Canadian Tariff situation gets its own thread
-
Helluva tantrum in the Oval Office:
"I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD," Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-canada-steel-alumimum-tariffs-1.7480309
-
Because of course he’s negotiating with himself.
President Trump then threatens to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if Canada does not drop a 250% to 390% tariff on U.S. dairy products, which he doesn’t state only kicks in after a certain quantity of tariff-free U.S. dairy enters Canada, a quantity that was originally negotiated and agreed to by Trump during the USMCA in 2018.
-
The incompetence is off the charts. The US makes less than 20% its own aluminum. Would require several Hoover dams of electricity for the US to plug the supply gap (and all the plant investment that goes along with it).
Either there’s some extreme malice going on behind the scenes or this is extreme incompetence.
-
The amount of aluminum in a typical car varies by vehicle type and design, but here’s a general breakdown by weight:
Aluminum Content in Cars (By Weight)
• Standard passenger car (sedan, crossover): ~250 lbs (113 kg)
• Luxury/sports car: ~400+ lbs (181+ kg)
• Electric vehicle (EV): ~500-800 lbs (227-363 kg)
• Pickup truck/SUV: ~600-1,000 lbs (272-454 kg)
• Aluminum-intensive vehicles (e.g., Tesla Model Y, Ford F-150): ~1,000+ lbs (454+ kg) -
Alcoa is a global leader in aluminum production, operating facilities in multiple countries. Approximately 81% of Alcoa’s aluminum smelting capacity is located outside the United States, highlighting the company’s significant international manufacturing footprint. 
Key Overseas Operations:
• Canada: Alcoa operates three primary aluminum smelters in Canada, accounting for nearly one-third of the country’s total primary smelting capacity. 
• Australia: The company has significant alumina refining operations in Australia.
• Iceland, Norway, and Spain: Alcoa maintains aluminum production facilities in these countries, contributing to its global production capacity.This extensive overseas presence allows Alcoa to effectively serve diverse markets and leverage regional advantages in raw materials and energy resources.
-
Alcoa CEO is a biased source, but he says a 25% tariff would cost 100,000 US jobs - and that’s just in the aluminum industry.
-
Trump’s “bigliest” tantrum continues unabated:
Trump writes: "Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area?"
"Can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat?
"They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!"
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cly412xwz44t
I don’t think that’s just a joke.
Nor does anyone in Canada other than perhaps the Bloc Québécois leader, Yves-Francois Blanchet, who just thinks it’s the petulance of an immature ignoramus.
English Canada takes it as a genuine threat.
Will be interesting to see who the incoming PM, Mark Carney, brings into his Cabinet in the coming days. It may very well include people affiliated with or from other federal parties. If so, that says a lot as to where we are prepared to take the sanctions and threats against us.
-
Apparently Nutlick phoned Ford this pm and invited him to Washington on Thursday to see what could be worked out. As a sign of good faith Ford cancelled the 25% surtax on electricity. The Federal Finance Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, and Ford together will attend Thursday’s pow wow in Washington. I suspect Nutlick and possibly Navarro will head the US side. I think the Canadian position will be to keep all threats of tariffs on hold and all parties agree to begin to undertake the formal process to renegotiate CUSMA. This nonsense has got to stop. The sooner the better as well.
-
-
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says tariffs are not there to "punish" other countries, but steel and aluminium are "national security concerns" for the US
David Frum would describe the above as a “Trumpsplaining opioid dispenser”.
Others, like myself, describe it more crudely as unmitigated B. S..
-
Madman Economic Theory.
-
EU retaliates on US imports into Europe:
The EU duties aim for pressure points in the U.S. while minimizing additional damage to Europe. The tariffs — taxes on imports — primarily target Republican-held states, hitting soybeans in House Speaker Mike Johnson's Louisiana, and also beef and poultry in Kansas and Nebraska. Produce in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia is also on the list.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-europe-trade-retaliaton-1.7481215
