The impact of tearing up NAFTA as Donald Trump threatened would put Canadian jobs in jeopardy, yet a recent poll says a majority of Canadians don’t think so. The numbers are compelling, access to 360 million US citizens, 131 million Mexicans in exchange for access to 35 million Canadians!
In Alberta we voted for “math isn’t hard”, sister
why is there such a huge cheering section for Mr Trump given that cancelling NAFTA would clearly harm OUR nation’s interests?
Does anyone remember that long distance running guy who claimed “Momma always said Stupid is as Stupid does”?
Donald, let me introduce you to the citizens of Canada.
BCer
The cheering section is probably because people realize that Canada and Mexico try to abuse NAFTA for their immediate benefit, but then are surprised when there’s backlash, or when Canada then goes uses that benefit or protection to raise taxes on its products domestically.
NAFTA was supposed to encourage fair trade, leading to price benefits for the consumer, and volume benefits for the producer, regardless of their nationality. It was used, instead, to warp markets and control people.
I think I remember when we had an election on the issue of free trade and Liberals were against it.
Trump’s job is NOT to look after Canadians and Mexicans, but AMERICANS. As a Canadian I support Trump because he is the first N. American leader in my lifetime to prioritize citizens ahead of a political party.
Trump is not our greatest economic threat, it’s the political left’s non-stop sabotage of Capitalism in the west.
You let unions and the government take over the education of your children.
historybuff >
“why is there such a huge cheering section for Mr Trump….”
Because that’s how sick & tired of our leftist liberal retards taxpaying Canadians are. No not the welfare dregs, the Muslims, the unions, and the other big Government welfare jobs that produce NOTHING, or provide meanininless bureaucratic “service” to make work.
We’ll take a Trump slapping down the Rachel Nutley’s and Turdeau’s all day, all year long, until Canadians snap out of their Socialist fairies & unicorns bubble at everyone else’s expense.
Tearing up NAFTA would mean that we immediately revert back to FTA. I’m for it. With FTA we made headway, with NAFTA we lost our way.
On another note, the same argument could be made with having free trade with any third world country that has a larger population than us. A $12 dollar an hour job versus a $1 per day employees. Hmmm, who will be selling to who?
Indeed. Common sense is no longer common. It was a stupid article.
Lots Canada could do. We import 24 billion dollars worth of US agricultural products, 57 billion in services, 48 billion in vehicles, 43 billion in machinery. 25 billion in electrical machinery and the list goes on for a total of 280 billion dollars worth of US exports to Canada. Trump’s trade war hurts the US as much as Canada, and when the dust settles will hurt him politically. As much as I admire Trump, as a patriot I would be inclined to support our government in fighting back.
FREE trade is NOT Fair Trade. All Trump is after (as he has said repeatedly) is FAIR Trade agreements. Virtually EVERY SINGLE ONE OF America’s Trade agreements puts the US at a significant DISadvantage. I support my President’s shredding of every lopsided, biased against USA trade agreement. Time for a reboot. It’s aboot time, eh Canada ?
After NAFTA the glass industry disintegrated. Plants in Montreal, Strathroy , Oshawa , London, Owen Sound that I toured shut down costing thousands of job losses.. You got cheaper products and government
Still thinking they could go spending and spending income they no longer have. A.K.A. Massive deficits.
Each of the 3 countries in NAFTA could do better today by having a separate bilateral trade deal with each of the other two …a Canada + U.S. treaty and a separate Canada + Mexico treaty, etc. Then when ONE of the participants (such as the u.S. under Trump) is dissatisfied with ONE of the other countries there is no blow-back on the third party. Canada was nicely cruising along under the radar doing great with NAFTA …the Americans were only upset with Mexico, not us. We got slimed as collateral damage in the battle between the other two.
Hear, hear.
Some of us are also sick and tired of the Laurentian Elite made up of the MSM, central Canadian politicians and their lackey bureaucrats controlling everything in Canada to keep their control. Things just about got away from them when Harper and Reform was elected, and John Ibbitson and Jeffrey Simpson told us so in their book. However the progressives in the CPC killed that dream.
Canadian Observer, exactly.
I don’t think President Trump wants to withdraw from NAFTA. I think he wants the Mexican and Canadian governments to believe he will so they will negotiate to make it benefit the U.S.A. more than it does now.
If I import into China my client pays a 25% import tax for goods and a 12.5% import tax for services. Same for Americans importing into China.
Trump is just getting warmed up. First it’s Canada, then Mexico and finally China.
Fair trade is nonsense because it means that everything between trading partners is equal in terms of labour cost, environment, energy, growing season, sunshine, etc. Free trade results in benefits due to mutual competitive advantage in goods and services. NAFTA is a customs union rather than a free trade agreement but much better that escalating protectionism. Free trade requires only that governments do nothing, period.
These modern day “free trade” agreements are not that; they are managed trade, that benefit large companies who like the additional bureaucracy that keeps the smaller guys from competing.
If they really were free trade deals, they would be a one-liner: “Anyne from either country can trade in the other country as if they were of that country”.
“tearing up NAFTA as Donald Trump threatened would put Canadian jobs in jeopardy”
OK – so what? We Canadians kill more Canadian jobs than the Americans could ever do. What we don’t kill with malice, we kill with commie “niceness” (think subsidy’s and marketing boards).
Canadian Observer and Knight99 for the thread-win.
Well said. See also Knight 99.
“As much as I admire Trump, as a patriot I would be inclined to support our government in fighting back.” Northernont
If Canada just sits back and does nothing, one should question if Canada is capable of self Government…The UN clinging thing is not competitive, but Canada can be very competitive.. AGAIN…
I always find it strange that Canada (Auditor General) Compares itself (performance) to other EU countries. Doesn’t Canada have and live up to it’s own Standards? Time to be a lead sled dog
“We’ll take a Trump slapping down the Rachel Nutley’s and Turdeau’s all day, all year long, until Canadians snap out of their Socialist fairies & unicorns bubble at everyone else’s expense.”
I guess you missed the new Trump Budget. The Donald sure slapped his own socialists down, didn’t he?/
Tell me, Knight99, how do eastern Canadians snap out of socialism if it’s so OK for the Americans to wallow in it?
Should I link to Uber-Trumper Ann Coulter and her take on Trump’s budget or should I link to Uber-Trumper Rush Limbaugh’s scathing disappointment?(Rush actually said, “Why do we vote GOP?” and takes VP Pence to task about the SOCIALIST budget that got President Trump’s signature instead of his VETO.)
All I see is America using Canada as a whipping boy again, and again, and again. Yeah we’re easy low hanging fruit.
It’s a good thing that I’m not a Putin fan-Boi like you and your fellow travelers here or I’d say let’s get chummy with Russia, I’m so tired of being abused by the U.S.A.
Trump wants Canada to spend more money on their NATO commitment? It’s like saying Run Canada, Run, and cutting us off at the knees.
Trump wants to gut our economy and have us spend more money on arms? Well I say lets spend more money on arms. Lets buy new European strike/fighter planes, they’re better than the new planes the U.S is selling. Lets buy new European everything that Canada needs.
Trump thinks our defence dolars are going to the U.S? FECK Trump and FECK the U.S.!
Oz might have a point here.
Kenji
Round about that last sentence
Try “I saw thousands of Boy Scouts routing about in their brown trowsers”
Re common sense
Go find and listen to John Prine’s track “Common Sense” from his album of the same name.
Has been my nomination for the thrme song of the 21st century for some time
Don’t stand between a customer, and his supplier.
Regulations create a middleman, increaing costs for both sides.
Drugs, cars, alcohol, tv’s.
Let them go at it….
That’s because the P. Conservatives were for it. The Liberals didn’t much care what they had to oppose or support to win the election. They can always change their minds or make up something new when they are in power because being Liberals they are in favour of whatever is good and right, therefore whatever they are in favour of must be what is good and right.
in the scheme of things Canada is small potatoes.
As a Canadian I was largely in favour of the Canada/US Free Trade Agreement in large part because the two nations were equal. Similar wages, costs production methods etc. As a Canadian I was in large part against NAFTA since it yoked Canada and the US with an unequal partner Mexico. Mexico has a much different cost/production based on its largely third world level of development. The only winner in NAFTA is Mexico.
I have no idea about Trump’s plan for NAFTA.
Trump has no idea about his plan for NAFTA
So I have no idea about what the hypothetical effects of Trump’s non-existent plan on NAFTA would be.
Now, on to the weather experts. “Scientists predict that by 2025 rising sea levels will….”
Good infographic seen here.
US Vs Canada: The Numbers Behind the World’s Closest Trade Relationship
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-04/us-vs-canada-numbers-behind-world%E2%80%99s-closest-trade-relationship
If you are talking about softwood lumber, the US producers have a good case – restrictions on exports of whole logs from Crown lands is a subsidy to Canadian sawn lumber producers. The 20% tariff, btw, only applies to lumber from Crown lands. IRving, I believe faces a 3% tariff, as their sawlogs are from private, not crown lands.
People are generally … STUPID. Not SDA regulars but people in general. If the MSM pumps out that 2 + 2 = 5 then 2 + 2 = 5. Silly sheeple.
Trump will do as Trump wants. If Canada and it’s inane retarded deluded green agenda owned politico’s and bureaucrats choose to continue down the socialist capitalist-killing cost investment delaying path of over-regulation, economics killing taxation and special interest swindling then WE WILL GET LEFT IN AMERICA’S DUST. Canada has open access to the globe on both the Pacific and Atlantic shorelines. It’s time for the empty heads pretending to lead got out of the way. If NAFTA and other trade agreements are to have any meaning it’s because the people within Canada have something valuable to share. That doesn’t happen without blood, sweat and sacrifice that comes from hard work and real honest innovation.
I like Trump for many reasons. But maybe the most important one right now is his unshackling of America to vigorously compete and produce again. That will pressure the crazy stupids in power here in Canada to follow suit. If they ignore the wake up call many others will not and the progressives will be pushed aside – in large part by their own supporters in the Unions who want to keep their jobs. The clock’s ticking towards the next elections and change is coming.
Ha ha … all I can say is that I love the NHL playoffs … for all the cute Canadian accents
Well said. Though I expect that the progressives will not care as their aim is to stop the resource development in Canada.