Apparently in addition to many increased tariffs the US was also asking Canada to refrain from negotiating trade deals with many other nations, and to avoid building the pipeline to the West Coast to supply Asian Nations with much needed oil. In addition they were insisting on cultural restrictions such as the use of the French language. It would appear the once again Trump is showing his extreme level of ignorance with regard to globalization and the inherent dependence upon neighboring economies. What ramifications this may have for the US economy remain to be seen but they are likely to raise inflation even more than the current levels, which many Americans are getting sick and tired of, and even many Trump supporters feel this is a betrayal of his campaign promises to bring the costs of goods and services down, and these ongoing trade wars are most definitely not making America stronger but rather making America less relevant throughout the world. Trump and his incredibly arrogant and ignorant minions do not seem to have the wisdom to understand any of that. Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the break after last-ditch negotiations failed Friday, saying Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the countries would “not return to our old relationship.” “The collapse of the tariff talks points to the fact that the old Canada-U.S. relationship is over and, for many Canadians, it also confirms the perception that Canada can’t trust the Trump administration,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. The pressure from Republican President Donald Trump has gone well beyond tariffs. He has questioned Canada’s economic viability, repeatedly talked about making it the 51st U.S. state and used trade measures to encourage production to move from Canada to the United States. That has angered many Canadians and fueled a sense of betrayal in a country that had long regarded the U.S. as its closest ally. Carney said Canada supplies 99% of U.S. natural gas imports, 85% of its electricity imports and 60% of its crude oil imports. Trump has focused much of his pressure on autos, steel and aluminum, fueling resentment among Canadians who see the push as an effort to hollow out key industries. https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-war-trump-carney-tariffs-4d18583fe52134ca8550652ad9772d2c?utm_source=app&utm_medium=android_share&utm_campaign=copy_link Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Canada was “not cravenly surrendering in the face of constant economic and political aggression.” The prime minister’s decision to stand up to President Trump and walk away from negotiations is the latest fracture in the once-close ties between the countries. The relationship has drastically deteriorated since Mr. Trump returned to office, where he has targeted Canada with tariffs, insulted its leaders and repeatedly proposed that it be annexed as the 51st state. The new American tariffs only cover a small portion of the $382 billion worth of products the United States imported from Canada last year, in part because they conspicuously avoid oil, gas and electricity imports. They also avoid potash, a key fertilizer not mined in large quantities in the United States. But many of the items hit with tariffs, like men’s suits and honey, are often made by small to midsize companies that will likely be unable to withstand any significant loss of business. Trevor Tombe, a trade economist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, estimates that the new tariffs could cost upward of 90,000 jobs in Canada. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/world/canada/carney-tariffs-trade-trump.html?smid=nytcore-android-share If Canada retaliates, and Mr. Trump does the same, the result could be a series of new shocks for the U.S. economy at a time when it is already weathering plenty. “The bigger deal is uncertainty,” said Scott Lincicome, the vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute. Mr. Lincicome said that volatility had pervaded Mr. Trump’s entire second term, as his ever-shifting tariffs — raised and lowered sometimes by the stroke of a pen — roil Wall Street, anger the courts, infuriate U.S. allies and help to drive up the price of consumer goods domestically. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/business/economy-trade-war-us-canada.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
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