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This is at best misleading, but basically disinformation. Here is a better explanation that is also specific to US/CAN trade under USMCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZvDhayPHxs
Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
21–30 of 355 posts
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#22I’m surprised all the countries the US is trying to bully aren’t considering moving to the Euro as the reserve currency (even China might go along with this). It would be so damaging for the US they might actually understand they have been benefiting from a win-win situation since the end of the Second World War.
I suspect many countries would prefer a Chinese reserve currency to a European one, due to past bad experiences of being ruled by Europeans.
But even on a purely economic level… does the Eurozone even have a larger economy than China?
I can see countries moving away from USD, but I don’t see them coalescing around a single alternative.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#23That makes perfect sense. It puzzles me why supporters of the current US regime think Canada won’t resist the US. Be it a trade war or a military invasion, Canada will make the cost so great that it may eliminate the US from the world arena. Canada has been cornered and has nothing to lose at this point.
It's incorrect to think of Canada as being "cornered" here nor having "nothing to lose". It's the US that's isolating itself. Canada isn't 'cornered'. It has the entire rest of the world to talk to and make deals with. It has everything to lose by continuing to rely on the US, which is why you're seeing such a hard pivot toward Europe and Asia.
I wouldn't color relying on a historical ally that either produces, or is the transit corridor for, most of your food with "everything to lose".
The current trade spat is an issue, and Canada should react accordingly, but the reality is that, even with tariffs, the US still represents a very profitable trade partner, especially when they can levy tariffs of their own.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#24[flagged]
Seems pretty intellectually dishonest to cherry-pick specific products rather than look at tariff rates as a whole. What's your justification for that?
The World Bank's 2021 data shows that Canada has a 2.35% mean tariff rate weighted across all products, vs 1.47% for the United States.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#25It's been considered, but it's not going to help much. A tiny percentage of Alaska's goods come through BC. Instead, alternative markets and surcharges for potash, minerals, energy, counter tariffs and bans of American goods, expanding interprovincial trade, bans on government procurement from the US, bans on American propaganda and media should be sufficient. And re-armament. Given that it's clear that America canno…
Yeah, I'm not sure it won't be worse than you think. I think about 8% or so of goods to AK go by truck along the Al-Can. I suspect though there is a very good reason for that 8%.
You force that 8% on to ship or by air and I suspect whatever that cargo was is going to get a good deal pricier or a good deal late.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#26I’m surprised all the countries the US is trying to bully aren’t considering moving to the Euro as the reserve currency (even China might go along with this). It would be so damaging for the US they might actually understand they have been benefiting from a win-win situation since the end of the Second World War.
I suspect many countries would prefer a Chinese reserve currency to a European one, due to past bad experiences of being ruled by Europeans. But even on a purely economic level… does the Eurozone even have a larger economy than China? I can see countries moving away from USD, but I don’t see them coalescing around a single alternative.
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Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#27I don't understand any of the justifications for a trade war with Canada. IIRC, Trump was fudging numbers by only including the "goods" part of "goods & services" so the deficit looked worse than it actually was (assuming a deficit is even bad in the first place)
It's also bewildering that Trump literally negotiated a trade deal in his first term with Mexico and Canada but is now saying we're getting screwed? Is this the "art of the deal" he always talks about?
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#28[flagged]
Continually hinting at invasion, of a much smaller neighbour, makes the tariffs not seem like a a trade issue but a test of sovereignty for said neighbour.
It's appropriate to take things seriously under these conditions.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#29I’m surprised all the countries the US is trying to bully aren’t considering moving to the Euro as the reserve currency (even China might go along with this). It would be so damaging for the US they might actually understand they have been benefiting from a win-win situation since the end of the Second World War.
The dollar is appealing because you can buy US treasuries for however much you have of it (because America's debt appetite is almost unlimited). I don't think you do that with the Euro yet, holding it would be much more complicated because you couldn't stash large amounts of it as easily into bonds. Also, the EU might not like being a reserve currency, and can do what the swiss did when CHF was used abroad too much: negative interest rates.
Re: Canada considering charging for road access from USA to Alaska
#30Well if Trump is looking for a reason to invade, he’ll have one he can promote. I don’t agree with it it, but he can say, “they’re cutting us off from our people!” Then he’ll invade BC to form a contiguous border to all our territories. Hell based on the representatives going to DC to discuss making Alberta a state, he’ll probably gin up even more support.
> Well if Trump is looking for a reason to invade
You say that as though this is someone who would require even a modicum of rationale to act.