Doug Ford heads to Washington to promote free trade as CUSMA deadline looms

Doug Ford heads to Washington to promote free trade as CUSMA deadline looms

Premier Doug Ford is jetting off to Washington to promote free trade and lobby against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products.

With the looming July 1 deadline for a mandatory review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) that covers about 85 per cent of trade, Ford is hosting a reception Monday with Ross Perot Jr.

The billionaire son of former U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot is the chair of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization, which has opposed Trump’s tariffs.

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Carney says more work to do on U.S. trade talks after negotiators return from Washington

Carney says more work to do on U.S. trade talks after negotiators return from Washington

Prime Minister Mark Carney said his negotiating team made “some progress” during trade talks in Washington this week, but there’s “lots more to do” to land an overall agreement.

Carney’s comments on Thursday came as Canada-U.S. Trade minister Dominic LeBlanc and the country’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, briefed a special advisory council for more than two hours about their meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Flavio Volpe, who sits on the advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations, described the briefing as “very candid” and said the details suggest conversations are moving in the right direction.


I just do not believe a words he says.

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‘We can’t afford to do what Mexico can do’: Can Trump play Canada and Mexico against each other?

‘We can’t afford to do what Mexico can do’: Can Trump play Canada and Mexico against each other?

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mexican leaders are weighing a U.S. proposal to revise the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement’s (CUSMA) auto rules of origin — changes that could force a major restructuring of North America’s tightly integrated auto supply chains.

Last week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s team told their Mexican counterparts that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration wants to raise the overall required North American parts threshold from 75 to 82 per cent and, more controversially, require that 50 per cent of all components originate specifically in the United States.

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Feds fear Netflix, Spotify price hikes, order review of CRTC rules

Feds fear Netflix, Spotify price hikes, order review of CRTC rules

OTTAWA — Fearing the move could trigger a massive price spike, the federal government is directing Canada’s broadcast regulator to review its contentious plan to regulate and tax foreign streaming platforms.

Canada’s Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller made the announcement on Wednesday, a reaction to the contentious May 21 decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissions (CRTC) requiring streaming giants such as Spotify and Netflix to spend some of their Canadian-sourced revenue to acquire or produce Canadian programming.

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US plans extra 10% tariffs for 60 countries over forced labor Canada among them

US plans extra 10% tariffs for 60 countries over forced labor Canada among them

US President Donald Trump’s administration is proposing additional tariffs of 10% or more to be imposed on its trading partners following a probe into countries importing goods allegedly made with forced labor.

In a report released Wednesday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it had found that 60 economies had failed to “impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor,” calling it a “burden” to US commerce.

… An additional 10% tariff will be imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Pakistan, the UK and EU nations. These are countries which, according to Washington’s investigation, impose a forced labor import prohibition, that have undertaken commitments on forced labor or have partially prevented the import of forced labor goods.

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Trump renews ’51st state’ rhetoric as LeBlanc heads to Washington

Trump renews ’51st state’ rhetoric as LeBlanc heads to Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canada has signalled that it wants to see the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) renewed for 16 years to preserve trade growth on the continent even as U.S. President Donald Trump renews his calls to make Canada the “51st state” in a post shared to Truth Social.

Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, and Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette are heading to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, a day after LeBlanc’s office sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, with Canada’s recommendations for CUSMA.

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North American-made autos must contain at least 50% U.S. content, Trump negotiators tell Mexico

North American-made autos must contain at least 50% U.S. content, Trump negotiators tell Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump’s negotiating team is demanding that all North American-made autos contain at least 50 per cent U.S. content, firing the opening salvo in a battle over the future of the pact governing continental trade.

American and Mexican negotiators hunkered down in Mexico City this week to start a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and the U.S. announced plans for two further rounds of bilateral talks that do not include Canada.

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Diplomats serve an important role. Here’s why it’s time to declare this U.S. emissary persona non grata says Star

Diplomats serve an important role. Here’s why it’s time to declare this U.S. emissary persona non grata says Star

It’s finally time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare the U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra persona non grata. Or, at the very least, call him on the carpet, as he recently did with the Israeli ambassador following Israel’s ruthless attacks on a human rights flotilla that included some Canadians.

This time, Hoekstra’s complete lack of suitability for the job has crossed a red line.

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Canada is ‘on notice’: Ottawa turns to Saab as U.S. defence pressure builds

Canada is ‘on notice’: Ottawa turns to Saab as U.S. defence pressure builds

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canada has put more than $65 billion toward defence and security over the past year and reached NATO’s 2 per cent of GDP benchmark — but that is no longer enough for Washington.

The United States has paused its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), a World War II–era U.S.-Canada defence board.

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A strong Canada ‘will help make America great again,’ Carney tells New York business leaders

A strong Canada ‘will help make America great again,’ Carney tells New York business leaders

Prime Minister Mark Carney told a crowd of New York industry titans and financiers on Thursday that Canada and the U.S. need to pursue a new partnership — a bilateral relationship premised not on how things were done in the past but one where a stronger, more independent Canada can selectively help “make America great again.”

Carney said as U.S. President Donald Trump prompts “tectonic shifts” in trade, and as the world becomes “more divided and dangerous,” Canada must focus more on “taking care of ourselves” and building up at home by embracing its status as an energy superpower.

But that doesn’t mean Canada wants to close itself off from the U.S., Carney said in lunchtime remarks to about 200 attendees at the city’s Yale Club.

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LILLEY: Mark Carney heads to New York while continuing to avoid Donald Trump

LILLEY: Mark Carney heads to New York while continuing to avoid Donald Trump

While Prime Minister Mark Carney is headed to New York to pitch Canada as a place to invest, he’s doing everything he can to avoid landing a deal with the Donald Trump administration. Carney and his government in Ottawa are avoiding any serious talks with the Americans, while also taking steps to ensure the Trump administration, and even many Democrats, are annoyed with Canada’s trading positions.


Brookfield is counting on Carney.

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Privy Council report finds Canadians doubt Carney can end U.S. tariffs

Privy Council report finds Canadians doubt Carney can end U.S. tariffs

Canadians increasingly believe U.S. tariffs are here to stay despite repeated promises from Prime Minister Mark Carney that Ottawa can negotiate a better trade deal with Washington, according to newly released Privy Council research.

Blacklock’s Reporter says federal focus groups found little confidence the Liberal government would succeed in convincing the United States to eliminate tariffs on Canadian goods, with many participants saying the measures are now a permanent part of American economic policy.


I get the feeling that the LPC and their media are running a psyop attempting to convince Canadians they are upbeat about the future.

Record insolvencies, youth fleeing for the US where unlike Canada they have a shot at owning a home and building a future, a growing number of households with food and rent exceeding monthly income, criminal governance by a business and political elite that have used mass immigration for their own monetary gain and agendas, foreign criminals waltzing into our nation and receiving a slap on the wrist for their crimes so their immigration status isn’t compromised.

I could go on.

There is a reason the LPC wants to limit free speech.

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CRTC’s new rules are one small step for Canadian content, one big blow for Canadian trade

CRTC’s new rules are one small step for Canadian content, one big blow for Canadian trade

When I visited the Vancouver office of OUTtv, an LGBTQ+ specialty network, in 2020, I found it across the street from a flooring company with a big, serious sign reading “BC Hardwood.” It was an unintentional reminder of the network’s less glamorous channel.

“HARDtv was a porn service,” said Brad Danks, OUTtv’s chief executive. “I couldn’t wait to get rid of it.”

Porn had been a bit of a problem. HARDtv was formed in 2005 after OUTtv, then called PrideVision, spun off its porn content in part to placate cable companies. But the main, porn-less channel still suffered in visibility, grouped with adult channels nonetheless. That exposed the real problem, that content must bow to distribution. OUTtv fought Shaw (now part of Rogers Communications Inc.) all the way to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

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Poilievre comes out swinging against CRTC’s ‘Netflix tax,’ says it could derail U.S. trade talks

Poilievre comes out swinging against CRTC’s ‘Netflix tax,’ says it could derail U.S. trade talks

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney step in and overrule the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as it forces mostly American web giants pay more to fund homegrown media content.

In an interview with CBC News, Poilievre said the CRTC’s decision to triple the revenue streaming firms like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime must set aside to fund Canadian programming is akin to a tax on consumers and cannot stand.

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