Canada Responds to Trump's Tariffs - Boycott US V1.0

As I sat in Palm Springs CA when I heard Trump's announcement on February 1st about his planned 25% tariffs against Canada I was spitting mad. I told John that I was ready to head home now. 

We still have 4 more weeks of accommodation planned on this trip. As we debated we decided that those weeks are timeshare weeks with AMERICAN companies. 3 weeks here in Palm Springs are also with an AMERICAN company that mainly has locations in the US but also some in Canada. Thankfully that contract expires this year and despite a good offer to renew for 10 years made by the MEXICAN sales manager here in the Palm Springs resort we did not accept. 

3 weeks in Las Vegas is also with this company and we will fend off any renewal offers there as well.

We also have a week in San Diego with the other AMERICAN company that we own with. In San Diego we will be seeing some AMERICAN friends that are also spitting mad.

We will be taking steps when we get home to cancel that timeshare contract.

Who knows what will happen to these companies that have so many Canadian owners who are going to retaliate against maintenance fees rising due to the weak Canadian dollar. 

So we will finish out our time here but will head back as quickly as we can, not meandering and spending more time and money as we had planned. 

Sorry, Dallas, Nashville, Louisville, we won't be spending any of our time there.

We have seen a lot of the US, more than most Americans. We have been to all the States except North Dakota and perhaps Delaware. We have been to the every corner of this country including Hawaii multiple times.

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Canadian snowbirds are estimated at over one million, spending up to six months in the States.

That is a lot of money!

Then there's the vacations that Canadians take to Florida, families to Disney, cities like New York, Washington, Las Vegas. And the timeshare owners.

We spent many winter months from 2012 to 2017 here in the States. However when he took power in 2017 we vowed we would not step foot in the States as long as he was there. And we didn't. We finally took a road trip in March 2024 to the States. This trip was planned in mid March 2024 when we had faith that no one would vote that moron in again!

John has only golfed with Canadians while we have been here and even those who own homes here have said they might give up coming here.

Our next trip is to Europe in April (booked with a CANADIAN tour company and flying KLM) and we have a few days planned in Ottawa for the tulip festival. Ottawa has a tulip festival to celebrate the gift of tulips from the Netherlands to Canada after World War II. 

RANTING/ASIDE The war, by the way, that had been raging in Europe since 1939. While the British and Russians struggled against the German Reich, the United States remained officially neutral and refused to enter the war until 1941. The war that fought the Nazis...

We will plan at least another trip, likely in the fall. We had talked about a US golf trip (nope), I had wanted to go to NYC (nope). That trip will be anywhere but the US. 

We will not winter here again, it will be anywhere else, Mexico perhaps, We will fly over, not into, the States to get there. Hopefully we won't be blown out of the air as we pass over as you no longer have a functioning FAA.

 I'm sorry, my American friends, but we will fight back!

 I have already heard from some of my American friends that are saying that we should. One asked why it was taking so long for the paperwork to be done so that California becomes our 11th province!

You all should come and visit our fine country. At 45% on your dollar it will be practically free!

When I finish this I will be sending a FB friend ideas for her summer vacation in Eastern Canada instead of Maine as she had planned!

Wonders of Canada

My heart is full this morning reading multiple posts from the UK and Australia condemning the US & praising our PM. They are vowing to support Canada in their travels and will search out Canadian products in their own country to purchase. They are posting Vive le Canada.

Listen to PM Trudeau as he addresses the American people. You can scroll to the bottom of this post to see the written version of what PM Trudeau said as he first spoke to Americans as our friends and allies.

And BTW, notice how articulate he is as he lays out his action plan in two official languages, unlike that babbling buffoon  who speaks first without thinking or listening to his advisors. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Trump's tariffs.

Robert Reich, Professor, former Secretary of Labor, Co-founder Inequality Media. Writes at robertreich.substack.com had this to say to Americans.

Reminder: Tariffs aren't paid by other countries. They're eventually paid by us at the check out line. The tariffs Trump is unleashing tomorrow on Mexico, Canada, and China — our biggest trading partners — are estimated to cost households an extra $1,250 annually.

And that is before the Mexican and Canadian tariffs are imposed!!!!!!!!!!

Nova Scotia - In a press release sent just hours after the tariffs were confirmed, Houston said that as of Monday, tolls at the Cobequid Pass will double for commercial vehicles entering from the U.S. 

Business deals with the U.S. will also be curtailed.

"We will look for opportunities to cancel existing contracts and will maintain the option to reject bids outright because of President Trump's unlawful tariffs."

Houston also said the province will limit access for provincial procurement for American businesses. He said the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation will be directed to remove all U.S. alcohol from store shelves effective this Tuesday. That totals more than 400 products, including beer, wine, spirits and coolers.

British Columbia

he premier announced three immediate measures which include implementing counter-actions, expediting B.C. permits for projects to support local industry jobs and the local economy, and diversifying trade markets for products so British Columbia is less reliant on U.S. markets and customers.
As an initial response, Eby said he has directed the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch to immediately stop purchasing American liquor from Republican-led "red states" and remove the top-selling brands from public liquor store shelves. 

Ontario

Premier Doug Ford has ordered the LCBO to strip its shelves of American products in response to the U.S. imposing 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian imports starting Tuesday.

"Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore," said Ford in a statement Sunday morning.

Ford says American liquor will be removed from LCBO shelves "starting Tuesday."

Aluminum is the second largest sector in Quebec after aerospace, representing 10 per cent of the province's export market. 

An interesting take on this from the Financial Post which could boost our own economy.

Could the tariff threat bring down Canada's interprovincial trade barriers, once and for all?

Removing the barriers could boost the economy by up to $200 billion annually, CFIB report says.

Here is what a former Prime Minister of Canada had to say to Trump.

And it has started - Canadian fans boo American national anthem during Ottawa/Minnesota hockey game. I think this is petty BUT we are angry!!

Here is the transcript of Trudeau's response to Trump's tariffs on Canada

Tonight, first, I want to speak directly to Americans, our closest friends and neighbours. 

This is a choice that, yes, will harm Canadians, but beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people, as I have consistently said, tariffs again against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities, they will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery stores and gas at the pump. 

They will impede your access to an affordable supply of vital goods crucial for us, security such as nickel, potash, uranium, steel and aluminum, they will violate the free trade agreement that the President and I, along with our Mexican partner, negotiated and signed a few years ago. 

But it doesn't have to be this way, as President John F Kennedy said many years ago, geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. 

That rang true for many decades prior to President Kennedy's time in office and in the decades since, from the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you during your darkest hours during the Iranian hostage crisis, those 444 days, we worked around the clock from our embassy to get your innocent compatriots home during the summer of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina ravaged your great city of New Orleans, or mere weeks ago, when we sent water bombers to tackle the wildfires in California and during the day, the world stood still, September 11, 2001 when we provided refuge to stranded passengers and planes, we were always there standing with you, grieving with you, the American people, together, we've built the most successful economic, military and security partnership the world has ever seen, a relationship that has been the envy of the world. 

Yes, we've had our differences in the past, but we've always found a way to get past them. As I've said before, if President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us. 

Canada has critical minerals, reliable and affordable energy, stable, democratic institutions, shared values and the natural resources you need. Canada has the ingredients necessary to build a booming and secure partnership for the North American economy and we stand at the ready to work together.

Let's take a moment to talk about our shared border. Our border is already safe and secure, but there's always, always more work to do. Less than one per cent of fentanyl, less than one per cent of illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada.

But hearing concerns from both Canadians and Americans, including the American President himself, we're taking action. 

We launched a $1.3 billion border plan that is already showing results, because we too are devastated by the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that has torn apart communities and caused so much pain and torment for countless families across Canada, just like in the United States, a drug that we too want to see wiped from the face of this earth, a drug whose traffickers must be punished as neighbors, we must work collaboratively to fix this. 

Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together.

Tonight, I am announcing Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods. 

This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives.

Our response will also be far reaching and include everyday items such as American beer, wine and bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, including Orange Juice, along with vegetables, perfume, clothing and shoes, it'll include major consumer products like household appliances, furniture and sports equipment and materials like lumber and plastics, along with much, much more. 

And as part of our response, we are considering with the provinces and territories, several non tariff measures, including some relating to critical minerals, energy procurement and other partnerships. 

We will stand strong for Canada. We will stand strong to ensure our countries continue to be the best neighbors in the world. 

With all that said, I also want to speak directly to Canadians in this moment. I'm sure many of you are anxious, but I want you to know we are all in this together, the Canadian government, Canadian businesses, Canadian organized labor, Canadian civil society. 

Canada's premiers and tens of millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast are united. This is Team Canada at its best. 

I spoke with the President of Mexico. We committed to work together to face them down.

I have something to ask Canadians, to be in solidarity together. I ask you to be here for each other. 

Now is also the time to choose Canada. There are many ways for you to do your part. It might mean checking the labels at the supermarket and picking Canadian made products. 

It might mean opting for Canadian rye over Kentucky bourbon, or foregoing Florida orange juice altogether. 

It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer. 

Support our manufacturers, our workers, entrepreneurs and artists. It might mean doing all of these things, or finding your own way to stand up for Canada in this moment, we must pull together, because we love this country. 

We pride ourselves on braving the cold during the long winter months. We don't like to beat our chests, but we're always out there waving the maple leaf loudly and proudly to celebrate an Olympic gold medal city.

Canada is home to bountiful resources, breathtaking beauty, the proud people who've come from every corner of the globe to forge a nation with a unique identity, with embracing and celebrating. 

We don't pretend to be perfect, but Canada is the best country on Earth. 

There's nowhere else that I and our 41 million strong family would rather be, and we will get through this challenge just as we've been done countless times before, together. 

Thank you. Merci.