On the imports front, [Trump] needed to lay down a marker to foreign exporters to America that the old days of dumping subsidised goods until domestic manufacturers went under, and then being able to hike their prices in the face of no local price opposition were over. There was no point in taking on all the transgressors at once and potentially kicking off a trade war with the whole world when all he had to do was pick someone out to make a very public example of. Harking back to Machiavelli, one he was sure to beat and one he could completely crush should that become necessary.
Enter Trudeau. (Read the comments for reader corrections).
h/t Another Ian
An excellent article on how Trump will trump our Trudeau on the trade being done with the US and how Trudeau has already made a major error and fallen into Trump’s war plan.
Trump keeps on ticking along.
The CAPTCHA seems to be on our looming muslim problem with “lifestyle stop”
Pointy covers it very well.
Also just a little payback might be due to the Liberals fawning over Obama, the direct links between US Democratic Party and Our Oh So Transparent Liberals..
Not too mention the Idiotic Outbursts from the Hair Apparent during the USA election.
Of course the idea that a man who has a life of business accomplishment and deal making behind him, might find a punk trustfund know-it-all just a little aggravating…
Nope the idea never occurred to me.
The conclusion must be Canada is gonna get what we voted for…the forty cent dollar and how we came to love poverty in our socialist paradise..
In the interests of short term pain , hopefully leading to a return to sanity and long term gain..
Mr Trump..Crush away.
The article is in error, where it writes about the coal.
I could be wrong here, nonetheless the coal situation is such that the airhead in Ottawa wants to make difficult for the ‘mericans to ship coal through Tsawassen coal port.
As of the time I was working in Industrial Automation, the problem for the US lumber industry was that it was mainly obsolete and inefficient thus non-competitive due to lack of reinvestment in newer technologies.
What if pretty boy goes all bar bouncer on Trump? Or bamboozles him with “dramatic acting”? Or caustically points out that Trump has never performed an abortion and thus not fit to talk to the Liberal leader-puppet.
Hey, more Chinesium tainted food…so much ‘winning’
http://fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/chinese-chicken-headed-america-really-beef/191633
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced Thursday night that the U.S. was greenlighting Chinese chicken imports… But the deal is raising concerns among critics who point to China’s long history of food-safety scandals.
That record includes rat meat being sold as lamb, oil recovered from drainage ditches in gutters being sold as cooking oil, and baby formula contaminated with melamine that sickened hundreds of thousands of babies and killed six. In 2014, a Shanghai food-processing factory that supplied international restaurant brands including McDonald’s and KFC was caught selling stale meat, repackaged with new expiration dates.
Corbo points out that last December, China’s own Food and Drug Administration reported it had uncovered as many as a half-million cases of food-safety violations just in the first three quarters of 2016.
Yes,what in hell are the two governments of Canada and B.C. trying to do, piss off America/Trump permanently? How many workers depend on those coal shipments for their living?
And now we stand to lose the pipelines,again,and a shutdown of Site C is looming, tankers are now banned off the B.C. coast,so I assume the Yanks will have to go around Vancouver Island with Alaska oil, further po’ing American industry, so wtf?
With Chrystia Freeland vowing to be be “firm but polite” when renegotiating trade deals with the USA, you have to wonder if the whole lot of Canadian politicians are delusional.
We are a tiny branch plant of the U.S., Lilliputians in the world with a massive dose of grandiosity. Trudeau and his sycophants might actually believe we are a big important player,but in the real world we’re strictly bush league,run by bush leaguers with big egos.
Yes, see commenter Mr Methane’s corrections to the article/column about both coal and lumber.
Actually Lev, that is Premier “got bigger balls then Justine” Clark’s recommendation as retaliation for the bogus softwood lumber dispute.
Was reading a WSJ article over the SWLD and they even agree that the tariff is bogus. Not only has it been proven wrong countless times, but 30% of all lumber used in housing in the States comes from Canada, so it will have a negative effect on home building.
I like Trump, but on this issue he is wrong.
Forgot to mention a problem the US lumber industry has in trying to compete is that much of their production is Radiata Pine, a less desirable product.
It’s so dumb that only Christie and Trudope could have concocted it. I know what’ well do guys! Let’s make it unattractive for US companies to ship coal through our ports! That’ll teach them. The port of Seattle and Los Angeles are rubbing their hands together.
The article is so pro-Trump that the facts are missing or in error. Left coast US ports have been under siege for at least five years from greens to prevent coal shipments offshore. Local NW governments are aligned with the greens so shipping coal via BC terminals is their only game just like pipelines through the US are our only game in moving Oil (that would be the quid pro quo in a trade war). Trump didn’t invent the softwood Lumber dispute. He just happened to preside over the lapse of the previous deal whereby the US extracted tariffs when (primarily) BC shipped lumber below a certain price reflecting the Canadian (provincial) Crown owned resources compelling licensees to average out an annual allowable cut regardless of market conditions. In the US and most of the rest of the civilized world, private forest owners tend to let it grow rather than harvest for little or no return. The US doesn’t grow enough timber for their domestic market so roughly a third is shipped from Canada. A significant volume required from Canada could be produced in the US if Trump had the cojones to take on the endangered species act and restore the annual yield that the USNF realized prior to 1989. The “harm” from that amounts to less profit than could otherwise be generated from protectionist measures. It’s a swamp and now it’s Donald’s.
Monty has a good point, but there’s another key aspect of softwood lumber that often gets overlooked. In the 1980s, the US, of its own accord, chose to remove many thousands of hectares from lumbering because of a small owl. Whether this decision was right or wrong doesn’t matter. The market effect was to limit supply and drive up bid prices in the US. It’s hardly reasonable of them to complain that because cutting rights in Canada are cheaper, that this constitutes some kind of subsidy.
However, I have no gripe with them about the abomination of dairy marketing.
If this article and its predictions come true it would wise up the MTV real quick as that would be the moment they run out of other peoples money
I laughed at the headline, ”Chessmasters.” Trump would have trouble figuring out X and Os.
Trudeau’s not far behind.
When I walk into a hardware store to buy 2 Duracell ”C” batteries, and the writing on the package is written in Chinese, and the fine print says ”Made In China,” I know it wasn’t Canada that dumped them on the market, here or in the USA.
Duracell, of all name brands, coming from China. Yup, we’re going to make America great again.
Craftsmen tools, made in China. Bearings for a John Deere combine, made in China. General Electric fan motor, Made in China.
Let’s make America Great again!!
”When Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met in Mar a Lago in February, they became, according to Trump “friends.” In a recent interview with the Economist Trump said: “I’m dealing with a man, I think I like him a lot. I think he likes me a lot,” he said. “I mean, he’s a great guy.” During discussions with the Chinese leader, Trump said he was “developing a friendship” as they discussed hard-hitting issues like North Korea and the South China Sea. During the talks they agreed to pursue a “100 day plan” to reinstate positive trade between the two countries. What is the U.S – China deal?” (Quote from the Economist.)
This is an outrage!! Our only recourse is to declare WAR!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
… and surrender immediately.
should take about 10 minutes on Twitter.
Trump has just started folks. I laughed when the press sat in awe as Trump welcomed Trudope to Washington. Oohs and giggly feelings everywhere. The dope walked into the arms of his adversary and came out smiling. What a fool
Trump does not care about our self interests. Why should he? The dope and his dopey cabinet have no idea how much trouble lies ahead. They and their supporters deserve it. And we will all have to pay for it.
Rocky Redneck
Remember “The Mouse that Roared”?
Whether the tariff on lumber is right and fair or not doesn’t matter. This is more like poker than chess. Trump just bet big with nothing in his hand. Your move, Mr. Trudeau. He can call or he can fold. After much whining, I bet he’ll fold. The USA is still 300 million potential customers whether we like them or not.
You are on for ten American dollars
softwood lumber is a decades old issue that gets pushed by politics and then loses every time when reviewed by WTO, GATT, the original Canada/US free trade deal and later NAFTA. it wouldn’t be a new administration without it coming up, expect the same decision as every other time.
Not trying to pass myself off as an expert on pines or forestry either but a little research indicates that while Pinus radiata in it’s native state is very poor for timber, it has been hybridized so much that it is now planted all over the world for it’s timber value…..i.e., in timber plantations. Now that’s not to say that it’s the best pine wood for lumber but rather to say that it is widely used.
The United States Of America is supposed to be the bastion of free enterprise, a place where capitalism is allowed to flourish. Why is Donald Trump (who claims to have savvy in organizing business ventures) interfering with the flow of softwood lumber between Canada and the USA? What’s the difference if a lumber dealer in Minot, North Dakota imports 2 x 4s and plywood from Canada and sells the shipment at a profit, or if Walmart imports a million pair of runners from China (most that should go to the recycle bin) and sells them to low income Americans (most of whom will end up with bad feet) or if Firestone imports rubber from Thailand and makes truck tires from the product?
The truth is when Trump should be investigating the millions of internet hacking incidences that take place in the USA every week, or counting the tonnes of cocaine that are arriving from Columbia every day, or asking illegals for their passports, he’s staying awake at night thinking about the price of 2×4 studs in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Last time I looked they were under $3.00 US.
Radiata Pine is not that big an issue in the US where it originated. It grows better anywhere to the South of where it grew naturally – Monterey, California, particularly in South America and New Zealand. Southern Pines (Longleaf, Loblolly, and Slash Pine) is likely what Monty in BC was referring to which is a significant product and competes quite well with Interior BC softwood.
All the Trump tariff on softwood lumber means is American builders will pay more to purchase Canadian lumber.
Some of those “American” lumber companies are……Canadian. For instance, West Fraser, Canfor, Interfor, Resolute & Tolko. They have been buying up US timber rights for the last while. Google it. Might want to consider buying their stock, ’cause cost of timber is going up with this “fight”, as well as market share.
https://www.woodmarkets.com/canada-u-s-top-20-lumber-producers-annual-ranking/
“I laughed at the headline, ”Chessmasters.” Trump would have trouble figuring out X and Os.”
And that’s why he’s a billionaire, as well as the President of the US, and you’re a nothing nobody.
I’m not comfortable with bongo red rachael or christy crook. Too many agendas going on here and none of them are in Canada’s interest.
The BC greens who hold the balance of power will sink Canada’s ship rather than do the right thing.
No pipeline from AB to the coast now.
Rocky Redneck >
“This is an outrage!! Our only recourse is to declare WAR!!… and surrender immediately.”
Never forget that Justin Turdeau is 100% confident that he has the FULL global Islamic support on his side.
Someone should point out to the author that Machiavelli’s “The Prince” was, like Orwell’s “1984”, supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.
I checked on Forbes ”top 400 richest people in America.” I stopped at 100.
No Trumps, and no Pete. A few re-petes, but they didn’t list the assets.
Interesting to note that John Menard, of Menards (home improvement stores) comes in at 9.5$ billion. Not bad for buying 2×4 studs from Canada and selling them in Minot, ND (etc.) for a healthy profit. And that’s what it’s all about.
Trump should have stuck to real estate and sirloin steaks.
Machiavelli doesn’t actually say anything in the Prince remotely like what Pointman attributes to him, so I guess he should take his own advice and get a free copy from Project Gutenberg, and maybe actually read it before he “quotes” from it again. (I’d recommend the translation by Harvey Mansfield from the University of Chicago Press myself, though.) Perhaps Clausewitz says something like that in On War, but I’m just guessing.
It seems like only yesterday that I heard our gormless press cooing about the brilliant coup turdo la doo had struck when he went off to play with the girls in the Washington dollhouse. And less than two short weeks ago CTV’s Robert Fife gave Tinkerbell a radio tongue bath on CFRA about the brilliance of his trade strategy.
This captcha is great: CALLE DE LOAN
Don Morris, You think we should allow tankers with Alaskan crude ply our Inside Passage? Is it you that is delusional?
You all realize that Trump is going down and sooner than later. The man is an idiot and his staff cannot control him. Expect impeachment proceedings by fall. So maybe we don’t have top get our shirts in a knot over trade talks. They are bound to be postponed significantly.
It can’t happen soon enough. Impeachment is around the corner alright. But in the past, impeachments are rarely successful. I think the guys in the white suits with ”Belleview” written on the side of the van will have come for him before that!!
Sorry, that should read ”Bellevue.” Not Belleview.
I really don’t think impeachment is anything at all. People who talk like this are not grounded in reality.
Trump will be POTUS until the end of his term and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a 2nd term.(not a Trump fan but BOY! did we all miss a very bad era with Hillary as POTUS? yeah I think so)
Sometimes 2nd Best is just Best, even if Best Sucks. At least we aren’t Venezuela, yet.
Another Fan:
Yes, I certainly do remember that movie and I would like to see it again. Nobody makes movies like that anymore.
Sorry! I mean “Another Ian”. Some days I need my reading glasses more than others!