What? No. I literally just explained that. No, it’s not childish to refuse to take a bad faith call from a dictator to either legitimize their rule or engage in a conflict that would drag the world into a 3rd world war.

Whether you agree or disagree with whether that is the correct political move is certainly up for debate. But to claim it is childish is itself naive.

The answer is implied. No, I don’t believe the same thing, because they are explicitly different situations.

Refusing to communicate with someone is valid when you have valid reasons.

Refusing to take a phone call from a guy actively engaging in a violent robbery is valid for a number of reasons.

Flinging bags of shit into your neighbour’s yard, then refusing to talk to your neighbour’s when they say “this isn’t helping either of us live well; I don’t want to throw this shit back at you, but I will until you stop” is not valid, it is the inaction of a petty imbecile that can’t justify their actions.

Does that answer your question?

Ah yes, who can forget the longstanding free-trade agreement with America’s favourite, peaceful neighbour, Russia. Both sides are totally the same.

Y’know, except for the part where Trudeau is saying it shouldn’t be this way and free trade is beneficial to both economies… but yeah, it’s both sides that are doing this for malicious self interest.

Canada has to respond in a smarter way than a reflexive mirroring move

I’m all ears

I’ll explain it for you. When the US government imposes a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, the cost to US consumers increases by 25%. Now, every other global supplier that was 1% - 24% more expensive gets the business that used to be Canadian revenue. So, Canadians lose US customers. We both lose.

If you want further reasoning on why this is bullshit, the “small government, lower your taxes” Republican government are the ones collecting the 25% tariff that is paid. It is a additional tax with no promise of social support. Do you think Trump will use that additional revenue to issue small business grants or to subsidize the businesses of the oligarchs in his administration?

Now, when people say stupid things like, “Canada imposing tariffs only hurts Canadians” it is very obviously 100% reciprocal. The retaliatory tariffs are meant to put the pressure on US exporters to put the pressure on their government to end the trade war. A few key points on the Canadian tariffs:

1. They match number set by Trump. They are not escalating.
2. They have a definitive and reasonable end. Remove the tariffs and our tariffs will also be removed. Not “stop all fentanyl smuggling” (maybe try having fewer US fentanyl users, huh? That’s meant to be sarcastic. Obviously this is a problem for both countries that we both take seriously.)
3. They are strategic in ramping up the scope of the tariffs which begin with things like food consumables which are easy to forego before increasing to more industrial products which businesses, industries, peoples livelihoods and lives can depend on. This gives Canadian businesses time to prepare and negotiate overseas trade and gives America time to roll back the tariffs instead of knocking out the whole supply chain. Remember how fucked the global economy was when one boat got stuck in the Suez Canal for a couple of days? Obviously this isn’t as big as that, but that disruption lasted months, years even. Sweeping, full-stop tariffs like the US tariffs are going to have ripple effects that last for months even if they’re rescinded by the end of the week.

Finally, to address the argument that the tariffs will strengthen the US manufacturing economy, I will refer back to my point about the government using the tariff income to subsidize American businesses. Small businesses are not (and frankly cannot) replace entire Canadian (and Mexican) industries within a couple of months. That money is not going back into the economy. The US oligarchy, the massive monopolistic industry giants, are the only ones that are going to spring up and, chiefly, profit off this whole debacle. And that’s by design.

“I paid the most money to get the best truck and it can do anything. Ain’t no fuckin’ sign gonna tell me my truck can’t do it!”