Canada

Canada’s digital services tax is in Donald Trump’s crosshairs.

The U.S. president signed a presidential memorandum Thursday afternoon calling for a “fair and reciprocal” trading plan, and one of his targets is Canada’s digital services tax.

“Though America has no such thing, and only America should be allowed to tax American firms, trading partners hand American companies a bill for something called a digital service tax,” a White House fact sheet on Trump’s memorandum said, adding that France and Canada collect $500 million (U.S.) a year in DST from American firms. The memo gives U.S. trade officials 180 days to study trade and come up with a plan for reciprocal tariffs.

OTTAWA — A former top intelligence adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he fears the U.S. might put intelligence sharing on the table in talks about the state of Canada’s defence spending.

Vincent Rigby said he worries about intelligence being used as a negotiating tool as the Donald Trump White house seeks to extract gains from Canada.

“We hear so much about defense spending and two per cent, and what the U.S. may or may not do if we don’t step up to plate,” Rigby told a crowd at a Canada Global Affairs Institute conference Wednesday afternoon. “I’m afraid at one point, intelligence is going to be used as a negotiating tool.”

Canada is likely regarded as too compromised by foreign powers to be trusted.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault stood at the microphone, his fellow premiers standing behind him at a downtown Washington Hotel, and said the goal is no tariffs with the Americans. Moments later, asked about allowing greater access for American dairy products, Legault was clear: Dairy is non-negotiable for Quebec.

It’s a geopolitical thought experiment to chill our northern blood.

Who would come to Canada’s aid if it were invaded, annexed or otherwise seized by its ally-cum-adversary, the United States of America?

It will never happen, of course.

Trump’s 51st state talk is not a ‘real threat,’ Canada’s defence minister says

Defence Minister Bill Blair says U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada is not a “real threat,” less than a week after the prime minister was heard telling an economic summit that it should be taken seriously.

The minister is in Brussels to meet with NATO allies and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of countries supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a breakfast meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday morning.