company Haltbakk Bunkers has announced that it will stop supplying US military vessels with fuel."
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/03/03/calls-for-boycotting-us-products-spread-to-northern-europe_6738745_4.html
And in still other news... Francois Hollande, former president of France, said
François Hollande : « Donald Trump n'est plus notre allié » (Donald Trump is no longer our ally).
https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2025/02/28/francois-hollande-donald-trump-n-est-plus-notre-allie_6568599_823448.html
Yep, plenty of motivation out there right now. The talk about forcibly making Canada the 51st. state alone is probably enough motivation to boycott US products. My second youngest was planning to do a semester abroad in Spain, now we're worried about anti-Anerican backlash making her a target.
Canada to Cut Off Electricity to US States: 'Need to Feel the Pain' - Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/canada-cut-off-electricity-us-states-need-feel-pain-2039125
73% of French: US is no longer a French ally of France
https://www.bfmtv.com/international/europe/ukraine/sondage-bfmtv-guerre-en-ukraine-pour-73-des-francais-les-etats-unis-ne-sont-plus-un-allie-de-la-france_AN-202503040506.html
Justin Trudeau's speech on tariffs this morning.
This is a statesman.
Transcript:
https://globalnews.ca/news/11065019/justin-trudeau-transcript-donald-trump-tariffs/
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CROCVYKXsQ
Formal statement from Prime Minister's office:
https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/03/03/statement-prime-minister-trudeau-on-unjustified-us-tariffs-against-canada
No one is going to win this trade war. Trudeau may be right about the motivation . To borrow "Debbie" from RC, she thinks Trump has overplayed his hand in many ways already. No one is going to be happy at the end of this and his support will erode.
For buckworks:
https://madeinca.ca
Thanks. That's one I hadn't seen.
The "Boycott America" sentiment is spreading widely. One that's been getting media attention is that several provinces have pulled all US liquor from the shelves.
A different approach:
https://madeometer.com
Take a photo of a product and this will tell you where it was made.
>> No one is going to win this trade war
No, but the extent that anyone is, it would have to be Canada since they have a very important sleeper cell in the US that is undermining Trump's efforts here. It is called the US stock market. Every time it jitters, Trump blinks.
Noah Smith, until recently a mostly non-partisan economics blogger who has been pushed to take slightly more partisan stances, has what I think is the right take - Trump is not concerned with revenue, with trade balance, alliances or anything like that. He, like many before him of similar persuasion, mostly but not all from the Hall of Villains, he wants self-sufficiency, aka autarky.
Trump Takes a Baseball Bat to the US Economyhttps://www.noahpinion.blog/p/trump-takes-a-baseball-bat-to-the
Trump describes himself as a germaphobe and has branded himself as anti-immigrant which, at a high level, are basically the same impulse. Though he can't say it, some of his most devoted supporters in the Sentate will, like Senators Mullin and Alford...
QuoteMullin said: "I think our constituents are going to do what it takes to get America back on track. We're tired of countries taking advantage of us."...Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri told me he thinks tariffs are "going to have an impact," particularly on farmers....Asked if he thinks his constituents feel the same way about shouldering some of the costs, Alford said: "I think so."
In other words, this is going to *hurt* not help consumers and businesses and farmers, but it will be worth it because it will make America great again, by which they mean making America less connected to the rest of the world. Which is also why "globalist" is one of their favorite epithets.
B.C. planning legislation that could toll trucks travelling to Alaska, Eby says | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/us-truck-tolls-alaska-1.7476852
===
Ontario to slap 25 per cent tax on electricity to the U.S. on Monday amid trade war
Despite tariff pause "Premier's office has confirmed that U.S. booze will remain off LCBO shelves and a planned 25 per cent export tax on the electricity that Ontario sends to three U.S. states will still go into effect as planned on Monday. "
https://www.cp24.com/news/2025/03/06/doug-ford-says-ontario-will-go-ahead-with-25-per-cent-tax-on-electricity-it-provides-to-the-us-on-monday/
Soup company sees sales surge as shoppers buy Canadian to protest tariffs | CBC
https://news.yahoo.com/news/soup-company-sees-sales-surge-090000727.html
So much for home-building and the housing crisis...
"Canadian softwood lumber, which was already subject to a 14.5% duty, now effectively faces a nearly 40% total tariff with the new increase."
US lumber states will be over-harvested.
Unintended? consequence:
We'll move away from lumber and traditional residential framing construction. 3d will boom. And maybe metal studs. (30-ish years ago, lumber skyrocketed and metal framing pricing was at par or maybe slightly cheaper. In my town, I know of one 1.5-story home with a brick exterior built back then with metal framing. I drove by a couple of times to watch it being erected.)
Friend down the street pivoted to steel-stud SIPs when lumber prices spiked. Even so, there is a lot of wood in that house when you get right down to it.
Canada will have a new prime minister as soon as we work through the formalities.
Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership race with 86% of the vote. I'm pleased. Among other qualifications, he has a Ph.D in Economics. He was governor of the Bank of Canada and also the Bank of England.
Here's his acceptance speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv6JIMtX8Qc
Former PM Jean Chretien reminded Trump:
"We beat you in Quebec, we beat you in Ontario, then we made a trip to burn down the White House."
>Boycott America
Canada reconsidering F-35 purchase amid tensions with Washington, says minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/f35-blair-trump-1.7484477
Related:
Portugal is also reconsidering F-35. Trump gets all of Europe spooked so they decide to do a major rearm, but Trump also lost their trust so they are not going to buy American weapons.
>F35s
We're at the beginning of the FAFO stage. I am pretty sure we're heading to a new stagflation situation soon.
>"We beat you in Quebec, we beat you in Ontario, then we made a trip to burn down the White House."
Not the right rhetoric in my opinion. Rattling a saber at an idiot with a gun is a good way to get shot.
Been watching some Mark Carney interviews and speeches. He's sharp and direct and has a good sense of humor.
Trump is lucky Canada isn't the 51st state. If it were, it would have 45 seats in the House, two in the Senate and 47 electoral votes. Now, if each province and territory entered as a state, it would be higher across the board, especially in the Senate, but also the House and electoral college.
More importantly, I think Mark Carney would be a formidable presidential candidate.
Trump thinks that if the US and Canada formed one country, it would be a big country like the US, but my feeling is it would be a big country like Canada.
A missed opportunity :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al9yWA4TUII
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20250320/281728390305136
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al9yWA4TUII
That might be the classiest political ad <ever>. :D