Canada builds America's cars. Treating us like Japan or Europe makes no sense
For over 100 years, most vehicles assembled in Canada have worn a U.S. badge — Ford, GM, Stellantis. When sold in the U.S., they aren't traditional 'imports'; they're the product of a fully integrated North American manufacturing platform we've built together for decades. When a Chevy Silverado rolls out of an Ontario plant, that's Detroit's reach extended, not undermined.
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Calgary Herald
33 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
U.S. trade advisor says Trump tariff rates unlikely to change
New U.S. tariff rates are 'pretty much set' with little immediate room for negotiation, Donald Trump's trade advisor said in remarks aired Sunday, also defending the president's politically driven levies against Brazil. Article content Trump, who has wielded tariffs as a tool of American economic might, has set tariff rates for dozens of economies including the European Union at between 10 and 41 percent come August 7, his new hard deadline for the duties. Article content Article content Article content In a pre-taped interview broadcast Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said 'the coming days' are not likely to see changes in the tariff rates. Article content Article content 'A lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not, others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country,' Greer said. Article content 'These tariff rates are pretty much set.' Article content Undoubtedly some trade ministers 'want to talk more and see how they can work in a different way with the United States,' he added. Article content But 'we're seeing truly the contours of the president's tariff plan right now with these rates.' Article content Last Thursday, the former real estate developer announced hiked tariff rates on dozens of US trade partners. Article content They will kick in on August 7 instead of August 1, which had previously been touted as a hard deadline. Article content Article content Among the countries facing steep new levies is Brazil. South America's largest economy is being hit with 50 percent tariffs on exports to the United States — albeit with significant exemptions for key products such as aircraft and orange juice. Article content Trump has openly admitted he is punishing Brazil for prosecuting his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, the ex-president accused of plotting a coup in a bid to cling to power. The US president has described the case as a 'witch hunt.' Article content Greer said it was not unusual for Trump to use tariff tools for geopolitical purposes. Article content 'The president has seen in Brazil, like he's seen in other countries, a misuse of law, a misuse of democracy,' Greer told CBS. 'It is normal to use these tools for geopolitical issues.'
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Calgary Herald
Kennedy-Glans: 'Leave the oil in the ground': Same debates, different country
Article content It's different in Guyana, Selwin reports: 'Where you have strong economic interests, that will prevail.' Between Exxon and Chevron, American companies 'now control the majority of Guyana's oil output … so it's heavily in the interest of the U.S. to protect their economic interests.' Article content (Exxon, operator and owner of 45 per cent of Guyana's Stabroek block, forecasts its output there to nearly double to 1.3 million bpd by the end of 2027. And Chevron now owns 30 per cent of the block.) Article content There's no denying Canada is economically tied to America's hip, yet this conversation with Selwin is a reminder of the choices Canada retains. Article content Foreign companies do invest in Canada's extractive sectors, but domestic ownership remains strong and influential. And while Canadians are struggling to define First Nations treaty rights within Confederation, we don't have another nation actually challenging our sovereignty. Venezuela is actively disputing Guyana's control over the Essequibo region, territory that makes up two-thirds of Guyana's landmass and includes oil and other resources. Article content Article content Selwin has thought deeply about the issues that bubble in nation-building endeavours and he's savvy enough to know what's negotiable. Right now, he's especially focused on one question: Who benefits from Guyana's resource windfall? Article content After the first significant oil discovery in offshore Guyana was made by ExxonMobil, Selwin argued his country should adopt something similar to the Alaska sovereign wealth fund model. Article content 'I believe it is critical that the public remains vigilant,' Selwin wrote then in a Guyanese newspaper, 'and so I urge that we go the path of Alaska by adopting a model of dividends for all. The introduction of the Alaska model of paying dividends to every Alaskan from their oil and gas resources would work wonders to strengthen the good governance model and ensure an engaged populace.' Article content Article content How many Canadians know oilsands projects contribute roughly 3 per cent of our country's total GDP? How many Canadians understand the mechanics of equalization payments, how wealth is transferred from have to have-not provinces to ensure non-renewable resource bounty is shared? Article content Ultimately, a sovereign wealth fund was created in Guyana but, Selwin reports, the funds have largely been squandered. He did the math at the end of 2024, to see what the outcome could have been if the government of Guyana had heeded his advice. (He's a former investment banker, so his calculations are credible.) The fund would likely have grown to roughly $1.5 billion, he estimates, the equivalent of US$50,000 to $60,000 for every Guyanese citizen, and would continue to grow quickly, he adds. Article content Selwin is encouraging leaders in Guyana to focus not just on the building of physical infrastructure, but on the building of a culture of productivity in the country as well. Article content What's that, I ask. 'That's culture where it's not just about the pay,' he says, it's culture that 'respects the dignity of being productive.'
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump fires statistics official after US posts weak job numbers
Recent data was rigged to harm him politically, the American president has claimed US President Donald Trump dismissed Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on Friday, claiming that the latest employment figures had been rigged against him. The dismissal followed weaker-than-expected July hiring numbers and significant downward revisions for May and June. Trump alleged in a Truth Social post that the employment figures issued this week had been deliberately manipulated to harm him politically, describing them as "RIGGED" to make Republicans and himself "look bad.""I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY," Trump posted later on Friday, asserting McEntarfer, would be replaced by someone "much more competent and qualified." A BLS spokesperson confirmed that McEntarfer "was terminated," and Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over on an acting basis. July jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added, with revisions revealing 258,000 fewer jobs overall in May and June. The unemployment rate rose slightly, to 4.2%. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer supported Trump's decision to replace McEntarfer, emphasizing the importance of making sure "the American People can trust" BLS data. Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who had previously questioned McEntarfer's job statistics, also praised the move. Marshall stated on X that her "cooked-up numbers have misled the American people for too long." Economists, however, expressed concern about the firing, with Arin Dube warning on X that it "threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics." A bipartisan group, including former BLS commissioners William Beach, appointed by Trump, and Erica Groshen, named to the post by former President Barack Obama, condemned McEntarfer's firing. The rationale "undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics," they said in a statement. Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized Trump's decision: "What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger." The monthly jobs report significantly impacts financial markets, which fell about 1.5% following the announcement. Trump hasn't always been skeptical of these reports-when May data was first released in June showing 139,000 jobs added, he posted: "GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!" That figure was later revised down to 125,000, then sharply, to just 19,000.
