CAN-USA Tariff Strife (split from various pol threads)

[Czech_pivo]

Why wasn't this done before?

Because Protectionism is alive and well here in Canada - always has been.

Remember, the Liberals were 100% dead against the FTA in 1998 with the US and again 100% against NAFTA in 1993 with Mexico. They were Protectionist then and they are still today.

I love asking Liberals if Jean Chretien's 1993 'Little Red Book' was just a copy of Chairman Mao Tse-tung's little red book.

It's called Humour folks! Laugh a little and enjoy, accept, the irony of it all.

 

[foresterab]

Pierre Berton sums that up quite nicely in one of his books.

WE Canadians have for far too long been the snotty brat in this continent. Looking down our noses at the USA and virtue signaling for quite some time and not just the last ten years.

Do you realize what FDR did in the 30s helped alleviate the Great Depression? The Hoover Dam is one example.

And what did Canada do for all the unemployed? Insulted them and called them names like "reliefers". There's more - just read Pierre's book.

One of FDR's biggest employment programs in the 1930's was the reforestation of former farms/plantations abandoned to mostly pine forest.

In the last decade that has been the biggest investment area for most Canadian companies buying sawmills in the SE states due to trade barriers/softwood lumber tariffs/ and cheap, easily accessible wood supplies. Not much going on within Canada other than more consolidation of smaller slices of the forest tenures -> more local monopolies.

So the Canadian trend continues....

 

[Remius]

Why wasn't this done before?

Provincialism.

Province before country.

 

[Good2Golf]

Kind of reminds me of how, when I was growing up in the U.S. midwest in the 1950s, it was common for people living in eastern Kansas to actively dislike (bordering on hatred) those living in midwestern Missouri, just a few miles across the state line. It had been that way since just before the Civil War when the anti- and pro-slavery forces clashed. In the last few decades though, the dislike has lessened substantially as population growth has taken in countless others from across the nation and immigrants as well.

I thought that was because Kansas was pissed at Missouri for naming Missouri City as Kansas City?

 

[The Bread Guy]

... As sure as Canadians are known for leaving bad tips at a restaurant, nothing, nothing at all meaningful will be done to remove trade barriers within Canada. This will flame out like a moth flying to close to the campfire.

I'd bet my loonie with you on that, but survey says when asked, folks want them to go - let's see if that translates to political will.

Pride in Canada rebounds in face of Trump threat; working to reduce interprovincial trade barriers seen as key to response -

Percentage saying they are ‘very proud’ to be Canadian jumps from 34 to 44 per cent vs. December February 5, 2025 – It has been a whirlwind past week in Canada-U.S. relations, after announced tariffs on Canadian goods entering America – set to take effect on Tuesday – were delayed 30 days. This...

angusreid.org

Mind you, an awful lot of the same pool wants pipelines, so we'll have to see.

 

[JLB50]

I thought that was because Kansas was pissed at Missouri for naming Missouri City as Kansas City?

Yeah, sure gets confusing. Missouri River with no towns in Kansas named after it. Kansas River with a city in Missouri (as well as one in Kansas) named after it.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Its an inferiority complex that we Canadians have had for the last 150+yrs years that is our problem.

Canada is to the US is what Ireland is to the UK, what Austria is to Germany, what New Zealand is to Australia - in many many ways. BUT the biggest difference is OUR obsession with all that goes on US on a daily basis. Our media - print, tv, digital, talk shows is dominated with US news stories to the point that its almost on a 1 to 1 basis with Canadian news events. This is not the case in Ireland or Austria or New Zealand. Their media is not constantly broadcasting British or German or Australian new articles. Their tv station options are not dominated with British or German or Australian channels to the extent that ours are. Its crazy how much US sports, business, news is bombarding us on CDN news outlets. A large % of the CDN population is actually better informed on US politics and events than they are with CDN politics!

Canada's problem is that most of what matters is in a narrow strip adjacent to the southern Canada-US border. If conspiracy theorists really want something to worry about, worry that the US would grab much of the empty parts and leave the "strip" to stagger on trying to afford its social programs.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Carney was busy spouting off to Jake Tapper, a US journalist. He was basically saying 'If you don't want our oil, we'll just find other markets. It's really that simple'

Well no, no it isn't.

He didn't say how we would get it to the coasts to sell it elsewhere.

He killed our pipelines and ports.

He can't move it by rail. Alberta sells 4 million barrels a day. That would require 5000 rail tankers........every day.

He appears to be just a big money guy with no idea how the machine works. He's just going to get us in trouble.

Like the aristocratic officers of old. He has the commission but has no idea how the army works.

Perhaps he wants to let China build the pipelines and ports and sell all of our oil to them?

 

[Remius]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/interprovincial-trade-barriers-rules-regulations-standards-1.7451128

A month seems ambitious. But I like Anand so we’ll see what she can pull off. Hopefully she can capitalize on the momentum she mentions and the fact that we will be in another tariff tiff in month or so.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Like the aristocratic officers of old. He has the commission but has no idea how the army works.

 

[Kirkhill]

Province of Manitoba | News Releases | Manitoba Government Invests $36.4 Million in Rail Line and Port Of Churchill to Increase International Trade

Province of Manitoba

news.gov.mb.ca

Federal and Manitoba Govts Announce Funding for Northern Transport

Terry Duguid, the minister responsible for the federal subsidy agency for the prairies, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announce joint investments for infrastructure projects to support the maintenance and operations of the Hudson Bay Railway at the Port of Churchill. Manitoba will invest...

www.cpac.ca

Government support for Arctic Gateway Group and Port of Churchill – Manitoba Inc.

manitoba-inc.ca

Arctic Gateway Group

www.arcticgateway.com

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trade-united-states-tariffs-kinew-trump-1.7437399

This follows on from a 2024 announcement

Premier Kinew and Minister Vandal announce support for the Arctic Gateway Group in northern Manitoba

PrairiesCan and Provincial funding supports the ongoing maintenance and operation of the Hudson Bay Railway.

www.canada.ca

....

Also from 2024

MB/SK/AB NeeStaNan Utilities Corridor: First Nations-led utility corridor is a 21st-century nation-building initiative | BOE Report

“The trading of goods has been in our DNA as Indigenous People for centuries, but somewhere along the way this was lost. It’s time to regain our prosperity, for the betterment of our communities and for our country.” - NeeStaNan website Ever feel like you’re being neglected by either governments...

boereport.com

NeeStaNan (all of us) - Nee Sta Nan (all of us)

neestanan.ca

Port Nelson is adjacent to York Factory, One of, if not the, major HBC trans-shipment points for the fur trade.

...

The HBC and the Cree had a complementary relationship. The Cree acted as the middlemen to the interior First Nations. Re-establishing the Arctic Gateway would be a bit of a return to the older trade routes.

 

[Kirkhill]

Meanwhile, on the left coast.

Enbridge’s certificate expires for planned pipeline as B.C. strives for LNG exports to Asia

Project has become the latest example of fizzled plans in Canada to reduce reliance on transporting natural gas through pipelines into U.S. markets

www.theglobeandmail.com

I wonder if Eby is amenable to re-writing some regulations.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/interprovincial-trade-barriers-rules-regulations-standards-1.7451128

A month seems ambitious. But I like Anand so we’ll see what she can pull off. Hopefully she can capitalize on the momentum she mentions and the fact that we will be in another tariff tiff in month or so.

I'd like to see her pull it off, I really do, even if a liberal does it. However, with Quebec in the mix, I don't think it's going to happen. It'll take them 30 days to draw up their list of demands.

Of course, we'd also have to recall Parliament. Which Carney doesn't want just yet.

 

[brihard]

Of course, we'd also have to recall Parliament.

Why? Interprovincial barriers are generally provincial regulations, not federal statutes.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Provincial jurisdiction is something the feds are ignoring more and more. I get your point, but do you seriously think they won't involve themselves? After all it's the feds (Anand) saying it can be done in 30 days.

"Every minister at the table felt the need, as do I, as does our government, to act collectively, to seize the moment and to do whatever we can to reduce those barriers to trade.

"The momentum is palpable. The moment is here and we are seizing the moment."

Doesn't sound like the feds are going to be hands off does it?

 

[RangerRay]

Why wasn't this done before?

Because there wasn’t a perceived existential threat to our economy before? In the before times, it was considered a “nice to have but not at the expense of x sector in my province”.

An existential threat tends to focus the mind, IMHO.

 

[Good2Golf]

An acknowledged existential threat tends to focus the mind, IMHO.

For alignment with Canada’s position on non-US threats.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Ms. Anand... tear down these walls....

Anand suggests Canada's interprovincial barriers could crumble within a month​

Provinces and Ottawa have been talking for decades about removing internal trade barriers​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/interprovincial-trade-barriers-rules-regulations-standards-1.7451128

 

[Brad Sallows]

Because there wasn’t a perceived existential threat to our economy before? In the before times, it was considered a “nice to have but not at the expense of x sector in my province”.

An existential threat tends to focus the mind, IMHO.

As I've written before, established interests will tend to hold onto whatever they have and offer to sacrifice outside interests in answer to any change in the situation. The longer the tariff threat drags out without provinces actually changing their rules, the more certain we can be that they are determined to make others pay the costs of recession mitigation all the while beating the "unity" drum. The smart play is to refuse to grant them what they ask for until they start making unilateral changes which demonstrate commitment and sincerity, in ways which will not easily be reverted when the crisis of the day ends.

 

[brihard]

Provincial jurisdiction is something the feds are ignoring more and more. I get your point, but do you seriously think they won't involve themselves? After all it's the feds (Anand) saying it can be done in 30 days.

"Every minister at the table felt the need, as do I, as does our government, to act collectively, to seize the moment and to do whatever we can to reduce those barriers to trade.

"The momentum is palpable. The moment is here and we are seizing the moment."

Doesn't sound like the feds are going to be hands off does it?

You’re moving the goalposts. You said they’d need to recall Parliament; I simply pointed why that’s not the case. Harmonizing things like the standards applicable to the filling of an infant car seat or the max axle weight on a provincial highway isn’t something that requires Parliament to weigh in.