Trump picks trade fight with Canada
Justin Trudeau has always played nice with Donald Trump. The refugee-hugging liberal bit his tongue, flooded Washington with envoys, feted Ivanka Trump on Broadway and relentlessly talked up Canada-U.S. ties.
It hasn’t worked.
On Monday, Trump teed off a fresh trade war by slapping tariffs of up to 24 percent on Canadian softwood lumber as battles brew over the North American Free Trade Agreement and the dairy industry . After winning praise for his Trump strategy, with Angela Merkel and others pressing the Canadian prime minister for advice , Trudeau finds himself a target -- or an example.
Canada is hardly a poster-child trade offender for Trump. It’s the number-one buyer of U.S. goods with a largely balanced trade relationship, a peaceful next-door neighbor and among the closest U.S. allies. Trudeau moderated his message , re-calibrated his domestic agenda to court Trump and even helped him dial back G-20 commitments on trade. Trump himself pledged only a “tweaking” of ties before turning on Canada this month.
Related Article from Forbes: President Trump's Tariff On Canadian Softwood Lumber Imports Will Hurt America Most
Tags
Who is online
135 visitors
The early signs from the U.S. were positive. A Trump adviser flew to Alberta in January to preach calm to Trudeau’s cabinet. Canada’s ambassador, David MacNaughton, praised the White House, saying “they’ve been delightful to deal with.”
But it was early days. During one visit, MacNaughton arrived to a White House without staff, furniture or a full complement of televisions, according to two officials. He asked for a coffee and was told the White House didn’t have a coffee maker yet. So Canada took that early optimism cautiously.
We don't need to have a trade fight at all! There is nothing at all to fight about! We just make a simple straight trade! Trudeau comes here as our leader and Trump moves up there as theirs!!! EASY!!! Perfect for us!
Not so good for them though....sorry Canada....truly....I mean it....
It’s the number-one buyer of U.S. goods
What kind of goods does Canada buy from the US ?
It used to be Rockport Shoes, until the Massachusetts company moved its manufacturing to Mexico. I guess oranges and grapefruit, but Canada can easily get those from other countries. Besides, except for ice win, the best beer, butter tarts, poutine and Nanaimo bars damn near everything comes from China anyways.
I really think Canada should stop selling lumber to the USA. China is begging for lumber and wouid be happy to pay for the shipping. Let American lumber companies devestate American forests instead.
Let American lumber companies devestate American forests instead.
Most of our Old Growth Forests are already gone (proportionately speaking, since the invasion of the White settlers that murdered them (and he Native Americans) to build log cabins, homes, saloons, churches, schools and whore houses of the old West) so we have started many years ago to start tree farms where we grow tress at a continuing bases, always replanting more while trying to anticipate future growth of need. That way we minimize the need of other real logging now, though we, sadly, still do it.
What kind of goods does Canada buy from the US ?
Ask and ye shall receive! (Oh wait-- didn't I use that cliche once already today...?:
The Major Imports & Exports Between the U.S. & Canada Are Surprising
March 7, 2017
[This post is presented compliments of Lorimer Wilson , editor of www.munKNEE.com ( Your Key to Making Money !) and www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com ( A site for sore eyes and inquisitive minds ) and may have been edited ([ ]), abridged (…) and/or reformatted (some sub-titles and bold/italics emphases) for the sake of clarity and brevity to ensure a fast and easy read. Please note that this paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.]
www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com
I don't speak Chinese . Do you ?
Nope. I have no idea what that web page is or is about.
Clink on LINK, it's all in English.
There is no problem with the "Link" on Krishna's comment, but clicking on the link on Petey's comment opens a page in Chinese.
The numbers simply put:
U.S.-Canada Trade Facts
U.S. goods and services trade with Canada totaled an estimated $662.7 billion in 2015. Exports were $337.3 billion; imports were $325.4 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade surplus with Canada was $11.9 billion in 2015.
Canada is currently our 2nd largest goods trading partner with $575 billion in total (two way) goods trade during 2015. Goods exports totaled $280 billion; goods imports totaled $295 billion. The U.S. goods trade deficit with Canada was $15 billion in 2015.
Trade in services with Canada (exports and imports) totaled an estimated $87.5 billion in 2015. Services exports were $57.3 billion; services imports were $30.2 billion. The U.S. services trade surplus with Canada was $27.1 billion in 2015.
According to the Department of Commerce, U.S. exports of goods and services to Canada supported an estimated 1.7 million jobs in 2014 (latest data available) (1.3 million supported by goods exports and 394 thousand supported by services exports).
Do we really need a trade war?
I sticking to my guns....No more Canadian hockey pucks...Puck them....
We'll be buying from Russia henceforth. The nice thing about Russian hockey pucks is that they glow in the dark. The plant is in Chernobyl.
American hockey puck don't work at all. They're too sticky as they're all made from rubber that comes from recycled condoms....
That's because the condoms weren't washed before they were processed. Women need to be careful when approaching American hockey pucks.
The White House just announced that they are not going to cancel NAFTA. My, how surprising. (yawn)
If he had decided to withdraw from NAFTA it would have been challenged as there is currently no SCOTUS law that is directly on point on if a President (though he is not one) can unilaterally withdraw from a treaty without permission from Congress. This is also a question when it comes to The Paris Accords.
Randy actually it appears rather simple , NAFTA required congressional ratification which it received and thus would require congressional ratification to reverse the process on the US part , the paris accord ( also a treaty ) has never gotten congressional ratification so it is basically even more unenforceable , thus null and void as far as applicable law. due to the fact that congressional ratification is needed for all treaties to become binding, as per the constitution , just another one of the checks and balances , the president can sign it , but unless congress approves , it doesn't mean a thing , and isn't binding .
He can withdraw from the Paris Accord but only after 2 more years of waiting without violating International law, unless he also withdraws the U.S. from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — Paris’s parent treaty. Then he can withdraw immediately. The question is, will he? It would make his base happy, especially the uneducated and ignorant who still think that Global Climate Change is some sort of myth made up by people smarter then them to make them look dumb (which may include Trump), which is the only reason I can think of why they don't believe it's real. However with so many other nations having signed it and who will still be participating in it, it will call into question on if the U.S. can be trusted to keep its word on anything.
Then again with the current person sitting his diapered ass in the Oval office (when not in Mar-a- lago wasting our time and money) the world knows he is a compulsive, pathological lair and will always break his word when it is convenient for him (even when not in the best interests of America or the American people) so they already know they can't trust him on anything at all. Anything.
randy again the parent treaty would have also had to have been ratified by congress in order for it to be enforceable even under international law , with out that its just a signature that means nothing . see that's the problem I have always seen when a head executive , past present and future included , think just because they have a pen and choose to proceed with strictly executive fiat when in order to make something lasting it requires a vote of another legislative body to approve.
just having a pen and a phone really doesn't count for diddly because its easier to undo the same way.
Trudeau does an excellent job of explaining Canada's position, unlike that idiot trumps. - America’s $1.2 Billion Mexico Milk Trade Is Now at Risk - It also explains why Mexico is now seeking milk products from other countries. What a fool of a trump.
Mexico will retaliate with corn purchases as well.