Canada’s retaliatory measures over the latest imposition of 50% tariffs from the White House went into effect Tuesday morning at midnight.
More than 700 American products worth about $20 billion have been targeted by the counter measures.
There have been no new talks scheduled, but Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is ready for serious talks once the rhetoric and insults from Washington, D.C., end.
The latest insult came in a cartoon posted by President Donald Trump over the weekend, showing him in an American hockey jersey standing over Carney, who is sprawled on the ice. The caption reads ”Get up, Governor.” — another jab reminiscent of the "51st state" rhetoric and also a jab at Canada’s national sport of ice hockey.
Carney has not responded. Over the past week several key members of Trump’s cabinet were also openly critical of Canada, and to them Carney did respond.
"I don’t think, with all respect, appointed — not elected — cabinet members in the United States, are experts on Canadian politics," he said.
Carney has said it’s time to stop with the shade and the memes and have a serious discussion.
Laurie Turnbull, a Canadian political analyst, said the best response Carney can give to Trump’s insults is to ignore them.
"I don’t think we should be over worried about these sorts of things; hockey cartoons, and him calling us names," she said. "I don’t think that that’s anything that we can really respond to frankly. I think that, if anything, it might actually trigger in the minds of Americans, like, what is this guy doing? Like, this is not how you conduct a trade relationship, or any relationship."
On Labor Day, in his latest attack, Trump posted a series of threats, graphics and rhetoric on social media with an image of the U.S. map covering Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Iceland and Greenland.
The President of the Canadian Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, Flavio Volpe, is also a member of the prime minister’s advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations. He said Trump has been emotional throughout this trade war, but it might just be a tactic.
"This is their flood-the-zone tactic," Volpe said. "He is trying to distract from the failure of his trade policy and from the failure of the war in Iran, and a bunch of other domestic issues."
Ottawa’s retaliatory measures kicked in just hours ago on about $20 billion worth of American products including dairy products, steel and aluminum, plywood, perfume and makeup, appliances and electronics. They face counter tariffs of 15 to 50%.
And the trade war appears appears to be a key issue for American voters facing midterm elections. Even Republicans, like Senator Susan Collins of Maine, is pushing back against the White House, suggesting Trump’s unpopular policies, including the trade war with Canada, have put her seat at risk.
Some observers say this week could be the most important week of the Canada-U.S. trade war.
"The implications of Canada’s counter tariffs is very specifically targeted," said Lachlan Wolfer of KPMG Law in Canada. "They’re targeted around a couple of things. One, obviously retaliation against the steel tariffs that we saw that the U.S. imposed on Canadian goods. Secondly, imposing tariffs on certain consumer goods with an underlying political dimension to them trying to impact particular states in the United States that are coming up for elections in swing states and Republican-dominated states."
Some of the states that have become battlegrounds are states with close trading relationships with Canada.
So what will it take for Washington, D.C., and Ottawa to resume trade negotiations?
"I don’t think the Americans care if there is a deal or not, and that’s the problem," said Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University. "You’re trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. So it really is going to be important to see what happens in those November elections. If the Democrats, who have been very vocal saying they don’t agree with the president picking fights with Canada say: 'We’re going to try to take control of this negotiation and move it towards something that’s a little more peaceful, a little more respectful.' Then, all of a sudden, it becomes a little easier for Canada to negotiate."
A recent poll shows more than 80% of Canadians support or somewhat support Carney’s retaliatory measures as well as walking away from the latest U.S. trade offer.
