USA

In December, after threatening Canada with crippling 25-per-cent tariffs, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of him bizarrely laying claim to the Canadian Rockies (though the Swiss Alps were pictured) and the Maple Leaf flag. Mr. Trump’s other statements that month left little doubt about the narrative he was spinning. Following a dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had gone to Mar-a-Lago to try to head off the tariffs, Mr. Trump seemingly demoted the Prime Minister, calling him the governor “of the Great State of Canada.”

Then, on Jan. 6, after Mr. Trudeau announced he would be stepping down, Mr. Trump’s language became more radical – “Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State” – as if annexation was a fait accompli.

President Donald Trump’s provocative suggestion that Canada might as well be America’s 51st state is absurd, as Canadians know.

But it is precisely this absurdity that garners attention — something Trump understands all too well. To Canadians, such comments are exasperating, but they also highlight a deeper issue: the dysfunction within Canada’s own economic framework, particularly when it comes to interprovincial trade.

As a Canadian, I commend to American readers the desirability of avoiding unnecessary friction with that country. It is almost impossible to distinguish an English-speaking Canadian (as opposed to French Canadians — a little over 20 percent of Canadians), from an American from a northern state.

The audible difference is the pronunciation of a few words with the vowels ‘o’ and ‘u’ together in them such as about, and house. That is the cultural barrier between the two countries which has historically been as conveniently penetrable as our actual border. The United States-Canada frontier has not been crossed in either direction by hostile forces for more than 200 years, since the War of 1812.

With Trudeau hanging on as PM Canada can expect a rough ride.

As Premier Doug Ford prepares to trigger a provincial election on Wednesday, opposition parties are raising concerns about his two planned trips to Washington D.C. during the campaign, calling them “explicitly partisan” and an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds.

The moment the Ontario legislature is dissolved and an election is called, the government enters caretaker mode – a long-standing convention that prevents a political party from using taxpayer resources for partisan purposes during an election campaign.

Weren’t they accusing Danielle Smith of not being a team player last week?

Momentum is growing among President Trump’s advisers to place 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada as soon as Saturday, bucking conventional wisdom in Washington and on Wall Street that he would back off the threatened levies as he has in the past in exchange for concessions.

Trump has shown a willingness to move swiftly on tariffs in recent days without allowing for drawn-out talks. On Sunday, Trump announced—and then backed off—a threat to impose 25% tariffs on Colombia, citing its initial refusal to accept repatriation flights from the U.S. A senior administration official said the decision, despite the pullback, proves that Trump views tariffs as an “effective negotiating tool” and “effective punishment” for nations that don’t hew to his agenda.

“They’ve been very nasty to us on trade. Historically, Canada has been very, very bad to us on trade,” President Donald Trump said on Friday.

The Canadian response to these words has been to scoff and claim that Canada is the best trading partner the U.S. has. Turns out both of those things can be true at the same time, and if you listen to the Americans, they have several serious issues with us.