Tariffs in a trade war will harm Canada's economy; alternative markets are essential.
Canada has once again leveled new tariffs on goods coming in from the States this morning. In this futile and ultimately damaging effort to battle an administration that is not prepared to negotiate, it is time to stop!
Trump continues to proceed with his annexation of Canada, and his mind is set. Unified in their resolve, Canadian governments have clearly drawn a line in the sand, saying that Trump goes no further. These are no more prolonged uncertainties; they are, unfortunately, realities: years of allied negotiation and solid trading relationships are over.
Because of Trump's clear expansionist vision, there is no room for negotiation. How do you negotiate with a government whose entire agenda is to overthrow a sovereign nation? Clearly, you cannot, and it is time to stop the retaliatory tariffs, which only hurt consumers, and look abroad for economic opportunities.
In 1986, as Free Trade negotiations with the Americans were proceeding, I had the profound privilege of working in Ottawa with members of the New Democratic Party Caucus. Ed Broadbent was extremely cautious about what was about to take place at the time and certainly had justification to be so.
While I was there, I met then-Prime Minister Mulroney and discussed with him possibly a better solution for the country: looking to Europe. At the time, Europe had very similar social safety nets and a much more worker-friendly bureaucracy. In addition, a comprehensive trade arrangement allowed a level playing field with labor and labor mobility.
Europe also placed great importance on education and trades training, primarily publicly funded, to ensure adequate supplies of qualified labor to continue building what would become an economic fortress.
Although receptive to the concept, Mulroney trusted the American corporate model to seek economically just solutions for both the state and workers. This push, which would move forward even further with the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), put the corporations in full control and sent the citizens of both the USA and Canada into a downward spiral, which is where we are today.
The signing into the WTO (World Trade Organization) would put the final nail in what we assumed to be democratic states to Oligarchic republics with wealth and economic power in the hands of a few select people, Elon Musk being one of them. So, although we see ourselves as living in a capitalistic economy, we are the new serfs (slaves, if you must) of the Feudal Lords of today.
Forget the back-and-forth power struggle with an administration unwilling to move beyond its expansionist vision. Let's not punish our citizens any longer and grow our trading arrangements with the Europeans who need our resources and talents just as much if not more.
Europe is not without its economic problems; it, too, was a victim of the oligarchic expansionism of the mega wealthy. However, Europe values its democracy far more than what is now left of American democracy, diplomacy, and freedom.
#trade #canada #provinces #trump #ontario #canadian #blogger #alberta #economics
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