2395 replies to this topic

[Matt R.]

Trudeau’s speech at the retreat yesterday was great, well written, well spoken, convincing - much better than recent efforts.

And he’s right. We shouldn’t be fighting. Trump wants to ramp things up? Need energy and minerals and raw products? We have that and should be hand in hand along for the ride.

Aside from trump being a “literal natzi” or whatever, his big plans require big spending, and it seems like many Canadians would rather suffer than sell.

[Victoria Watcher]

How come they had to go to a $500,000 cabinet retreat? On the taxpayer dime?

They have great nice meetings rooms in Ottawa.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 January 2025 - 01:52 PM.

[Matt R.]

If you watch the speech you might find it was worth it!

[Mike K.]

They will take on those internal trade barriers now eh? That have been up for decades? Why can they come down now and not before? Were they important to have when we had robust US trade?

Precisely.

[Victoria Watcher]

We have incompetsbt leadership.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 January 2025 - 04:47 PM.

[dasmo]

We have incompetsbt leadership.

Totally incompetsbt!

[Victoria Watcher]

[dasmo]

Ya think?

[Blair M.]

Alberta and Saskatchewan aside for a moment, and perhaps I'll be in the minority with this thought, but for the next four years the only thing Trump will comprehend when dealing with other countries is their elected governments relative strength.

 

That includes more than just a strong Canadian response to Trumps tariffs, it includes what's presumably bringing the tariffs on in the first place - strong borders, strong immigration policies, strong response to criminal activity, strong military, strong rejection of a pointless and counterproductive woke agenda, etc.

 

In Trumps vision of the world, weakness is to be exploited and punished.

Equally, in Trumps vision of the world, strength is rewarded and respected.

 

Trump see's Trudeau as weak and ineffective.

I'm not sure it's any more complicated than that.

[dasmo]

Our leaders are weak. They were embarrassed by some truckers with bouncy castles.

You and I have no idea what Trumps vision is. We shouldn’t pretend to know. But it’s basic Art of War stuff here. You don’t start a battle you can’t win. They are mightier by a long shot. You come at it from a different angle. They can afford a trade war. We can’t. And by they I mean Trudeau and friends. And as Michael Jackson said…. They don’t really care about us. If they did they’d be smarter about this.

[dasmo]

A trade war just kills small business at a time when small businesses are dying from the aftermath of the Covid measures, the resulting hyperinflation and then a postal strike.

[max.bravo]

What Trump wants is not some mysterious unknowable thing. The media just doesn’t report on it.

He wants us to 1) stop the flow of fentanyl into the states, 2) increase border security, 3) meet our nato commitment. That’s it.

The premiers know it. If you look at their joint statement it’s exactly what they say they will address. It’s dead simple.

[max.bravo]

Hear it from the horses mouth. https://globalnews.c...nada-is-massive

[dasmo]

But he is like Lord Vader. Once he gets what, he wants he will just alter the deal. We must all band together and fight him by reducing our incomes and increasing our expenditures.

Edited by dasmo, 23 January 2025 - 07:42 AM.

[Mike K.]

Canada messed up so, so badly by not creating stronger export opportunities for Alberta energy.

Epic, colossal and economically crippling misstep.

And to think our energy prices as so wildly out of step with the US. Imagine the economic powerhouse we could be if our pump energy was $1/litre, and not $2.

[Blair M.]

You come at it from a different angle. 

Probably not.

 

I wrote that a "strong response" was needed if Trump introduces tariffs. 

I didn't suggest that the strong response would equate to Canada introducing tariffs in response - rather I described the various items that Trump would perceive as a "strong response" (no mention of counter-tariffs).

 

I think too many Canadians perceive a response as I suggested above as Canada cow-towing to the U.S. (or more specifically, Trump), whereas in reality it's just the metaphorical equivalent of adjusting ones business practices to better align with ones changing customer habits.

[dasmo]

Pandering to what we think Trump wants is what he wants. Haha!

[dasmo]

Canada messed up so, so badly by not creating stronger export opportunities for Alberta energy.

Epic, colossal and economically crippling misstep.

And to think our energy prices as so wildly out of step with the US. Imagine the economic powerhouse we could be if our pump energy was $1/litre, and not $2.

Our leaders were busy undermining our economic sovereignty.

Edited by dasmo, 23 January 2025 - 08:04 AM.

[Blair M.]

Pandering to what we think Trump wants is what he wants. Haha!

I'm not sure Trump has the wherewithal to speak in complex double entendre, so I'm not sure it would be pandering to what we think he wants, rather it would be an easy accommodation towards a resolution of what he's clearly stated that he wants.

 

With a long and extremely porous border (folks really in the know can literally wander back and forth across the border at will), Trump seems only to be asking for Canada to run a tighter ship?

 

Trump isn't a great communicator to begin with, so you really do need to separate his financial observations regarding Canada from his security observations regarding Canada.

Normally, a politician would split major issues up, and begin discussions towards resolutions as completely separate conversations. Trump just dumps it all out into the public press and waits to see what sticks and what doesn't stick.

 

Anyway, my point was only that, without great difficulty, Canada could quite easily adjust its financial and security footprint such that they both dropped off of Trumps radar. 

[Victoria Watcher]

https://x.com/ObiUzi...474573549183451