Justin Trudeau's relationship with Donald Trump has always reflected our national character.
He was always polite, he tried to be as friendly as possible, but he didn't let Trump manhandle him.
And when he tried to bully him, and Canada, he finally said enough is enough.
Put on the gloves, and prepared to strike back at the depraved orange oaf.
Canada hit back at U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday by announcing tariffs on dozens of U.S. products in retaliation for American steel and aluminum tariffs that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a “turning point in the Canada-U.S. relationship.”
Trudeau said Trump’s tariffs, imposed on supposed national security grounds after NAFTA negotiations stalled, were “totally unacceptable” and “an affront” to a country whose soldiers have fought and died with American soldiers.
And while some in our Con media were surprised by Trudeau's tough response, like the CBC's Rosemary Barton who said on the National that she was "stunned."
Stunned I tell you, that a Canadian Prime Minister should dare stand up to an American President...
While I on the other hand wasn't, because Justin has made it clear over the years that in his quiet Canadian way he hates bullies.
Just like I do.
And that if Trump couldn't push him around, neither could the sinister religious fanatic Mike Pence.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said months of intense negotiations between his country, the United States and Mexico imploded Tuesday when Vice President Pence demanded that any deal expire automatically in five years.
Trudeau said he was prepared to travel to Washington this week to try to finalize a rework of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Pence, in the phone call, said a meeting would occur only if the “sunset” provision was agreed to in advance.
Can you believe that? The creepy Pence tried to get Canada to go down on its knees before him and Trump.
Pierre Trudeau wouldn't have stood for that, and neither did Justin.
“I had to highlight that there was no possibility of any Canadian prime minister signing a NAFTA deal that included a five-year sunset clause, and obviously the visit didn’t happen,” Trudeau said Thursday.
For he is his father's son...
Last week he shocked many, and enraged some, by putting what he believes to be the national interest before his own political interests, with his move to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline.
And whether you agree with that move or not, it shows real courage. It shows that he can be strong and bold like Pierre was, and that like his father he is on his way to becoming his own and very real leader.
Which is more than we can say about the Con clown Andrew Scheer, who didn't even wait a day to spew out more of his obscene political pornography...
As Donald Trump declares war on Canada, and hundreds of thousands of Canadians worry about their jobs. Justin Trudeau prepares to defend them and our country. Andrew Scheer shows whose side he's on. And I wonder why the Cons hate Canada so much. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/KHzgteDCC6— Simon (@montrealsimon) June 1, 2018
And cheer for his own country to fail, as only a Con Trumpling, or a smelly old Trudeau hater could.
Who at the end of the NAFTA process, is still behaving like he did at the beginning, when he tried to derail the talks for crass political purposes.
And along with the hapless stooge Erin O'Toole is now trying to blame Trudeau for Trump's declaration of war against Canada and other countries...
Which isn't isn't just cowardly, and absurd, and totally pathetic.
It's practically treasonous.
For when our country is under attack we have a right to expect all politicians to stop playing partisan games, and unite to defend us from those who would destroy us.
And by failing to do that, the failing Andrew Scheer has shown himself unfit to lead a Canadian political party, let alone be Prime Minister.
Who knows what will happen with this trade war, which even the crusty editorialists at the Globe agree is the work of a reckless bully.
Or a maniac.
But judging by all the messages of support Justin Trudeau is receiving, he is not alone.
A lot of ordinary Canadians are also prepared to fight those bullies by whatever means necessary.
And at least we know this, Justin will not surrender.
And he is his father's son...
22 comments:
What we have to keep in mind is that Canada isn't the only country that DT is "attacking"! It is Global and rots my socks!
Leave it to Scheer to pander to his ignoramus base that JT is to blame when anyone with a semblance of intelligence would see what dealing with Trump is like. Trump is an asshole extraordinaire who's sole mission now is to deflect any and all attention from the Mueller probe and if he thinks these idiotic tariffs will help do that then so be it.
Kudos to JT for his courage in standing up to Trump and to those who try to blame him for Trump's mess I say this: STFU!
JD
I think Andrew Scheer will regret this tack. Wouldn't it be grand if the US was uninvited to next week's G7 er,... G6 in Malbaie?
On a more serious side, I support our Prime Minister on this retaliation and on the tone regarding our two countries' shared history of pulling for one another. What if a "five-year sunset" clause" were placed on NORAD bases such as in Alert? Yeah, I'd go there.
When I saw this, I thought of Hugh Grant in Love Actually. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have made that comparison (and no, it's not just because he's cute, it's because he's a bold statesman). Romantic comedies aside, JT also reminds me a lot of Jimmy Stewart's underdog "Everyman" persona, standing up to deep-pocketed bullies like Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life (who reminds me a lot of Harper, a "warped, frustrated old man") and the corrupt Congress in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (which reminds me a lot of that insane filibuster that Scheer thought would wear Justin down). Figures that a Canadian would come across as more "American" or at least more of a Tru Patriot than the traitors on both sides of the border!
Erin the Tool can go STFU about jeopardizing the relationship with the U.S. Trudeau does not negotiate with terrorists and does not suffer fools gladly. He specifically said that "this is not about the American people" but about the abuse levied on not just Canada but the world by the present administration. In fact, Trudeau is standing up not only for the interests of Canada, but for the unfortunate Americans who didn't vote for this tinpot dictator. He's a "comrade in arms" of the Resistance (and predictably, some Cons are roasting him for his choice of words, claiming that he's a "stealth communist like his father" -- grow up, traitors). He's not an appeaser like Chamberlain, and he certainly isn't a Quisling like Andrew Scheer!
He truly is a Jedi like his father. (Who would never venture to the dark side like Old Fred Trump.) Just Watch Him.
Interesting that Justin brought up Canadian/American partnerships in wars of the past. The Conscription Crisis and America's own reluctance to take action against the fascists until it directly impacted us notwithstanding, the last real willing "partnership" and the one everyone always refers back to is WW2. Iraq and Afghanistan were illegal wars that Canada, like the rest of the world, got dragged into reluctantly; Papa Pierre and Lester Pearson's sentiments about Vietnam are well-documented in the history books; Canadians found slavery abhorrent and wanted no part of the American Civil War being fought over it; and Canada itself forged its beginnings out of the ashes of the American wars against Britain. (Brexit before there was Brexit.) In so many words, then, we are looking at the lessons of WW2, and prior to that the Great War/WW1 that set the conditions for it one way or the other.
Justin is the Ghost of International Past and Present, while Emmanuel Macron gave a foreboding warning to Ebenezer Stooge like the Ghost of International Future. He said that Trump's actions and rhetoric are reminiscent of conditions in the 1930s. We know he wasn't only talking about economic isolationism but the neo-Nazi blood-and-soil hatemongering that Trump has emboldened not only in his own country but throughout Europe (and Canada next door). Macron specifically said of the E.U. tariffs, "nationalism leads to war."
You know we're living in the Twilight Zone, the Mirror Universe, or the Upside-Down from Stranger Things (more like the Bass-Ackwards) when France and Germany are the Allies while the U.S. and Russia are the Axis Powers. History may not repeat, but it rhymes, albeit sometimes in imperfect meter. So for all anyone knows, we might be due for another instance of Britain and Canada, in what could be called a... "joint" operation, "blazing up" the White House again. "Because it's 1814."
There's no tariff on popcorn yet, is there?
It's not too farfetched a conclusion. After all, it used to be G8 until Russia got kicked out. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if the Group of Whatever did the same to the de facto colony of the Kremlin. You can't spell Russia without USA.
Justin Trudeau made me feel proud to be a Canadian by replying to Trump in such a dignified and truly Canadian manner. When I see how the Cons and some in the media are trying to blame him for Trump’s madness it makes me so angry. Is he also responsible for the tariffs Trump is imposing on the EU? How can they say such things and get away with it?
Well I guess the question to the free trade question has been answered. It was a huge mistake.
Hi Kathleen...Rots my socks, is that a Newfoundland expression? If so I like it and may have to borrow it. 😀 But yes, you’re right, Canada isn’t the only country Trump is attacking. Which makes the Con claim that Justin Trudeau is to blame even more ridiculous, if that’s possible...
Hi Jackie...The Twilight Zone has always been one of my favourite TV series, but now I feel I’m trapped in some nightmarish episode where Trump and Scheer are demented killer puppets, and I want out. 😳 And yes, I saw what Macron said about how nationalism leads to war, and one can only hope that Gen. Kelly can explain that one to Trump before he declares war on France. The G7 summit should resemble something out of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, and one can only hope that Trump will be the one wheeled out feet first. The good news is that there are now only five months before the mid term elections, and with a little bit of luck your people will vote for sanity, and cripple the maniac before he brings about another 1929 situation, and/or the Third World War...
Hi JD....The Cons are trying to explain why they blamed Trump’s declaration of war on Justin Trudeau, but are only sounding even more deranged. But the good news is that they have obviously been flooded with complaints, and I’m sure Trump must also be hearing from a lot of angry Americans who stand to lose from his idiotic trade war. Trudeau can only gain from the deranged behaviour of both Trudeau and Trump...
Hi Scott...I also think that Scheer will pay a price, for appearing to be cheering against Canada again. And if the Liberals can make the mad Trumpling label stick, it could be a turning point in Scheer’s short but ugly political career. As for the G7 summit, I see that some Europeans are talking about a boycott, so between that and the Ontario election, it should be a hell of a week...
Hi Scott...as Insaid in my post, I thought Trudeau’s response was just right. He managed to sound both measured and furious, and reminding Americans of our shared history on the battlefields of the world was I believe very effective. Coming soon, the B for even better version of Saving Private Trudeau...
Hi Jackie...I see that Justin will be appearing on at least one of the Sunday talk shows in the U.S. to make his point that this budding trade war makes absolutely no sense. I think that’s a good move, and hopefully he will keep it up, since he seems to have the Congress and the American public on his side. And if the situation heats up with a G7 revolt, Trump could lose a few Brownie points along with the few marbles he still has jangling in his head. I’m in a pretty philosophical mood these days, and trying to focus on the long term situation, which if Trump doesn’t blow up the world first, still favours our side....
Hi anon@4:20 PM...yes, I felt that Justin handled the situation perfectly, and in a manner that reflected our national character well, politely but firmly. The calmer and more rationally Trump’s Trump’s moves are criticized, the crazier he will look, and the more points he will lose. And yes, the Con claim that Trudeau is also responsible for Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on the Europeans should go a long way in that regard....
Hi Steve...It may or may not have been a mistake, but that doesn’t really matter anymore. Our economies are now so intertwined that trying to separate them could bring them both down. So we best try to improve the deal rather than throw the baby out with the bath water....
Its clearly a mistake. As you say our economies are intertwined with the USA owning the ball. We can not win a trade war with the USA now.
The G7 summit seems to be morphing into the G6 + 1 according to the G&M.
The thing is, we are not alone in the trade war with the USA.
Standard military advise seems to be "do not fight a two-front war". See Germany WWI & II for examples of how not to do it.
Trump, at my last not very careful count, has declared trade wars on China, the EU, South Korea (who may have capitulated), Canada, Mexico, Russia (sanctions), Iran ( sanctions) and I think the rest of the UN.
Mexico buys a lot of food from the USA and there are countries in South America who are looking for markets.
India seems to be planning on dodging Iranian sanctions by doing direct deals avoiding the US dollar and Russia is taking the view that the US sanctions have just opened the Iranian market to them since Russia is under sanctions by the USA anyway so they have no business with the US to worry about. Russia is hoping to sell Iranian companies about 100 civil aircraft that Boeing and Airbus would have supplied.
China is bidding for (has bought?) Total Oil's share in the Iranian South Pars gas field.
Someone in Germany was pointing out the other day, that a lot of small and medium-sized German companies who deal with Iran have no US exposure so they can ignore the Iranian sanctions.
I doubt if anyone ever really wins a trade war but Thumper may be leading the USA into a nasty mess.
Trump's brilliant chess move in withdrawing from the JCPOA with Iran means that countries such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela will have increased oil revenues as the price of oil shoots up. What a nice present for President Maduro. :)
Of course, so will Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
i hpe your gona post a tribute toe Kathleen. Down and out she said forcefully
stop doogie
Them’s rivets, not marbles.
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