Canada is a huge source of oil for the US, in the middle of summer when Texas cranks the AC and California battles wildfires, it's Canadian Hydro dams keeping US cities from going dark, your city is wired into Ottawa's Mercy. Here's the part nobody wants to talk about, Canada has proved it can shut it all down oil, electricity, and trade anytime, and not with bombs, not with armies, with just a single political decision. The most important part is that most Americans will have no idea about this until the lights go out.

 

This is a brilliant political ambush that Mark Carney wages against Trump. While Trump was raging with his juvenile tweets, Carney was online with Mexico's president to make an offer the United States could not match. Reliability within 48 Hours. Canada and Mexico shocked the world, they unveiled the Northern Corridor, a trade Super Highway designed to treat America not as a partner but it has an obstacle, to ship around. Carney's exact words "when one door closes, we will find a better door". That wasn't a diplomacy, that was a declaration of economic independence. And Canada has just come up with a way to tax American transport between the US and Alaska, due to poor American policy those shipments are going to become far more expensive, as America cannot afford to ship them by sea. Oops. Didn't think about that. 

 

What Washington doesn't understand is that in 2025 it's not about who screams the loudest, it's about who the world can't function without. Canada has built themselves into the one country American can't cut out regardless of how reckless Trump behaves. They have total infrastructure integration, your iPhone uses Canadian hydroelectric power, your home is built with superior Canadian lumber, your car runs on Canadian oil, you can't replace all of that overnight.

 

In February a lumber mill in Illinois closed. Because Canadian lumber suddenly became too expensive, after Trump's tariff terrors. This wasn't a failing mill, this was a mill that had been running for 60 years, employing 300 families. It didn't die from Canadian competition, Trump killed it. It died from bad American policy.

 

There is no surge capacity to replace Canadian imports, even analysts on Fox Business admitted it could take a decade to rebuild domestic production. And even if rebuilt, will it be competitive? So instead of protecting American jobs, tariffs will do the opposite, they will make lumber unaffordable in the middle of a housing crisis, and while America is having a political meltdown, Canada was having a strategy meeting. Trump expected the usual script, retaliation, angry press conferences, maybe a new round of tariffs. Instead Canada did something no one saw coming, no shouting, no threats, no photo ops with fingerpointing, politicians stepped up to a podium and announced a 1 billion dollar support program for Canadian lumber companies. Every company taking the money had to commit to Canada's new 25 billion dollar domestic housing program, in other words America just gave us our own lumber back and we're going to use it to fuel a big housing bill. Thanks for the favor Trump!

 

Because of silly political grand standing a kitchen renovation that cost $30,000 in January now costs $35,000. Not because there wasn't enough wood or steel but because of political theater in Washington. Multiply that by millions throughout America. Trump promised to fix the housing crisis, but instead he's destroying it.

 

If Canada, America's closest ally with the longest undefended border could openly defy US pressure, then the question becames avoidable for the rest of the world. What's stopping us from doing the same? Maybe we don't need American approval, China took notice, the EU took notice, so did Mexico. Many other countries did too. 

 

Trump is too dim to understand that Canada has infrastructure indispensability, you can't sanction a country when you run on their oil, you can't bully a partner when you run in their electricity. Canada won't beat America by force, they'll beat America with integration. America's grid was built using cheap Canadian electricity and America just proved it's willing to hurt its own people to make a political point.

 

American can no longer be counted upon for reliability and that's not a trade war, that is a trade crisis. America has a superpower credibility crisis. There's a moment during every empire is history when the mirror doesn't recognize the face staring back. August 1st was America's mirror moment, Trump thought he was teaching a lesson, instead Canada gave America a master class in independence.

 

While America was busy building walls Canada was busy building bridges to Mexico, to Europe, and to Asia. America barked demand for loyalty, Canada quietly earned reliability. Every new home or skyscraper you see, you're looking at Canadian lumber.

 

Here's what the next decade looks like if nothing changes. America drifts into self-imposed isolation as one partner after another quietly diversifies away from US dependence. The EU, Canada and China step into the vacuum, as the predictable hub of trade, dealing with whoever treats them fairly and the US continues its March into  irrelevance, and it's economy starts to shrink, inflation skyrockets, and joblessness becomes a major problem. 

 

The guiding principle that Trump not only ignores but has a complete lack of understanding about, is that America became the greatest economy on the planet due to a lack of tariffs, due to very low import taxes. You don't tax your way out of a deficit, the deficit is there for a reason, ignoring the reason for that deficit and simply focusing on the symptoms is a recipe for disaster. We'll have to call it the Trump economy, we will have to call it the Trump depression, and we will have to call Trump the worst and most destructive  president America has ever seen. 

 

 

 

 

I just saw a recent poll that showed International approval for Canadian economic policies up 12% and approval for US economic policies down 14%. 

 

And I think it speaks to an interesting phenomena that's taking place right now, Trump is punishing Brazil for its actions against Bolsonaro, he is punishing India for their purchase of Russian oil, and he's punishing Canada (supposedly) for their support of a Palestinian state.

 

In the past that was always regarded as Imperialist Behavior, which is a strange thing coming from a country that's supposed to be a democracy. His supporters thought that these tariff policies were about making America great again, when in reality many of them are about imposing vendettas. 

Trump lives in your head 24/7

Yours too it seems, Harrisfan. You seem to pop up every time...with your special brand of nonsense.

The same old phrases regurgitated time and time again. How banal. Is that the demonstration of your mind being opened by travel?

8 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

Wow what a brilliant and well structured riposte. 

He’ll think twice about posting such well researched and structured critiques  in the future , knowing that your scintillating wit will strike him like a lightning bolt from your soul. . 
its as if Oscar Wilde had risen from the grave!

33 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

You really should have a break when the adults are chatting.

9 minutes ago, theshu25 said:

You really should have a break when the adults are chatting.

 

First LOL of the day....cheers.

56 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

you have been trolling a lot and sometimes called out for it,truly maga in its core existence .

Not smart enough to come up with any original thought,keep drinking the cool aid !

12 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

 

conversation too deep for you? 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

California battles wildfires,

 

Canada is also battling wildfires right now. In fact the pm2.5 in Ontario is comparable to BKK in smog season.

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

instead Canada gave America a master class in independence.

 

Alberta wants to separate. Saskatchewan and parts of BC also.

 

Note about Canadian oil. It's also refined in the US and then sold back to Canada.

 

So some of these things are not so simple is what i'm getting at.

 

 

11 minutes ago, jvs said:

Not smart enough to come up with any original thought,keep drinking the cool aid !

 

Not smart enough....Kool aid. You can't make this shhhh up.

57 minutes ago, Free the 115 said:

Wow what a brilliant and well structured riposte. 

He’ll think twice about posting such well researched and structured critiques  in the future , knowing that your scintillating wit will strike him like a lightning bolt from your soul. . 
its as if Oscar Wilde had risen from the grave!

Boring. 

1 hour ago, JakeC said:

Yours too it seems, Harrisfan. You seem to pop up every time...with your special brand of nonsense.

The same old phrases regurgitated time and time again. How banal. Is that the demonstration of your mind being opened by travel?

Yeah 1000 topics we could talk about but lets talk Trump again? 

1 hour ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

At least he has got something in his head...........

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Yeah 1000 topics we could talk about but lets talk Trump again? 

Go read the thread heading............🙄

sorry, this is off topic ... but 

I am watching a mini documentary on japan.

 

Just after the Nikkei shoots up astronomically ... 

 

.... Ronald Reagan stepped in to put an end to their party by imposing tariffs

So Trump is not doing anything new. This sort of stuff has been going on forever. 

 

 

 

 

@Harrisfan It's the political soapbox, you dolt!

If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

 

You literally post the same lines, time and time again. Have you been diagnosed or are you refusing to take your medicine?

47 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Canada is also battling wildfires right now. In fact the pm2.5 in Ontario is comparable to BKK in smog season.

 

 

Alberta wants to separate. Saskatchewan and parts of BC also.

 

Note about Canadian oil. It's also refined in the US and then sold back to Canada.

 

So some of these things are not so simple is what i'm getting at.

 

 

Well I certainly didn't mean to imply that they are simple, there's nothing simple about world trade. There are some car components that go back and forth between the US, Mexico and Canada several times before the car is finally assembled, that is part of the magic of globalization, and the reason why it's worked so well for so long. 

 

However unfortunately there are some dimwits who confuse deficits, with the need for a penalty. It's a bit like going to a shoe store and saying I'm running a $500 deficit with you this year, and I need to figure out a way to penalize you, because you're not buying anything from me. 

34 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

sorry, this is off topic ... but 

I am watching a mini documentary on japan.

 

Just after the Nikkei shoots up astronomically ... 

 

.... Ronald Reagan stepped in to put an end to their party by imposing tariffs

So Trump is not doing anything new. This sort of stuff has been going on forever. 

 

 

 

 

That is true, numskulls tend to repeat themselves over and over again. 

2 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

But in yours 

1 hour ago, JakeC said:

Yours too it seems, Harrisfan. You seem to pop up every time...with your special brand of nonsense.

The same old phrases regurgitated time and time again. How banal. Is that the demonstration of your mind being opened by travel?

You can employ the ignore function which clears your feed of a LOT of stupidity. Debating issues with cogent reponses is always welcome, stupidity gets ignored.

38 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

sorry, this is off topic ... but 

I am watching a mini documentary on japan.

 

Just after the Nikkei shoots up astronomically ... 

 

.... Ronald Reagan stepped in to put an end to their party by imposing tariffs

So Trump is not doing anything new. This sort of stuff has been going on forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever wondered why there is that picture of Reagan behind Trump in the Oval Office

2 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

Trump SHOULD be living in all  USA citizens heads. WTF were you thinking electing a con man, nepo baby, dumb as a stone, TV personality, failed businessman, incompetent, racist, authoritarian, a hole to lead your failing country? Just asking for a friend 😎

5 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Ever wondered why there is that picture of Reagan behind Trump in the Oval Office

Trump spends his days and nights dreaming of being as coherent and as charismatic as Reagan. Dream on Don. 

56 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Yeah 1000 topics we could talk about but lets talk Trump again? 

1000 topics about the worst leader in the world, ruining the largest economy in the world... But sure, let's bury our heads in the sand.

52 minutes ago, transam said:

At least he has got something in his head...........

Unlike yourself.

2 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Trump lives in your head 24/7

It's all he thinks about except for where he can steal somebody else's work product. Anybody check his screeching above for cut and paste?

2 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Unlike yourself.

Oh hello, Mikey, not heard from you for a long time, how are you, good I hope...😘

1 minute ago, transam said:

Oh hello, Mikey, not heard from you for a long time, how are you, good I hope...😘

I'm great. I'm Canadian 😉 Love seeing our one tenth of your size country standing up to the schoolyard bully. Our national sport is hockey. We love fighting (see why so many of the Geneva conventions on warfare were because of how Canucks fight... We maybe be polite, up until we aren't). Trump is too stupid to understand, as are you apparently 🤣

Just now, Yagoda said:

It's all he thinks about except for where he can steal somebody else's work product. Anybody check his screeching above for cut and paste?

Has the shelling stopped now.......?  🤗