This was an extremely bad decision with regards to Canada!
https://www.mnp.ca/en/insights/directory/tariffs-what-need-know
New U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods could cause increased prices, job loss and even economic recession.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/ca/p/article/finance/tariffs-in-canada
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/economics/2025/01/31/what-exactly-is-a-tariff/
https://www.newsweek.com/mexico-us-tariffs-claudia-sheinbaum-donald-trump-conversation-pause-2025263
Unlike Carter, Trump is using tariffs to "right some wrongs". USA has been big brother subsidizing, or being subsidized, too long. Negotiating!
Thanks, tjc,
There is nothing terribly wrong with our relationship with Canada that needs fixing.
They have been friends and great neighbors and great trading partners.
This was an uncalled for kicking in the teeth to gain some hoped for tiny advantage which will not gain nearly as much as what’s been lost by the shocking, unprovoked kicking in the teeth that Trump just gave Canada.
trump just permanently damaged the relationship and trust Of our closest and most trusted ally, friend and trading partner.
https://www.aol.com/canada-announces-us-tariffs-hold-214304576.html
I believe we have a trade treaty with Mexico and Canada called NAFTA 2.0. It was negotiated by TRUMP and now he is breaking it. Why would any country sign a treaty with this thug?
Negotiating? Yeah right. Sheesh!
Thanks, joj,
This agreement, the USMCA, US, Mexico, Canada Agreement, was negotiated by Trump in 2020 and signed by all 3 countries. It banned tariffs.
Suddenly, Trump came up with the great idea of violating a huge term of this legal treaty that he signed because the US is more powerful than the other 2 and he wants something new which is not in the treaty.
He doesn’t renegotiate the original, legal treaty but instead violates the old one, less than a month after taking office again, when, he signed the old one 4 months before leaving office the last time.
Things may have changed in 4 years, however it indicates that Trumps word and signature as president are not worth squat to other countries.
America first is 1 thing but it shouldn’t mean integrity last!
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I can see an emergency need to change the terms with Mexico because of Bidens historic southern border crisis but throwing Canada under the bus in order to do it?
Thats just not right to the people and country of Canada. He just caused MAJOR damage to our wonderful relationship.
i know several people from Canada and made numerous trips there in the 70s and 80s, including our honeymoon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States%E2%80%93Mexico%E2%80%93Canada_Agreement
On October 1, 2018, the USMCA text was published as an agreed-to document. Lighthizer credited Jared Kushner with architecting the deal and rescuing it several times from collapse.
There are three primary dispute settlement mechanisms contained in NAFTA. Chapter 20 is the country-to-country resolution mechanism. It is often regarded as the least contentious of the three mechanisms, and it was sustained in its original NAFTA form in USMCA. Such cases would involve complaints between USMCA member states that a term of the agreement had been violated
Additionally, there is a stipulation that the agreement itself must be reviewed by the three nations every six years, with a 16-year sunset clause. The agreement can be extended for additional 16-year terms during the six-year reviews.[72] The introduction of the sunset clause places more control in shaping the future of the USMCA in the hands of domestic governments. However, there is concern that this can create greater uncertainty.
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Trump decided on his own, to completely disregard these terms on a renegotiated treaty that HE WAS MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR AND COERCED MEXICO AND CANADA TO AGREE TO!!!
Trump reneged on HIS NAFTA 2. There is no other way to put it or to justify it. Especially in the case of Canada, its extremely unethical and dishonest.
Did drug overdose deaths from Fentanyl in the United States justify completely chucking Trump's agreement that went into effect during the last year of his first term?
Statistics tell us that fentanyl deaths were already extremely high then and that they peaked in 2022!
So using this as the reason is not justified, especially with Canada that is responsible for a tiny fraction of the fentanyl.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db522.htm
Figure 1. Age-adjusted drug overdose death rate, by sex: United States, 2003–2023
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg93nn1e6go
metmike: The amount coming from Canada is 2 lbs/1,000 lbs which can't even be seen on the top graph. Imposing a 25% tariff on Canadian products that have nothing to do with this is completely unjustified and COUNTER productive, even if it completely eliminated all the fentanyl coming from Canada.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/ontario-ripping-up-68m-starlink-contract-over-trump-tariffs
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When you shist on people/countries, you shouldn't expect the response to be kissing your arse.
I’m surprised Doug Ford didn’t snatch up that fentanyl before it left Canada.
As a volunteer fire fighter, I can tell you that there is way too many fentanyl deaths in my county. No place is exempt.
The US has finite resources that need to be maximized using good judgment on what, where, when and with who they are used. The US is dependent on trust and cooperation with its allies
Burning bridges with our most important ally by assigning a penalty that is 1,000 times greater and does 1,000 times more harm than any benefits is the sign of very poor leadership and decision making.
There is no other honest way to describe it.
There is no legit justification for what Trump is doing to Canada right now.
We live in a tribalistic world where people tenaciously defend their side and I don’t expect Trump supporters to appreciate this.
I voted for Trump and dont regret it. He’s done some things that I strongly agree with. He’s done some things that I strongly disagree with.
This one is in a league of its own for unforced errors with negative consequences.
He just promised to severely disrupt the lives and punish all 40 million Canadians for some perceived minuscule benefit.
He single handedly did more major damage to the relationship with our most important ally than anybody in the last century, just days after being elected.
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craziest of all for those that think anything that helps the US, even a tiny bit, is worth it is that this HURTS CONSUMERS IN OUR COUNTRY AND CONTRIBUTES TO INFLAtion.
Its a lose-lose proposition.
Actually going thru with it and the response by Canada to tariff 25% of our goods would also hurt our exports so it’s a lose-lose-lose situation.