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Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

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Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#271

This was totally the right move, if for no other reason than it's the only thing that this US admin will respect in the long run. Being in Canada though this does look v. short sighted of the US. All this is going to achieve is pushing Canada much closer to other countries, particularly China, which at least superficially these negotiations were meant to prevent.

> This was totally the right move, if for no other reason than it's the only thing that this US admin will respect in the long run. Unfortunately, Canada (where I live) will feel way more pain from this than the US. I am not sure Trump will have respect for this at all, but the alternative was to put in a permanent trade deal that significant disadvantaged Canada.

I think you're right that this will be more painful for Canada, economically, but I'm not so sure about "way more". But politically, it will be much more painful for the US side of the negotiation than for the Canadian side. The Carney administration is on much firmer political ground than the Trump administration. Time is on Carney's side.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#272

Huh 30% of our lumber just got 50% more expensive. Good thing we don't have shortages of affordable housing that need new construction to solve. Brilliant stuff Donald. Truly some 4D chess moves.

You still think any of his moves are driven by 'what's good for the US'? I think it's motivated entirely by schemes to stuff his pockets with money.

> “motivated entirely … to stuff his pockets”

Someone's pockets, must be gnomes:

• PHASE 1: COLLECT UNDERPANTS. (tariff "foreign" goods desired by Americans, collect upon import from companies, clarify spiked prices experienced by consumers ‘entirely’ due to prior admin policies)

• PHASE 2: … (let simmer)

• PHASE 3: PROFIT. ("return" tariff costs to companies)

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#273

I get it, but tariffs will only make things more expensive for Canadians, too. I've got a better idea. 1) Repeal all DMCA-like laws. Make it explicitly legal to break a digital lock to repair a device, run custom code, install third-party parts, or just tinker and hack with your own devices and software. 2) Ban parts-pairing. Prohibit manufacturers (looking at you Apple & John Deere,) from using cryptographic seriali…

I love the concept. I'd be happy to see the solution to consumer pain And economic productivity to pass permanently pro productivity and pro consumer policies. Anti monopoly stuff. Maybe a growth policy like land value tax. I'd need to hear from some experts to know which specific policies would be best though. Ideally you choose some policies that are not perceived as going nuclear, or which leave open counters, or…

> In general, going heavier into consumer/data protection laws and proceeding to prosecute both the Canadian and American monopolies would be amazing though.

IMO you don't want lawfare -- but rather you want to remove bad laws like the DMCA (and related), and the life-plus-70 copyright term, and thus foster more innovation and growth.

It's easiest to repeal anti-consumer/anti-commons laws.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#274

Its nice to see some backbone, but the challenge for Canada is that it’s broadly in a weak negotiating position here. Generally speaking Canadian companies need access to the US market a lot more than US companies need access to the Canadian market.

One would think so, but is that really true? Some numbers I just got:

- the US imports 60-70% of its oil from Canada

- 100% of the natural gas

- 85% of energy imports

- 25% of Uranium

- 20% of all mineral imports, ahead of China

- the Great Lakes hold >80% of the USA's fresh water

- patrolling the almost 9000km border is mostly up to Canada

Despite the size disparities, they run close to a trade equilibrium: US exports $420B, imports $450B. There is a lot on the line for the US.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#275
post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is they're also stifling trade with China. We still have quotas on Chinese cars so that they don't flood the market with affordable cars to preserve our (yours and ours) inferior car industry. It's basically what Canada is doing to the US with dairy, except with Chinese cars.

What is going to happen is this lack of deal will accelerate the (inevitable) decline of the Canadian car industry, which will reduce objections to the Chinese imports leading to those quotas changing in an ever accelerating feedback loop. From the US strategic perspective this is moving out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It's so obvious that you'd think its intentional.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#276
The craziest thing is, that in spite of the obvious, balatant corruption and supreme incompetence of the US govt, Trump still has around 35% approval rating.

That means the hardcore MAGA base is a third of the US population. I genuinely don't know how to reconcile that with the long term future of the United States.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#277
post #114
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And maybe the US will learn again, that a great deal is something that people can rely on?

The guy still has like ~35% approval ratings according to every poll there is, and that’s after weekly displays of outright corruption from him and his family, and “winning” the same war dozens of times already with no end in sight. The number hardly even budged YTD. You’re telling me that this country is capable of learning?

If you wanted a Russian puppet in the oval office, it would do exactly what Epstein's BFF Donald is doing. There are zero reasons to support anything Putin is doing (read: daily war crimes), however, the destruction from within in the US and EU is executed amazingly well.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#278
post #85

I wonder what would happen if Canada taxed electricity exports to the US, and used the money to directly subsidize other exported goods the US applies tariffs to?

> taxed electricity exports it is easy to tax exports, but this makes the export less profitable (for the entity making that export). Unless you mean the producer raises prices to cover the new tax - in which case, the export is now more expensive, and less of it gets exported. It doesn't really help with the tariff situation much in any case - a political problem requires a political solution (such as reciprocal tar…

Attack dog Doug Ford threatened this last time and the Americans absolutely freaked out. It’s probably still a valuable nuclear option.

Re: Canada will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down

#280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lumber is not part of these tariffs. These are on a narrow set of products. Lumber is a different long standing trade dispute going back to the 80s unrelated to the industries targeted by the 50% tariffs. Trump created a 10% Lumber tariff in Sept 2025, but it was already tariffed before that. Canadian lumber today isn’t suddenly 50% more expensive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_s...

This does not seem to be accurate, from the reporting I've read. Do you have a source?

This article lists the specific industries. Lumber is not one of them. It lists

Motor Vehicles, Alcohol, and Dairy as the largest industries.

https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-of-us-trade-tariffs-hitti...

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