USA

What if Justin Trudeau had never gone to Mar-a-Lago in late November?

There’s a good chance he would still be prime minister and no one would be talking about Canada becoming the 51st state.

Instead, it appears Trudeau precipitated his own demise and the current threats that Canada faces about being absorbed by the United States.

After a lengthy meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump’s top trade officials on Thursday, Canadian representatives say they have a clearer understanding of the rationale behind Trump’s insistence on tariffs — not just on Canada but on the whole world.

“Tariffs are now a global policy of the United States,” said David Paterson, Ontario’s representative in Washington. “And this is a historic change to global trading patterns, and [the Americans are] very aware of that.”

This says commitment to tariffs as the new normal.

Payment for first 16 aircraft already made

Canada is actively looking at potential alternatives to the U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter and will hold conversations with rival aircraft makers, Defence Minister Bill Blair said late Friday, just hours after being reappointed to the post as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet.

The remarks came one day after Portugal signalled it was planning to ditch its acquisition of the high-tech warplane.

The re-examination in this country is taking place amid the bruising political fight with the Trump administration over tariffs and threats from the American president to annex Canada by economic force.

Unelected Prime Minister gives orders to Defence Minister to change massive F-35 defence procurement contract

CBC reporter "Defence Minister Bill Blair, speaking last night on power and politics, said that he has some new directives from the new prime minister."

Blair "The… pic.twitter.com/TU4kTT2SRX

— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) March 15, 2025

h/t Mauser

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to a question on if it’s possible to get to a place where the United States and Canada reciprocally end tariffs on each other by stating that “we want to bring back those jobs to America.”

Lutnick said, “Canada exists leaning on our economy. Let’s face it, cars used to be made in America. Why did Michigan’s cars move to Canada? To break out of the UAW. That’s just unfair to American workers and American union workers…

To many Canadians, talk of joining the United States is simple apostasy, but for some the idea is appealing

On the sunlit porch of a farmhouse in the Canadian province of Alberta, Don Casselman planted his feet, gripped a laminated document and began to read aloud.

“I hereby declare an oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all fidelity to any foreign prince,” said the former industrial electrician, facing towards a Star Spangled banner gaffer-taped to a pole.

Around his neck, Mr Casselman had thrown another American flag – and he tugged it carefully into place before pledging his loyalty to the government of the United States.

In 2018, I sat on a regulatory panel to assess the plans of Manitoba Hydro to build an interconnecting high tension power line into Minnesota to replace electricity from coal powered plants in the US Midwest.

The evidence presented to the panel was valuable as a fascinating lesson in Canadian history but it also identified the significant, idled power generating capabilities of the United States. This was, in fact, the business case that George Soros used to justify the purchase of a majority position in Peabody Coal, one of the largest owners of idled, coal-fired, electricity generation. I assume that, seven years later, things have not changed very much.