Incoming

47 Operation Empty Chair Shiny Pony 82 Comments

National Post- Trump says he will announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs Monday — and more import duties are coming

National Post- Canadian Steel Producers Association ‘deeply concerned’ about latest tariff threat

Francisco- Looks like “Team Canada” is having a good time in France.
Prime Minister’s itinerary for Monday, February 10, 2025

Update:

Quick Dick McDick- The Trump & Trudeau Tariff Trials & Tribulations Toonie

CPAC- PM Trudeau Speaks at AI Summit in Paris – February 10, 2025

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a keynote address at the AI Action Summit in Paris, France. The prime minister is discussing sustainable artificial intelligence and energy.

Steve Saretsky- So Trump is going to tariff our steel and Carney is going to put a carbon tax on it?

82 Replies to “Incoming”

  2. Last time there was 50,000 exemptions. In other words, bureaucracy and red tape that hurts the small guy.

    1. For once, AllanS, I can’t argue your point, because I more-or-less agree that rules and regs are designed to impede productivity,
      but I can’t understand why you would make that point on this particular thread. Can you elucidate? What’s the connection? Are you suggesting that tariffs are a bad idea economically? You’re not going to get much disagreement with that assertion either. Are you suggesting that Trump should not threaten Canada with tariffs? Now there’s the rub, isn’t it?
      I can’t argue your point, because I’m not exactly sure what it is you’re trying to say.

  3. I have bought steel here in Canada that has been stamped “product of South Africa.
    6 inch “flat beam”. Is this something that can not be produced in Canada?? Has the the steel industry protested these imports?

      1. i bought 3/8 plate steel. the mil certs were ranging from one end of the earth to the other. I didnt want chinese so think that the mil certs were fake. few years ago 20000 sqft 2200 sq meters

        1. Some years back the City of Edmonton was replacing a bridge west of downtown, and that steel was imported from Korea if I recall. It bent quite badly during a wind storm and had to be replaced which delayed the completion by about 18 months.
          Do we actually have a steel industry in canada??
          https://globalnews.ca/tag/102-avenue-bridge/

          1. If the bent steel bridge you are thinking of is the same one as I am it was shown that the contractor putting in the spans did not install sufficient lateral bracing. It had nothing to do with the steel involved. That completely aside yes I agree that Canada is simply a dumping ground with easy access to the US. Steel from China is simply re-stamped in Canada and sent into the US.

          2. Well … just as an FYI … whenever I drive to the Peninsula, where my son and granddaughter live … I avoid the Chinese-steel fabricated S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge.

            https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/dang-the-chinese-made-bay-bridge-continues-to-fall-apart/

            No offense my beloved Canadian friends … but I hope America doesn’t buy ANY steel that Canada imported from their ChiCom overlords, ran thru a stamping mill, and labeled as “Canadian steel”. Tariff the shit out of it.

        2. Kenji, I believe that bridge was built in lieu of repairing the existing double-decker bridge that was damaged in the San Fran earthquake several years back even though the repair job was projected to cost less.

          1. Jerry Brown launched a design contest that took years and years … just so he could get a vanity project. He desperately wanted a “Euro-styled” cable stay bridge design. That part of the new bridge was utterly unnecessary on the shallow water East side of Yerba Buena island. 75% of the Bay Bridge rebuild is a simple, conventional, flat concrete viaduct. It could have been 100%. The bridge would have been a lot cheaper and could have been rebuilt years sooner and not had any “design problems” with ChiCom steel.

            And don’t get me started on the new bike lanes incorporated into the design

          2. “Kenji, I believe that bridge was built in lieu of repairing the existing double-decker bridge that was damaged in the San Fran earthquake several years back even though the repair job was projected to cost less.”

            Speaking of bridges, why doesn’t Canada use double-decker bridges? They are all over the place down south, but I have yet to see one in western Canada.

  4. The only way to stop the narcissist is to ignore them. Their lack of ego cannot withstand the lack of attention.

    1. Ignore Trump, and continue the suffrage of the Canadian people. You can do that. And this Trump-LOVER isn’t the least bit butt-hurt about it. Because both Trump and I learned a lonnnnng time ago, that you can’t live life worrying about what other people think of you, but rather one needs to live authentically and not trade in shallow emotional bullshit.

      PS … I may have misinterpreted your statement as aimed at Trump, as many name-call him a “narcissist”. OTOH … your lame duck adolescent PM also fits that description to a Tee. So I may have misinterpreted. Forgive me.

      1. Kenji, I like Trump because he actually talks to people, not at people. Our PM wouldn’t deign to engage in a real conversation with his citizens because his behavior shows that he despises us – we are beneath him. When forced, he will respond with platitudes as he is (OUR PM) is incapable of making an argument on the spot being ideologically driven, just like his father (Pierre, or Castro, take your pick – same tree). He picked the wrong team for the Super Bowl last night, and that doesn’t matter because he showed up and was present for his country. Our PM, in the middle of all this, when we need him to stand up, is blathering away about AI in France. He knows nothing about AI except the buzzwords.

        1. Yep. And I suspect your PM is there to urge AI be programmed to ELIMINATE any and all conservative information, err … misinformation.

    1. Many are enjoying the dual citizen benefits in their home country.
      The kingdom of Maroc is pretty sweet!

    2. But, but, but … Canada and Cuba both have the most advanced and compassionate … FREE health care system in the industrialized world! Obama even tried to remake America’s healthcare in the image of those two fine nations …

      Nevermind.

  6. I wonder if the steel used in the firearms & knives that belong to Zincuck’s larping NAFO pals is Canadian made ?

    1. Right? I doubt it. They probably have the finest from Norinco.

      Made in China, for y’all Canadians who don’t know what dumb Canuckski cheapskates buy.

    1. Well to be honest, Trump gave Trudeau 30 days before all products got a tariff applied.
      Amazing how far they will go to disagree with Trump.
      Or did I miss some new law that Canada doesn’t need to manage and enforce its borders (like any country should).
      Or having a capable military that doesn’t ride the US coattails (like any country should).
      Or is willing to fight human trafficking and fentanyl production (like any country should).
      On the last point, if Canada only accounts for less than one percent of the problem the effort to address it should be doable now.
      So i am baffled as to how immediately concentrating on fighting against the Trump administration is considered logical instead of doing what we should be doing now is not?

  9. Trump has said he will impose tariffs but has yet to say when. In the meantime, Canadians can patiently wait while the Libs get their leadership sorted at a suitably leisurely pace.

  10. The Canadian media response is just one big ad for the Liberal Party. The Liberals don’t want to solve the issue, as they are using it to get re-elected.

    1. Saw a post on Elizabeth Nicksons substak this morning. USAID sends billions to Canadian Universities. Where else?.. Global Affairs Canada a branch plant? Geebow and his GreenBullshit?

  11. L- That the current gov’t. Is involved in some sort of a syndicate about sustainable artificial
    intelligence and energy. Well, it should read a “criminal syndicate”, and none of the W.E.F.
    compliant politicians have anything resembling intelligence, artificial or otherwise.

    As for sustainable energy, those same politicians are in the process of destroying their nations
    former sustainable economies by (boa) constricting access to cheap and reliable energy.
    That is a better definition of sustainable energy.

    I prefer to see the Trudeau gov’t. as a government in exile!

  12. Dear fellow Canadians, are we really going to vote for a party that’s unable to appoint a “fentanyl czar” in a week? Under threat of 25% tariffs and destruction of the Canadian dollar?

    Really? You spuds gonna vote for that?

    1. The Libs/NDP have to choose somebody suitably offensive to the concept of reducing drug abuse and likewise being sensitive to addicts. Addicts, including alcohol and tobacco, are a large voting bloc.

  13. These tariffs are a boon to American producers of steel and aluminium, and a bane to every American industry that uses them. It’s no great gift to the American people.

    1. “These tariffs are a boon to American producers of steel and aluminium, and a bane to every American industry that uses them. It’s no great gift to the American people.”

      You don’t actually understand the intent behind these tariffs, do you? You have no idea what the long game is.

      1. The intent isn’t important. It’s the effect which is important.

        And the immediate effect is richer American metal producers and poorer American metal users (both industry and consumer). These tariffs alone won’t likely induce a recession, but it doesn’t help.

        I assume the long term intent is to help balance the trade deficit. But these tariffs will reward manufacturers who are outside of the U.S. and can take advantage of cheaper metal prices, so the effect won’t be as large as Trump expects.

        1. The effect will be to lower the value of the Canadian dollar so imports of steel and aluminum from north of the border will cost essentially the same or even less.

          American producers won’t raise prices because there will be no competitive advantage to doing so.

          Win, win for US consumers, tough luck Canada.

          1. What you are saying is that the cost of the tariffs will be paid by the Canadian metal producers, not the American consumers. But in economics, such effects tend to be only partial. The marketplace tends to spread the cost around.

            Canadian metal producers are willing to sell at a loss for only so long. Then they either cut back production or make vigorous efforts to sell overseas rather than shipping their product south. Either way, there’s less aluminium crossing the U.S. border, driving up prices there, and thus transferring at least some of the costs to the American consumer.

            Of course American metal producers will increase their capacity, but building smelters takes a long time, and there might be other limits such as finding enough electricity for aluminium smelting.

          2. KM, listen and listen good. During Trump’s first term he imposed stiff tariffs on Chinese products, the result being the value of the yuan decreased considerably.

            What did China do: it continued to export products to the US to maintain its market there but at a lower price. Otherwise those goods would have sat unsold in warehouses and storage depots.

            And the kicker is: prices for a lot of goods in the US declined, not by much but still declined.

            As for the points you raised:
            Canadian metal producers will not necessarily sell at a loss but at a lower price. That’s how a competitive market works.
            They may make vigorous efforts to sell overseas but that’s easier said than done and usually entails lowering prices to gain market share in other countries.

            The bottom line is Trump wants to make America great again and Trudeau can do the same thing but chooses not to.

          3. So you’re suggesting that import tariffs DECREASE prices for consumers in that country? That’s the sound of a thousand economists groaning in disbelief. You’re trying to shoehorn in bogus economics to defend Trump’s actions.

            “Canadian metal producers will not necessarily sell at a loss but at a lower price.”

            The idea that Canadian metal producers can absorb the full cost of a 25% tariff and remain profitable is dreaming in technicolor. Their profit margins are not that high. As an example, Alcoa’s profit margins are around 5%. They will adjust their behaviour to maximize their profits (or minimize their losses) just like any company.

          4. Since when do economists get things right nowadays, whether they are your thousand phantom economists or not.

            Anyway, your complaints should be directed at Trudeau and the Liberal party who have the power to help all businesses and consumers by eliminating taxes, lowering others and slashing regulations and red tape. And by killing all the greenie cult nonsense.

          5. Lupus:

            I trust economists roughly 10 million times more than I trust your analysis.

            And the fact that tariffs will increase costs for American manufacturers and consumers has nothing to do with Trudeau. I’d like to blame him, but he didn’t invent how the American economy works.

        2. “I assume the long term intent is to help balance the trade deficit. ”

          You’re close. The actual intent is to bring manufacturing back to the US. Trump has been quite specific on that.

          1. Trump is going to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. by … increasing the costs of manufacturing in the U.S.?

            Okay.

          3. “Trump is going to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. by … increasing the costs of manufacturing in the U.S.?”

            No, by making the imported goods more expensive than the domestically produced ones, thus encouraging people to Buy American and consequently incentivize the building of new factories in the US to produce those goods. Try to keep up.

          4. “by making the imported goods more expensive than the domestically produced ones”

            That might work if there are tariffs on everything, but steel and aluminium tariffs alone will do the exact opposite, as it will increase the cost of manufacturing within the U.S. Thus Trump is making many American-manufactured goods less competitive.

            Try to keep up.

    2. The Quebec government is calling for “wider” trade talks, knowing aluminum tariffs hit them quite hard.

      1. Aluminum and aluminum alloys are the most exported products from Quebec
        The majority of Quebec’s aluminum exports go to the United States
        Aluminum is used in many sectors, including construction, transportation, and machinery
        Economic impact:
        The aluminum sector is a major economic driver for Quebec
        The aluminum industry provides jobs in processing companies, research and development, and other businesses

        From Google AI
        This one really hits Quebec.

    3. Please see my post (above) re: cheap ChiCom steel … including cheap ChiCom steel imported to Canada, touched by a Canadian mill then sold as “Canadian steel”. I actually don’t want any of that shit, and am willing to pay a “premium” to ensure the cable supports of the S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge don’t start snapping.

  14. Where were the Canadian Steel Producers Association when Stelco was sold to the Americans and Dofasco was sold to the Europeans?
    At this point, most of our country has already been sold off from underneath us; we are the national equivalent of a shell corporation.

    1. Ditto for the fact that the government debt is higher than it’s ever been and blowing past projections.
      No we’re not for sale, because we got sold long ago.
      The creditors just never called the loans and forced chapter seven.
      All it takes is one creditor to demand payment immediately.

    2. Some of it.
      Suncor and CNRL bought out a bunch of foreign investment.
      Bomb a deer finally fell apart
      Some corps moved head office to the states.
      SNC Lavalin changed its name

  15. Leave it to a Saskatchewan farmer to cut through the bullshit and present the facts so that even a Liberal voter could understand it.

    1. I LOVE QuickDikk! Even though he and I disagree about Trump (personally) … we agree on every other point. And here is where I add to his reference of Canada’s testicle shrinkage … let me suggest all Canadian men have been shopping at Target and purchased the boys underwear designed to hold their junk between their legs and tuck their manhood safely away from view or use.

      And no, I don’t mean to imply their junk be freed to FIGHT Trump, boo America, or any such nonsense that has NO impact whatsoever … but to use their junk to FIX the ROT that is destroying Canada from within.

  17. Me wonders if Trump has Justin’s schedule and organizes these tariffs to coincide with our “leader” being AWOL.

  18. Man, in what Universe we live in? An accomplished moron like PM Blackie to deliver keynote address, and as topic from all possible topics, to be AI. And everyone treats this as normal. ?!? SMFH

      1. Interesting,
        Let’s assume Carney wins the Liberal Leadership race. Voting ends March 9. At that point Carney becomes Leader of the Liberal Party. Will Justin then step down? The moment he does and Carney is sworn in as PM, ( a very quick process) Carney can call the election.

        I don’t have access to the tweet thread, so I don’t understand why Carney would need Justin to actually call the election when Carney could do it.

        What am I missing?

  20. The Turd™ speaking in France on behalf of AI sustainability and energy? What?

    Every day since the Trump inauguration AB’s Premier Smith has been posting on social media trying to raise some awareness of the problem at hand, that Canada is without real leadership and our federal gov’t fails us at all steps.
    Today she asks if AB can take over all responsibility to prosecute drug crimes within AB as the federal justice dept. is failing Canadians
    https://x.com/ABDanielleSmith/status/1889001397343203597
    She’s asked multiple times in the past 10 days of tariff reprieve, who is the “border czar” or “fentanyl czar” who will address the problems at hand which at least publicly, brought on the tariffs in order to get Canada’s federal gov’t to pay attention to the widespread problem of drugs, and stop the madness of not jailing those involved with this, with minimum terms.

    And the response is AI sustainability and energy.
    I understand Vice President Vance is at the meeting in Paris… He will report to President Trump that The Turd™ is taking the border issue with all possible seriousness.

  21. Put an equal dollar amount of 25% import duties on steel heavy industries. All that Caterpillar equipment can easily be replaced by Hitachi or others. Motorcycles or other things not made in Canada are other candidates. Bullies won’t quit until they are forced to.

  22. The stock market is mostly up, particularly on non-metal resources stocks.

    I take that to mean that people think that these tariffs reduce the chances of general tariffs involving oil, uranium, fertilizer, and so on.

  23. National Post- Canadian Steel Producers Association ‘deeply concerned’ about latest tariff threat
    _____________________________

    It’s pretty simple. Last week Trump started negotiating with Japan relative to Steel. I believe they wanted to buy US Steel outright. Trump talked them into an investment. One of the primary competitors as a result would be…..

    This is a “missed the boat” scenario.

  24. Pierre Poilievre gives a 42 minutes talk on “Canada First” … I wish the French parts could be just deleted or compared to the English sections for accuracy to prevent answers being different by language like in our garbage national anthem, so maybe it’s only 21 minutes of talk?

    https://x.com/PierrePoilievre/status/1888955133914157094

    Some mention of tariffs and countervailing tariffs just after the 26 minutes mark, Pierre expects the complete shutdown of the steel industry in Canada. I don’t doubt that.

    A new announcement of an Arctic military base, and 2 icebreakers, though not likely to be nuclear powered, while Russia has +5 nuclear powered icebreakers, and “regular heavy duty icebreakers” as well … a doubling of the number of Canadian Rangers. They have sweet Colt Canada C-19 rifles (obviously not designed by Canadians) and skidoos, but precious little else. I expect the icebreakers to be ready in 2050, in August 2050 actually. He expects the Arctic base to be up and running within 2 years of him being the next PM.
    That’s possible, or if there’s going to be an environmental review of that base, it’ll be ready in 2040…
    It appears to depend on just how “Canadian” one wants the base… CBC reporters asking Pierre on what percentage of the workers for these bases will be citizens of Nunavut … you see the problem of doing anything constructive in Canada? what color are you? what’s your birth language? who cares if the base isn’t actually built until 2040?
    The Russian Arctic military bases look like northern sight seeing bases for tourism. I like them.

    I understand he can’t advocate for Canada joining the USA while wanting to be the PM of a “strong and free” Canada but I suspect that behind closed doors, the dream is dead.

      1. “The civilian version of the Colt Canada C-19
        https://www.sako.global/rifle/t3x-arctic”

        Wow…nice looking rifle. Short barrel, too.

        “I think it’s still available for purchase by normal people.”

        You never know with these clowns. They will bend and twist logic and common sense to the breaking point to find a reason (any reason) to justify prohibiting a firearm in Canada.

        1. Whoa! And you can buy a silencer for it!?

          Introducing the pinnacle of silent precision for the hunting enthusiast: the Tikka Optisup Hunt Suppressor. Crafted with the hunter in mind, this suppressor is the fruit of many years of expertise and dedication to the art of rifle manufacturing.

          Dang. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal in the States.

          Sweet specialty “Arctic gun” … I’d just hope I had time to level those manual sights on the charging Polar Bear

    1. Remember, he’s an expert in Quantum mechanics too.
      We live in an inverted reality, where people take a moron like this seriously.

  27. According to this source, half of America’s aluminium comes from Canada.

    https://energynow.com/2025/02/where-does-the-u-s-get-its-steel-and-aluminum-from/

    Not sure how recycled aluminium comes into it (which is a major source of aluminium), but it’s clear that U.S. smelters will not be able to double their production overnight. That means the U.S. will need Canadian aluminium in the short and mid term.

    So who pays the tariff? Almost certainly the cost will be distributed between Canadian aluminium producers (in the form of lower prices for their goods), American manufacturers (in the form of higher costs and lower profits), and American consumers (in the form of higher prices) in some proportion. In short, the price of aluminium will go up in the U.S., but not by the full 25%.

  28. It is just outrageous that nobody is calling Carney on this BS. He knows the carbon tax is unpopular, so he says he will make the “big polluters” pay. The consumption of hydrocarbons is what produces more the 2/3 of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, but Carney wants to tax corporate entities that don’t vote, even though companies that are charged his new tax will pass it along to end users: Canadians.
    This is highly inflationary, hurts Canada’s competitiveness as Trump moves in the opposite direction and pointless, but just more weaselly.
    If you know anyone in Ontario, Quebec or BC, point this out to them. Carney is as bad or worse for our economy than Trudeau, because Carney is an anti-carbon activist, who sounds better informed than Trudeau.
    https://freditorial.substack.com/p/the-man-who-would-be-king

    1. Fred
      I’ve studied Anthropogenic climate change for over 20 years! The effect of Greenhouse gas is a myth so therefore consumption of hydrocarbons creates no problem! Dr. Patrick Moore explains that the affect of using Hydrocarbons has positive effect on our climate!
      I support you on all your other statements

      And yes some gases do trap heat !!

      1. “And yes some gases do trap heat !!”

        None anywhere near the level of simple water vapour, but then you can’t ‘control’ water vapour and make billion of dollars doing so, can you?

  29. Does Canada even have a steel industry? It consists pretty much entirely of salvage that originally came from US steel companies. I wonder how much is smelted from iron ore. I’m guessing it is very little. The stupidity of tariffs on Canada is nothing is manufactured in Canada.

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