Monday November 25, 2024 | NATIONAL
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
President-Elect Donald Trump announced this afternoon in social media about his current intention to apply a 25% tariff to all Canadian products and Mexican products that are imported into the United States.
“A 25 per cent tariff would be devastating to workers and jobs in both Canada and the U.S.,” said Doug Ford in social media. Ford currently chairs the Council of the Federation (COF), i.e. Canada’s Premiers (the chair position changes once a year).
“The federal government needs to take the situation at our border seriously. We need a Team Canada approach and response—and we need it now. Prime Minister Trudeau must call an urgent meeting with all premiers.”
Earlier today Ford had released a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urgently requesting a meeting between the premiers and the prime minister regarding Canada-USA cross-border relations.
Political and economic response:
After Trump’s post in social media, national TV political analysis covered various aspects of the likely impacts of a 25% tariff.
First of all, if it happens, it would be by presidential executive order, which Trump vows to do on the first day of his administration, i.e. January 20, 2025. Executive orders can be reversed by the next president (four years later), and could possibly in the meantime be moderated in various ways by other levels of the American governance system. At the mid-term elections in 2026 things could change as well.
At least one economic analyst — Ian Lee with the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University — says there is ‘no sugar-coating’ the impact of this for Canada, saying it would be entirely bad news. The cost of absolutely everything would go up, jobs would be lost, and many businesses crippled.
Apparently Trump’s main reason for the large tariff is that he would want fentanyl and other drugs to not be entering the US before he would reverse the suggested tariff. It’s overly simplistic to think that most fentanyl comes into the USA from Canada and Mexico.
This is typical Trump disruption technique. It will put people and governments immediately on edge, but he may end up walking it back, leaving people rattled. It’s a typical bully tactic as a way to weaken the opponent.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh came out with a blast in social media: “Justin Trudeau, you cannot keep your head in the sand. Stand up and fight like hell. Canadian jobs are on the line.”
Cool heads will need to prevail and come up with some strategies to deal carefully and effectively with this first (of likely many) threats to come from south of our shared national border.
Impact on Canadian federal election:
How Trudeau handles this first crisis in dealing with Trump will have a big impact on how the upcoming federal election rolls out for him and the Liberals.
General public sentiment is that the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre would be a more compatible fit for dealing with the US Republicans as led by Trump for the next four years.
===== RELATED:
Premiers want federal-provincial meeting on Canada-US relations (November 25, 2024)
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