Tuesday February 4, 2025
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay – Tuesday February 4, 2025
Free trade with the U.S. is effectively dead
The 30-day reprieve that Trump is granting isn’t intended to benefit Canada; rather, it’s a lifeline for bourbon distilleries and potash-dependent states, buying them time to adjust to the harsh reality of Trump tariffs. The future of the auto sector remains uncertain, with Trump and his oligarchs seemingly oblivious to the potential devastation ahead. He needs to fund significant tax cuts for his wealthy supporters, which means imposing higher consumer taxes on Americans. This approach also involves dismantling federal bureaucracy, as Elon Musk has been tasked with finding “efficiencies” that could wipe out countless livelihoods—all to make America “great” for those demanding tax cuts. Meanwhile, Trump and his allies continue to tout their notion of “winning.”
Regarding tariffs, Trump will persist in using threats as a bargaining tool, falsely claiming that foreign countries bear the cost, rather than U.S. importers and consumers. He claims to care about lives destroyed by the fentanyl crisis – sure- believe that lie, as much as he claims the problem is due to it coming in from Canada. Soon, he’ll demand that Canada relax its banking regulations, then turn his attention to Canadian water resources. Ultimately, quips for Canada to cede its sovereignty and become the 51st state goes from delusion to conquest.
What Trump has inadvertently done is unite a nation. Canada’s patriotism, which had waned over the years, has revived. We recognize that we can no longer afford to be complacent; we must stand strong against this playground bully. We are building our own defences.
Canadians are rallying together to support local businesses, explore the beauty of our country, urge politicians to eliminate domestic trade barriers, foster connections with friendly partners, and promote unity within our communities.
Sadly, it took a bully from a foreign land to motivate us to take these steps. The reality is that the relationship between the U.S. and Canada is diverging, a trend that may soon resonate globally as America risks isolating itself, joining the ranks of hermit kingdoms like North Korea.
As for tariffs, it seems Lil’ Donald never grasped the moral of the famous fable. Originally published on Friday June 1, 2018.