“Canada – USA Tariff Wars”

Feds fear Netflix, Spotify price hikes, order review of CRTC rules

OTTAWA — Fearing the move could trigger a massive price spike, the federal government is directing Canada’s broadcast regulator to review its contentious plan to regulate and tax foreign streaming platforms.

Canada’s Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller made the announcement on Wednesday, a reaction to the contentious May 21 decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissions (CRTC) requiring streaming giants such as Spotify and Netflix to spend some of their Canadian-sourced revenue to acquire or produce Canadian programming.

by Blazingcatfur•June 4, 2026June 3, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

US plans extra 10% tariffs for 60 countries over forced labor Canada among them

US President Donald Trump’s administration is proposing additional tariffs of 10% or more to be imposed on its trading partners following a probe into countries importing goods allegedly made with forced labor.

In a report released Wednesday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it had found that 60 economies had failed to “impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor,” calling it a “burden” to US commerce.

… An additional 10% tariff will be imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Pakistan, the UK and EU nations. These are countries which, according to Washington’s investigation, impose a forced labor import prohibition, that have undertaken commitments on forced labor or have partially prevented the import of forced labor goods.

by Blazingcatfur•June 3, 2026June 3, 2026•0•"Canada - China's 24th Province", "Canada - USA Tariff Wars", "China - Communist Slave State", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Trump renews ’51st state’ rhetoric as LeBlanc heads to Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canada has signalled that it wants to see the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) renewed for 16 years to preserve trade growth on the continent even as U.S. President Donald Trump renews his calls to make Canada the “51st state” in a post shared to Truth Social.

Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, and Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette are heading to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, a day after LeBlanc’s office sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, with Canada’s recommendations for CUSMA.

pic.twitter.com/FVA66zoVZ1

— Ambassador Pete Hoekstra (@USAmbCanada) June 2, 2026

by Blazingcatfur•June 2, 2026June 2, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

LILLEY: One month until CUSMA could blow up if USA walks away

Exactly one month from now, Canada’s trading relationship with the United States could blow up. By July 1, representatives of Canada, the United States and Mexico need to meet and decide whether to agree to another 16 years of CUSMA, agree to annual reviews, or see one or more parties withdraw with six months’ notice.

by Blazingcatfur•June 1, 2026June 1, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

North American-made autos must contain at least 50% U.S. content, Trump negotiators tell Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump’s negotiating team is demanding that all North American-made autos contain at least 50 per cent U.S. content, firing the opening salvo in a battle over the future of the pact governing continental trade.

American and Mexican negotiators hunkered down in Mexico City this week to start a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and the U.S. announced plans for two further rounds of bilateral talks that do not include Canada.

by Blazingcatfur•May 30, 2026May 30, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", Mexico

Diplomats serve an important role. Here’s why it’s time to declare this U.S. emissary persona non grata says Star

It’s finally time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare the U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra persona non grata. Or, at the very least, call him on the carpet, as he recently did with the Israeli ambassador following Israel’s ruthless attacks on a human rights flotilla that included some Canadians.

This time, Hoekstra’s complete lack of suitability for the job has crossed a red line.

by Blazingcatfur•May 30, 2026May 29, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Canada is ‘on notice’: Ottawa turns to Saab as U.S. defence pressure builds

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canada has put more than $65 billion toward defence and security over the past year and reached NATO’s 2 per cent of GDP benchmark — but that is no longer enough for Washington.

The United States has paused its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), a World War II–era U.S.-Canada defence board.

by Blazingcatfur•May 29, 2026May 28, 2026•0•"CAF - Canadian Armed Forces", "Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

A strong Canada ‘will help make America great again,’ Carney tells New York business leaders

Prime Minister Mark Carney told a crowd of New York industry titans and financiers on Thursday that Canada and the U.S. need to pursue a new partnership — a bilateral relationship premised not on how things were done in the past but one where a stronger, more independent Canada can selectively help “make America great again.”

Carney said as U.S. President Donald Trump prompts “tectonic shifts” in trade, and as the world becomes “more divided and dangerous,” Canada must focus more on “taking care of ourselves” and building up at home by embracing its status as an energy superpower.

But that doesn’t mean Canada wants to close itself off from the U.S., Carney said in lunchtime remarks to about 200 attendees at the city’s Yale Club.

by Blazingcatfur•May 28, 2026May 28, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

LILLEY: Mark Carney heads to New York while continuing to avoid Donald Trump

While Prime Minister Mark Carney is headed to New York to pitch Canada as a place to invest, he’s doing everything he can to avoid landing a deal with the Donald Trump administration. Carney and his government in Ottawa are avoiding any serious talks with the Americans, while also taking steps to ensure the Trump administration, and even many Democrats, are annoyed with Canada’s trading positions.

Brookfield is counting on Carney.

by Blazingcatfur•May 28, 2026May 28, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Privy Council report finds Canadians doubt Carney can end U.S. tariffs

Canadians increasingly believe U.S. tariffs are here to stay despite repeated promises from Prime Minister Mark Carney that Ottawa can negotiate a better trade deal with Washington, according to newly released Privy Council research.

Blacklock’s Reporter says federal focus groups found little confidence the Liberal government would succeed in convincing the United States to eliminate tariffs on Canadian goods, with many participants saying the measures are now a permanent part of American economic policy.

I get the feeling that the LPC and their media are running a psyop attempting to convince Canadians they are upbeat about the future.

Record insolvencies, youth fleeing for the US where unlike Canada they have a shot at owning a home and building a future, a growing number of households with food and rent exceeding monthly income, criminal governance by a business and political elite that have used mass immigration for their own monetary gain and agendas, foreign criminals waltzing into our nation and receiving a slap on the wrist for their crimes so their immigration status isn’t compromised.

I could go on.

There is a reason the LPC wants to limit free speech.

by Blazingcatfur•May 26, 2026May 26, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government, USA

CRTC’s new rules are one small step for Canadian content, one big blow for Canadian trade

When I visited the Vancouver office of OUTtv, an LGBTQ+ specialty network, in 2020, I found it across the street from a flooring company with a big, serious sign reading “BC Hardwood.” It was an unintentional reminder of the network’s less glamorous channel.

“HARDtv was a porn service,” said Brad Danks, OUTtv’s chief executive. “I couldn’t wait to get rid of it.”

Porn had been a bit of a problem. HARDtv was formed in 2005 after OUTtv, then called PrideVision, spun off its porn content in part to placate cable companies. But the main, porn-less channel still suffered in visibility, grouped with adult channels nonetheless. That exposed the real problem, that content must bow to distribution. OUTtv fought Shaw (now part of Rogers Communications Inc.) all the way to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

by Blazingcatfur•May 26, 2026May 25, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Poilievre comes out swinging against CRTC’s ‘Netflix tax,’ says it could derail U.S. trade talks

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney step in and overrule the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as it forces mostly American web giants pay more to fund homegrown media content.

In an interview with CBC News, Poilievre said the CRTC’s decision to triple the revenue streaming firms like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime must set aside to fund Canadian programming is akin to a tax on consumers and cannot stand.

by Blazingcatfur•May 24, 2026May 24, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Trump’s man in Ottawa doesn’t understand why Canadians are so frustrated right now

Pete Hoekstra does not mince words.

A close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, the 72-year-old Republican politician has developed a reputation for speaking bluntly, especially when it comes to the Canada-U.S. relationship.

When he welcomed Radio-Canada to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa for a sit-down interview earlier this week, Hoekstra offered a few compliments, describing Canada as “an awesome friend” with whom “American businesses really enjoy doing business.”

Like it or not the Liberal-Left will one day have to face facts and acknowledge that most of Canada’s problems stem from their beloved Liberal government and their corporate cronies and not from Trump.

Elbows Up Suckers!

by Blazingcatfur•May 24, 2026May 24, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Carney walks a tightrope on Fortress North America as trade review looms

Prime Minister Mark Carney has spent much of the past year warning that Canada’s close economic integration with the United States has become a weakness that must be corrected. Earlier this month, he began to change his tune.

Speaking to an audience of Liberal supporters in Toronto two weeks ago, he said that Canada “remains open to deeper integration” with the United States in certain sectors, “including options for Fortress North America.”

“To be clear, those offers are on the table,” he said. “If that route is not ultimately possible, we will invest heavily in new markets and products.”

by Blazingcatfur•May 24, 2026May 23, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Donald Trump’s latest egregious example of putting the screws to Canada

The Trump administration’s decision this week to “suspend” the 86-year-old Permanent Joint Board on Defence sent some of us scurrying back to our well-thumbed copies of “The Good Allies,” the late Tim Cook’s study of the wartime alliance between Canada and the United States.

The joint board on defence, which the Americans clearly no longer regard as “permanent,” has (or had) its origins in that alliance. It was a forum for Canadians and Americans, mostly senior military leaders, to hash out common defence issues a couple of times a year.

Wait till the CUSMA review.

by Blazingcatfur•May 24, 2026May 23, 2026•0•"Canada - USA Tariff Wars", "Canada in decline"