I have felt strongly that our politicians are not taking it seriously enough. Agree pm Trudeau really understood what was at stake. He also understood trump was a thug and would keep moving the post. He will never be reliable in any kind of deal. He’s not interested in that. Thank you for this perspective. Frightening in its truth.
I don’t think PM Carney is elbows down at all, are you part of the negotiations Charlie? Passing judgement when you don’t know the full situation just fuels more discord and hate.
It’s clear that trump is demented and getting progressively more so. This makes all the possible ‘worst case’ outcomes more dire.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to prevent the very worst outcome of a military threat or attack. The most important of these is to enlist the help of northern US Governors in what is clearly their own interest. They need to announce that they will not accept the federalizing of their state national guard or the presence in their states of guard forces from other states. Practically speaking no military threat could be staged against Canada without logistical support from state national guard units. Governor Hochul of New York has gone a long way towards publicly stating this….in every interview with Canadian press she should be asked on this and her fellow New England Governors as well. If they say in effect, “ We are the heart of the Union and will not allow a Confederate king to use our National Guard troops in pursuit of crimes against our citizens or neighbors” , the effect would greatly energize the resistance in the US and be the single surest protection of Canada from the worst that could occur. It is early days yet in this gathering storm.
Big shout-out to Charlie and the resistors (sounds like a new punk rock group). I know it is not much, but I have begun writing to our leaders on both sides of the border. Here is what I wrote recently to Mark Carney:
(I snipped a long-winded economics argument about the downfalls of applying the naïve form of the individual rational self interest model to guarantee equity in the distribution of wealth...)
My advice is to not get suckered into negotiating with a gangster, because the rules gangsters play by are not ones that normal folk (economists as well...) understand very well. Mr. Trump is a bully and a budding fascist (although not nearly as clever as, say, Mussolini). If speaking softly does not get results soon, then Canadians need to use “the big stick”. If the concession was done to create an opening for negotiation, then we will see. I am not hopeful. If this does not work out, then the various “nuclear options” we do have should be summarily put in place. Canadians can take the consequences. But we should never negotiate with gangsters. I would not want you (or Canadians) to make Neville Chamberlain’s mistake (according to Winston Churchill) of having chosen dishonor, only to fight a war anyway. It seems better in this case for Canadians to skip the pretense of being “nice guys”.
Does nobody see that we are severing our economic ties with the US and organizing our military capacity and alliances at an amazing pace and that we have every interest in keeping the talks going as long we can in order to bolster our capacity to defend ourselves.
We need negotiations to give us time to prepare and minimize the possibility of takeover.
Our government is handliy things quite well at the moment… let’s not become impatient and fall into the trap.
Mr Angus. Would you like to comment on “ Mr Wonderful “. He ran for a seat on London for the conservative party and was thoroughly trounced. I see he ie now MAGA and thoroughly consumed with money
Anyone who thinks that Canada is immune to what is happening in the US is delusional!!! What is happening there is a precursor to what DT wants to happen here!!!! Our country is not safe from any of his schemes!!! We need to wake up and prepare ourselves for the future of our country!! SILENCE IS COMPLICIT!
You're right, Charlie. This is not about trade; it's about subjugation. Canada needs to take assertive steps to protect itself. Political opposition to Trump and MAGA has mostly collapsed. Meanwhile, mainstream media continues to normalize his despicable behaviour, and a slow-burning civil war is playing out on the streets of LA. The red flags are ominous.
This is not alarmist…history shows that fringe ideas can become policy when institutions weaken. Canada’s greatest strength lies not in matching U.S. might, but in fortifying democratic resilience, cultural independence, and global alliances. The best defense is a society that’s hard to fracture and impossible to co-opt. So far, with a notable exception, Canada is excelling in its social cohesion facing this threat.
I am sooo with you when it comes to democratic resilience. We need to strengthen our democracy. Red and Blue have been weakening it for literally decades (read Coyne's new book to find out all about that) and we need to fix it. So far, Carney is not doing that.
Time to stare the bully down. Match every tariff with an export tax. If he wants to suffocate his businesses and starve his economy, we can help. 35%? Fine. We can charge an export tax and make it 70%. 50 on steel? Ok lets match that for a total of 100%. I love tacos. Delicious chicken tacos.
ELBOWS UP!!! This criminal does not deserve the time of day from us. It is time to hit back and hit hard. The terrorist state of Kraznovia is our enemy now. Escalate. Stand tall. Stare down the gangster.
I'm always glad to hear from you, Charlie. You give me hope while these United States are being destroyed by the GANGSTER TACO TRUMP. I'm an 81 year old woman who lived through the Korean War, Vietnam an more. This Grandma is terrified for my children and grandchildren. I'm afraid TACO TRUMP will end Social Security and Medicare. It's quiet in this part of California, but things change. TACO is flooding the zone with lies and disinformation. My father was a POW during WWII in Germany and this would break his heart. Keep the faith and know that we support Canada and Ukraine! Sending prayers and love 💕
I have felt strongly that our politicians are not taking it seriously enough. Agree pm Trudeau really understood what was at stake. He also understood trump was a thug and would keep moving the post. He will never be reliable in any kind of deal. He’s not interested in that. Thank you for this perspective. Frightening in its truth.
ElBoWs Knees & toes
oops i mean, elbow up?
🤣🤣
ohhh yes
canadians
All your poutine belong to us
and yer maple syrup too.
Gonna rename Yonge street "Alamo Square" and Quebec "Trumpville"
I don’t think PM Carney is elbows down at all, are you part of the negotiations Charlie? Passing judgement when you don’t know the full situation just fuels more discord and hate.
It’s clear that trump is demented and getting progressively more so. This makes all the possible ‘worst case’ outcomes more dire.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to prevent the very worst outcome of a military threat or attack. The most important of these is to enlist the help of northern US Governors in what is clearly their own interest. They need to announce that they will not accept the federalizing of their state national guard or the presence in their states of guard forces from other states. Practically speaking no military threat could be staged against Canada without logistical support from state national guard units. Governor Hochul of New York has gone a long way towards publicly stating this….in every interview with Canadian press she should be asked on this and her fellow New England Governors as well. If they say in effect, “ We are the heart of the Union and will not allow a Confederate king to use our National Guard troops in pursuit of crimes against our citizens or neighbors” , the effect would greatly energize the resistance in the US and be the single surest protection of Canada from the worst that could occur. It is early days yet in this gathering storm.
Big shout-out to Charlie and the resistors (sounds like a new punk rock group). I know it is not much, but I have begun writing to our leaders on both sides of the border. Here is what I wrote recently to Mark Carney:
****************************************************
Dear Mr. Prime Minister;
(I snipped a long-winded economics argument about the downfalls of applying the naïve form of the individual rational self interest model to guarantee equity in the distribution of wealth...)
My advice is to not get suckered into negotiating with a gangster, because the rules gangsters play by are not ones that normal folk (economists as well...) understand very well. Mr. Trump is a bully and a budding fascist (although not nearly as clever as, say, Mussolini). If speaking softly does not get results soon, then Canadians need to use “the big stick”. If the concession was done to create an opening for negotiation, then we will see. I am not hopeful. If this does not work out, then the various “nuclear options” we do have should be summarily put in place. Canadians can take the consequences. But we should never negotiate with gangsters. I would not want you (or Canadians) to make Neville Chamberlain’s mistake (according to Winston Churchill) of having chosen dishonor, only to fight a war anyway. It seems better in this case for Canadians to skip the pretense of being “nice guys”.
Sincerely,
James Wilson
Btw, I don't understand this TACO business. Could someone please explain?
Does nobody see that we are severing our economic ties with the US and organizing our military capacity and alliances at an amazing pace and that we have every interest in keeping the talks going as long we can in order to bolster our capacity to defend ourselves.
We need negotiations to give us time to prepare and minimize the possibility of takeover.
Our government is handliy things quite well at the moment… let’s not become impatient and fall into the trap.
I hope some are seeing. I don’t believe Carney is naive or someone who would capitulate to the gangster.
Mr Angus. Would you like to comment on “ Mr Wonderful “. He ran for a seat on London for the conservative party and was thoroughly trounced. I see he ie now MAGA and thoroughly consumed with money
As usual .
Anyone who thinks that Canada is immune to what is happening in the US is delusional!!! What is happening there is a precursor to what DT wants to happen here!!!! Our country is not safe from any of his schemes!!! We need to wake up and prepare ourselves for the future of our country!! SILENCE IS COMPLICIT!
DJT will do whatever Putin tells him to do.
You're right, Charlie. This is not about trade; it's about subjugation. Canada needs to take assertive steps to protect itself. Political opposition to Trump and MAGA has mostly collapsed. Meanwhile, mainstream media continues to normalize his despicable behaviour, and a slow-burning civil war is playing out on the streets of LA. The red flags are ominous.
This is not alarmist…history shows that fringe ideas can become policy when institutions weaken. Canada’s greatest strength lies not in matching U.S. might, but in fortifying democratic resilience, cultural independence, and global alliances. The best defense is a society that’s hard to fracture and impossible to co-opt. So far, with a notable exception, Canada is excelling in its social cohesion facing this threat.
I am sooo with you when it comes to democratic resilience. We need to strengthen our democracy. Red and Blue have been weakening it for literally decades (read Coyne's new book to find out all about that) and we need to fix it. So far, Carney is not doing that.
Time to stare the bully down. Match every tariff with an export tax. If he wants to suffocate his businesses and starve his economy, we can help. 35%? Fine. We can charge an export tax and make it 70%. 50 on steel? Ok lets match that for a total of 100%. I love tacos. Delicious chicken tacos.
ELBOWS UP!
ELBOWS UP!!! This criminal does not deserve the time of day from us. It is time to hit back and hit hard. The terrorist state of Kraznovia is our enemy now. Escalate. Stand tall. Stare down the gangster.
I'm always glad to hear from you, Charlie. You give me hope while these United States are being destroyed by the GANGSTER TACO TRUMP. I'm an 81 year old woman who lived through the Korean War, Vietnam an more. This Grandma is terrified for my children and grandchildren. I'm afraid TACO TRUMP will end Social Security and Medicare. It's quiet in this part of California, but things change. TACO is flooding the zone with lies and disinformation. My father was a POW during WWII in Germany and this would break his heart. Keep the faith and know that we support Canada and Ukraine! Sending prayers and love 💕
💙🇨🇦💙🇺🇦💙