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Torwaldyesterday at 8:22 PM4 repliesview on HN

So Canada found out it doesn't have any leverage over China in this so-called trade war, that is going on between North America and China?

That is at least the logical conclusion based on the information the linked-to article provides.

What I am asking myself now is, why did Canada join the US in the 2024 tariffs enactment the article is talking about in the first place? What was their motivation?

The US president always said, that he deemed the existing contracts between China and the US as "unfair" for America, hence the tariffs and trade war. That is his official explanation at least. But why would Canada join that? That's what I want to know.

Any takers?


Replies

wvenableyesterday at 8:50 PM

The Canada-US Auto Pact of 1965 effectively integrated automobile manufacturing between the two countries. This pact removed the previous tariffs and added certain guarantees. This effectively created one protected automobile market between the countries.

This is, of course, exactly why Canada joined the US in 2024 tariffs against China. We had all one market to protect.

> Canada found out it doesn't have any leverage over China in this so-called trade war,

For my perspective, this seems hugely beneficial to Canada in the short-term. It might even be beneficial to Canada in the long-term if the US permanently destroys the ability to build automobiles for the unified North American market in Canada.

tadfisheryesterday at 8:40 PM

Their motivation was protectionism, because Canada hosts assembly plants and a broad parts manufacturing base. Same as the US. This regards the targeted EV tariffs from 2024 which is the only such tariff action mentioned in the article.

llm_nerdyesterday at 8:43 PM

>So Canada found out it doesn't have any leverage over China in this so-called trade war

That's an astonishingly weird take-away. FWIW, Canada by almost any analysis "won" this trade negotiation. China was very eager to thaw relations. Every Chinese newspaper ran a front page of Carney visiting China. They all know this is yet another brick in the collapse of the American empire.

Maybe if you just threaten military conquest more you'll reclaim something much better people built decades ago? Now the Joe Rogan generation foolishly eat up the most profoundly stupid nonsense and repeat it like clucking chickens.

>why did Canada join the US in the 2024 tariffs enactment the article is talking about in the first place? What was their motivation?

Because we foolishly engaged with a tightly integrated economy with the sort of country that casual floats conquering friendly democracies to loot their resources, and that repeatedly elects vile, unbelievably stupid criminal pedophiles? See, "America's" automakers are actually US/Mexico/Canada automakers, so we worked with the US to defend them. Then Trump decided, in his incredibly, profoundly shortsighted foolishness (being unchecked by anyone) that he would start a trade war with neighbours.

I think the most astonishing part was seeing how willing the incredibly poorly educated American public bought the silly fentanyl lie, all so that clown could claim national security grounds. This cult of personality -- one of the most vile, unbecoming liars in human history, and basically the personification of the deadly sins -- somehow convinces millions of the most outrageously stupid thing. It's astonishing, and historians must study this to prevent it in the future. Idiocracy is not a goal.