Trump’s rebranding of Lake Ontario was just the beginning of multi-day effort to provoke Canada
Donald Trump sought to escalate his trade war with Canada on Sunday afternoon and issued a demand on Truth Social that Canadian companies wanting to do business with the U.S. reshore their headquarters within its borders.
His latest remarks come as Canadian officials warned that the country was prepared for an extended dispute with the U.S. after trade talks collapsed and Trump announced tariffs as high as 50 percent on some Canadian goods including dairy products and lumber. Canada has levied reciprocal tariffs against U.S. steel, aluminum and other exports.
On Sunday afternoon, the president said Canadian companies should move their headquarters and production facilities to avoid newly imposed tariffs. The duties are set to begin in 2027.
Healthcare is almost always paid for by 1) the individual which is expensive, 2) the employer which is expensive or 3) through taxes which is expensive.
If I had a business in Canada the trade-off I see here is substituting high taxes for having to provide employee medical benefits, and how long I think the tariffs would stay in play.
That being said, tariffs on the Canadian side are focused on US production that happens in swing states. So the further escalation here is going to be politicized as geopolitical, in addition to economical, warfare. Who really benefits? Nobody. Who pays? Average people on both sides of the border.