considering perspective
Yesterday's declaration of war, being labelled a trade war, but it's not - Trump's move to break a three-country free trade agreement (one negotiated in his first term and signed by him ...)
Long-term watchers of U.S. politics recall the ‘Saturday night massacre’ when Nixon ordered people to fire people, and when they refused on principle, they resigned and eventually, someone knuckled under … and we know what happened to them.
Recently as Trump does similarly unhinged and justified rollouts of his undisclosed agenda, it looks like the 2025 playbook he denied knowledge of and mass firings of certain groups who are targeted - not for wrongdoing, but for doing their jobs rightly in a previous administration .. so terms like a ‘Friday night massacre’ recently are more punchline than a newspaper headline or a cold opening on Saturday night live ….
Well, the Trump edict was meant to be a cash grab upon his citizens, while hiding behind an unjustified barrage of trade tariffs.
And, for those not watching Hockey Night in Canada, you could watch the Canadian government response - Trudeau's announcement - aimed at ‘products and states’ which are Republican states which the White House will be sensitive to politically …
And the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum also announced sanctions on American goods in response.
So, it’s on …
China has said it will go to the WTO for relief, as should Canada too, but the other element which hasn’t been reported much yet is the USMCA free trade agreement has mechanisms for disagreements and resolutions - so I want to hear what Ottawa is doing about that, and what is Mexico City doing about that?
We are now engaged in an energy-wasting feud among our trading partners that isn’t supported by facts or persuasive economic arguments …
But while talking heads and bureaucrats do their work, all Canadians will be thinking about their choices on what they buy and who they buy it from.
I’ve been a reader of package and can labels for more than a decade for health reasons, for my dad when he was still alive and for myself. That’s going to be expanded now, on every product - where was it made? … where was it processed? … where was it packaged? …
So, it’s a huge Trump mistake - I like Ian Bremner’s take on ‘Trump the tariff man cometh’ and how it might unfold
p.s. … for those who wonder ‘what happens when Trudeau is replaced as Liberal Party leader and becomes prime minister’ … the current leader according to reputable pols, Mark Carney’s take in a recent BBC interview
I publish this Musings column daily and post poems, short stories and other ‘plus/+’ content weekly. Many of you enjoy this content for free, and I truly appreciate your readership. Paid subscriptions are modest: $8 monthly (26¢ a day), $72 annually (20¢ a day), or you can donate any amount. Paid subscribers get extra content, but everyone is welcome - your presence matters. But if you haven't yet become a paid subscriber, I'd be grateful if you'd consider it. Thank you for reading Musings, and thanks to Substack for supporting writers like me. Warm regards, Mark
