U.S.-Canada Spat Escalates

News & Politics
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06/10/2018 02:37 pm ET Updated 17 minutes ago
[SIZE=7]U.S.-Canada Spat Escalates, Europeans Criticize Trump’s G-7 Move[/SIZE]
The spat drew in Germany and France, who accused Trump of destroying trust and acting inconsistently.
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Andrea Hopkins, David Ljunggren

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, June 10 (Reuters) - The United States and Canada swung sharply towards a diplomatic and trade crisis on Sunday as top White House advisers lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a day after U.S. President Trump called him “very dishonest and weak.”

The spat drew in Germany and France, who sharply criticized Trump’s decision to abruptly withdraw his support for a Group of Seven communique hammered out at a Canadian summit on Saturday, accusing him of destroying trust and acting inconsistently.
“Canada does not conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks … and we refrain particularly from ad hominem attacks when it comes to a close ally,” Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Sunday.

Freeland reiterated Canada will retaliate to U.S. tariffs in a measured and reciprocal way, addingCanada will always be willing to talk.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow accused Trudeau of betraying Trump with “polarizing” statements on trade policy that risked making the U.S. leader look weak ahead of a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday for the summit that could lay the groundwork for ending a nuclear stand-off between the old foes.

″(Trudeau) really kind of stabbed us in the back,” Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council who had accompanied Trump to Canada, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Trade adviser Peter Navarro told “Fox News Sunday” that “there is a special place in hell for any leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy” with Trump.

Trudeau, in Quebec City for bilateral meetings with non-G7 leaders after the summit, did not comment as he arrived.
Trudeau got direct personal support from some European leaders.

British Prime Minister Theresa May “is fully supportive” of Trudeau and his leadership, a senior UK government source said, while European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted: “There is a special place in heaven for @JustinTrudeau.”

Freeland, asked about support from allies, said: “The position of our European allies, including Japan, is the same as ours. We coordinated very closely with the European Union, with Mexico, on our list of retaliatory measures and actions.”

Europe will implement counter-measures against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum just likeCanada, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, voicing regret about Trump’s decision to withdraw support for the communique.

Trudeau’s office said he had not said anything in his closing G7 news conference he has not said to Trump before.

The majority of Canadian exports go to the United States, making Canada uniquely vulnerable to a U.S. trade war.

Canadian officials, including Trudeau, have fanned across America as part of a months-long charm offensive to appeal to pro-trade Republicans at every level. But even those vested in Canadian trade are not expected to come to Trudeau’s defense as long as the U.S. economy is roaring.

“I think the pushback by Congress is going to come up incredibly short,” Chris Barron, a pro-Trump Republican strategist, said of Republican efforts to rein in Trump.

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LUDOVIC MARIN VIA GETTY IMAGES
Heads of State gather for a family photo during the G7 Outreach summit in La Malbaie, Quebec.

[SIZE=5]‘GREAT CONCERN FOR G7’[/SIZE]

Trump’s backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on a trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

“The G7 was a forum for friends – democracies with the same value system – to discuss issues of common interest. Now there is a question mark over that. But it did not start with this G7, but with the election of Donald Trump,” said a European official.

Trump also said he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the sensitive auto industry, throwing the G7′s efforts to show a united front into disarray.

“In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said when asked about Trump’s U-turn.

France is also standing by the G7 communique, a French presidency official said.

Trump has infuriated the European Union, Canada and Mexico by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

“This is of great concern to the G7. I do not know where we go from here. It is impossible to predict what Trump will do next,” said a senior G7 official on the summit outcome.

“The world as we know it, namely the U.S.-led rules-based multilateralism, is now in serious danger of unraveling, as illustrated at the G7 meeting,” said Erik Nielsen, chief economist at Unicredit Bank. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who met with Trudeau on Sunday, said it was time for G20 nations to play a role and to “also bring about some good sense to all the key players.” “The G20 helpfully has more countries that have a stake in the economy of the world, including the G7,” he told Reuters.

Canada’s Freeland, who met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Friday, said she would speak to him later on Sunday, adding that she believes a deal to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement is still possible.

“We are convinced that a modernisation is perfectly possible, we are convinced that common sense will triumph,” she said.

(Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski and Roberta Rampton in Quebec City, Doina Chiacu and Sarah Lynch in Washington, Michael Nienaber in Berlin, William James in London and Emmanuel Jarry and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Writing by Amran Abocar; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)

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Like I said in another thread, I’ve never understood why the Europeans allow the US to push them around when the EU as an economic block is as large as or slightly larger than America’s economy. Include Mexico, Canada and China and it becomes apparent this is not a war the US can win.

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What pushed Egomaniac Trump over the top:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau forcefully responded to Donald Trump’s trade threats at the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, vowing Saturday that Canada won’t be “pushed around” in a confrontation with the U.S.
The war of words between Trudeau and Trump escalated after the U.S. president left the meeting early. Trump fired back at Trudeau’s comments in a tweet later Saturday that called the Canadian leader “meek and mild” during the meeting of allies. The president also tweeted that he was revoking U.S. endorsement of the summit’s final joint statement.
Trudeau said his nation is insulted that Trump unilaterally imposed stiff tariffs on Canada for “national security” reasons.
“Canadians … stood shoulder to shoulder with American soldiers in far off lands in conflicts from the First World War onward,” the prime minister said at a press conference at the end of the summit, The Washington Post reported. “It’s kind of insulting.”
“Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around,” Trudeau continued.
He said the country won’t hesitate to impose its own retaliatory tariffs.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/justin-trudeau-vows-canada-wont-be-pushed-around-by-trump_us_5b1c49f0e4b0adfb826a02b4

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sasa anafanya nini front row na hii serikali yake corrupt? Si angejificha na huko nyuma ya curtain.

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In 2016 alone the EU combined did business to a tune of 1.1 trillion dollars with the U.S. 1.1 trillion dollars!

The EU exported to the U.S. Goods and Services 592 billion dollars and imported Goods and services combined 501 billion dollars. U.S. Deficit with EU a nice fat 92 billion dollars.

First off when you have a country that can afford to consume $592 billion worth of your goods and services, you give that country respect. Otherwise where would they dump all that crap? Who can import such proposterous commodities in one year from a whole block combined?

European Union | United States Trade Representative

Secondly Trump is saying this is unfair. And of course it is. That 92 billion deficit is too huge. ‘Just like China you guys are growing fat off our backs just taking advantage of us.’

92 billion dollar deficit is not pocket change. And Obama and other presidents totally ignored such figures for years just opening doors willy nilly to European product and service as well as Chinese domination putting many Americans out of work and ruining many American industries.

Trump ran on a campaign of making America great again, America First and he is trying to do it by plugging these humongous deficits. If I was Uhuru and other African presidents I would tell them we gang up together as African leaders and join Trump and try and do the same at this point in time when you have an opportunity to speak because an elephant is speaking!

Sasa watangoja after Trump has won some concessions then they’ll try to make feeble attempts at making noise, ati we also want the same from EU when its too late.

A trade war is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make noise and get whatever concessions you can while it lasts. Its a war to gain an economic edge. lakini wamenyamaza just watching like idiots.

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Brother do you know what NAFTA is?

NAFTA is screwing America like a… like a littke bitch.

NAFTA has screwed America so hard hata there are no words to describe the extremely unfair advantage Mexico and Canada have over the U.S.

And Trump is a businessman amesema no way fuck this parasitic relationship. Hakuna cha ubeshte hapa these screwing has to stop.

Mexicans and Canadians buy Anerican product repackage it sell it back to Americans, sell it abroad for profits against NAFTA agreements na U.S. imewanyamazia tu. Every other country is moving foward U.S. ndio ina engage reverse gear in trade. Trump amesema from now on its one on one negotiations hakuna bilateral trade deals za kupe za maongo.

The U.S estimates in 2017 alone $17.5 billiom deficit in favour of Canada and a whoopin’ $71 billion in favour of Mexico but these two so called “FRIENDS” cook the books to reflect ati America has a surplus against them. NAFTA is just a good arrangement to screw America.

Canada | United States Trade Representative

Friends in deed. Everyone is screwing Uncle Sam and growing rich except Africa of course. Sisi tumelalia maskio tu hadi Mungu kutoka binguni aje. Trump is saying no way hakuna ubeshte kwa biashara.

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Trump unlike akina Obama is very exposed worldwide. He travels to Qatar to China to Dubai to build golf courses, he can see the gleaming new streets, the gleaming new cities built with American wealth. Meanwhile huko kwao New York ni vile vile tu amewacha. Old buildings falling apart. Drugs kila mahali.

Sio mzee mjinga. He is a businessman anajua nini inaendelea. And he remembers a time America looked that good in the 1950s and 60s before liberals let everything fall apart. Anasema no way. “Is this the same Beijing my father used to take me on business trips when I was a boy? Hii pesa yote wametoa wapi? Okay American products? Our Apple phones and microwaves and grills and levi jeans… Ni sawa wacha nirudi U.S. nipate hii kiti. Hizi nugu zitanitambua! Afadhali tukosane kabisa!”

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if only Uhuru cared a little apige makeleke hata yeye. Atleast kagame dictator in chief anasema fuck mitumba. yaani Kenya is like a toilet if you have cheap useless crap to dump just dump it in Kenya. youths are jobless, no factories. Alafu unakiona huko smiling broadly front row ati anapigwa picha na fellow world leaders. The best he could tell them is a huge lie about plastic waste.

Yaani you are representing the whole of Africa wewe na kagame and the best unaweza kututetetea ni mambo ya plastic waste. Yaani we look like jokers. He can’t even request looted money irudishwe kenya from foreign accounts. Wapi Gaddafi na Castro wafunze huyu jamaa kutukana mzungu?

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The trade deficit that US has belongs to China and Europe. That’s why. Secondly, the American banking system.

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You have some points there but that last bit is false. Pentagon, the deep state and liberal media need a villain to justify their annual 700 billion budget. That’s where Russian is made up to be that rival despite the fact that usa engages to destabilize them right at their doorstep and within. Up to date it said Trump didn’t win, Russia interfered with people minds, campaigned covertly to get him to win. Who believe that bs. However they have ran with it for almost two years now until most democrats and others believe it. Congress has launched several probes so far on the same but their nothing to show except very very stretched half truths and lies.

Well for the rest of the world, this G7 is useless, let them fight, disagree and quarrel. They have ruled this world for far too long. The world looks up to tempered approach and stability from China.

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God bless you. I support Mr. Trump. And it seems the mainstream media has not yet got over the fact that Hilary lost, and Trump is POTUS. They have never accepted him as the legitimate, elected president of the US.

American has been overburdened for too long. I understand that it has at times funded 80% of the UN budget! It is about time America woke up, shook the dust off, and rid itself of the vermin that has infested the great nation for so long.

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The same China dumping goods on us and attempting to grab whole national markets enmasse especially in Africa? We can see all these roads and rails they are building across Africa are part of the larger one belt one road China super duper market. Na ni sisi tunalipa hizo barabara na reli sio free lakini masterplan clearly ni yao. kshs. 300 billion trade deficit with Kenya alone and climbing. We only do kshs. 8 billion exports to China. Anyway wajinga ndio waliwao.

In fact if you take out titanium at 5.3 billion we export zero to China against 320 billion imports from China. This is a disgusting, cruel joke.

Is Kenya getting a raw deal from trade ties with China? | Nation

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I think it is time for us to brainstorm on alternatives

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However much I dislike trumpistan…given a choice between china, russia,europe, etc, the us is the only country I would emigrate to.

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You have been here everyday defending corruption. That your community should be allowed to steal until everybody else is brought to court but them

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Perhaps the roads could be put into good use enhancing trade within the African continent.

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The spat with canada is unfounded. Completely unfounded. But the way the Americans have escalated it is astronomic. Yaani they just expected Canada to lick boot. Take the Tarrifs and shut about it. That is expecting too much. How can they even call Canada a security threat ? Am glad Trudeau didn’t kiss ass. By the way Kim Jong si fala, He must have seen something in Trump that made him think they can manipulate him. Asians know how to pretend to kiss ass. Xi gave the guy a red carpet and Trump felt like King. Talked about it for weeks. Shinzo Abe also pulled the same Stunt. Kim Jong is going to pretend to Kiss ass so much that Trump will cancel all Sanctions. Something lies to him that hio ndio njia yake ya kupata Nobel and pull one on Obama. He better make up with the Europeans coz that’s where the Nobel comes from.

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problem is, they all depend greatly on US consumers. Canada itself is disadvantaged because a huge chunk of her exports are US destined. So Trump knows he can dangle the mighty US consumer as bait to them.