China and Canada were never natural allies (although Canada may start to approach China more now). The same way the US and Iran are not natural allies. The US and Russia are not natural allies. Ok. Scratch that last sentence. Canadians have very different values from the Chinese in terms of labor rights, human rights, the environment, etc. However, Canada and the US used to be close allies. We share a language, common values, a continent. It is natural for our two countries to align our economies. Comparing Canada's trade policy toward China to Canada's trade policy toward the US makes no sense in the case of our countries' histories. |
Canadian tariffs toward the Chinese had nothing to do with "Make Canada Great Again," which is not a thing in Canada. Canada is not trying to punish all of its trading partners. Canada did not impose indiscriminate blanket tariffs on the US, EU, Asia, Latin America. |
The absurd part, OP, is that Trump may have started this dumb “war” with Canada for as minor a reason as the fact that he doesn’t like Trudeau or the way his wife looked at Trudeau.
He’s not playing three dimensional chess here—he’s just a narcissistic, sociopathic old man for whom everything is personal. He is not right in the head. I can’t believe we don’t talk more about that. |
You’re very confused as there was no Canada in Washington’s time. Like 100 years difference but thanks for your post. And as far as Bush and the Gulf wars, Canada sent 4000 service people in 1990-1991. We also served as peacekeepers afterwards. Yeah, pure refusal, but we shine as being the ones to mop sh-&t up because no one can play nice, as usual. |
Trudeau has long resigned. We have. New prime minister. The writing was on the wall for a while as no leader who was around for COVID had had a positive reelection. |
Not even conservatives support beefing with Canada, op. We are all perplexed. |
+1 this is Trump’s latest nutty idea that was on literally no one’s radar, and no one wants it. But he thinks he’s a dictator so he doesn’t care what anyone thinks or wants. |
I’m not OP, but what I see is that everything he says, or what he wants, he gets into motion, regardless of what “his” people want. |
I thought he did that because the Biden administration asked him to. It took five months for China to respond. |
Answering my own question. These tariffs were to try to earn points with US Administration. There's also the theory of protecting Canadian business, but more likely trying to appease the US. Not smart, IMO. OP, I'm Canadian also. What I see is people believing Trump’s claim of Canada having huge tariffs on US goods, without double checking the accuracy of that statement. It doesn't matter thatit's a deal Trump negotiated and signed. They also believe that they don't need anything from Canada. It's going to be a very long haul. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/canada-wont-drop-tariffs-on-chinese-evs-despite-trade-war-with-us-minister/ We have a son who thinks he would be better off in the States. I don't understand his thought process. |