CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The United States Versus Canada (Again): Truth, Justice, and Whatever

Photograph Soruce: The White House – Public Domain

Relations between the United States and Canada continue to sour over the latest failed trade talks, with the imposition of 50% US tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods and the announced reciprocal “dollar-for-dollar” Canadian tariffs on US goods, disrupting the highly interconnected economies on both sides of the border. The US is Canada’s number-one trade partner, while Canada is the number-one trade partner for 26 states and a top-three partner of 19 more. That’s a whole lot of shaking going on, but the wider issue is the ever-increasing dismantling of government in the everyday lives of citizens and consumers, going on over four decades, and now hot-wired by instant messaging.

Many Americans see the US-Canadian relationship in the same gauche terms as their 47th president, who regularly belittles the standard pleasantries of life, calling Canada “the 51st state” and its prime minister “governor.” Funny to Americans, offensive to Canadians, but more importantly detrimental to good relations between two bordering countries, not least in economic terms. Tourist travel to the United States is down over 25% since the first round of US tariffs on April 2, 2025, American liquor is no longer sold in 8 of 10 Canadian provinces, and almost half of Canadians now think the US is a greater threat to world peace than Russia.

Is the ongoing gamesmanship another ploy to destroy the auto industry in Ontario to increase car manufacturing in Michigan, grab more Canadian market share for American milk farmers, or keep Canadian lawmakers from restricting US tech companies from Canadian regulations (e.g., a 5% streaming levy)? Likely all of the above, and yet the cost of living grows even higher in the largest economy in the world. Add in thousands of job losses and rising uncertainty if the US retaliates with more tariffs and Canada counters with restricted potash, mineral, and energy sales. What’s next, a state of emergency or more insider stock deals to arbitrage every economic measure whatever the social costs?

When asked to respond to the US president’s comment that “Canada needs the US; the US doesn’t need Canada,” former Canadian Minister of International Trade Mary Ng simply replied, “Well, that’s not true.” But lies are what build consensus among the misinformed, now supercharged in our virtual,........

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