Boycotting U.S. products allows Canadians to take a rare political stand in their daily lives

https://theconversation.com/boycott...e-political-stand-in-their-daily-lives-251898

I started this thread as I have seen not a few podcasts about Canadians boycotting American goods and cancelling travel to the USA. But it seems many have not seen nor credit this is happening. The main sentiment appears to be “Canadians are too polite to do anything about it”. I think somehow, this will end up hurting America.

Meanwhile of course you can always import stuff from Australia like

And we can teach you what a “Tim Tam Slam” is as well as

Or and yes they are really called that

You are welcome to visit we PROMISE no Drop Bears (we are saving them for the Yanks!)

But on a more serious note I truly believe that Trumps idiot tariff wars are going to end up hurting Americans more than anyone else in the world

 

Total US exports sent to Canada = 17%.

Total Canada imports from US = 44%.



Barring some sticky details(maple syrup pun?)seems to me Canada needs the US a lot more than vice Versa.

They’re welcome to try, but when it comes to winning, it’s simply not a contest.

Trump needs to be more clear what Canada can do to avoid tariffs and cut the BS about 51st state.

imo both sides are being really dumb.

 

Nobody wants your crappy candy. If it was any good, we'd already know about it.

 

Suppose America was a mercantilist like China?
How would you feel if Trump's stated goal was 17% Canadian imports and 83% American exports?
Trump is asking for relative equality, you Canadians are fighting for a trade imbalance. Your reaction is due to the embarrassment of being exposed as a wanna be mercantilist.
Wake the bleep up.

 

Boycotting started before Trump tariffs hit and will continue long after. It will be a legacy of the Trump administration for decades to come probably (at a much lesser level). It makes people feel they are doing something but isn't as effective as many of them believe.

In olden times it was simpler, when each nation made stuff and you chose the stuff yours made. That's not so easy anymore. Components and products are built into foods built in the other country. Is it Canadian if all the components are Mexican made from materials from across South America, it's assembled in Canada, and the company itself is American owned?

 

That's ok. We'll just dominate and control your right wing media. You can keep your Hershey bars.

 

Okay let’s start with Aussie not Canadian and Trump is not an infallible God. Look my economics was junior high and that was years ago but even I know Trump is being a TWONK on this. No one “owes” you a flaming thing! You were the ones that bought the goods and services nobody held you at gunpoint. And for the record WE Aussies have long bought more from YOU than YOU brought from US sooooo using your logic YOU have been ripping us off! That didn’t matter to Trump though he still whacked a tariff on our Steel and Aluminium. And he can’t use the Fentanyl excuse with us,,,,,

 

Apparently Tim Tams (which are an any day biscuit here) are instant eye crossing toe curling success with most people overseas. And I didn’t mean to offer them to Americans (who as far as I can tell have short circuited their tastebuds) but to our fellow commonwealth member - Canada. But levity aside what is going to happen is a simple realignment of markets away from America. Meanwhile the American consumer will pay more - lots and lots more

 

Lols! After all old Rupert (spit) Murdoch has been doing that for years now….,

 

Why do you think that Canadians are dumb for choosing to purchase products made in Canada over those made in the US? For those who believe the 'America First' thinking, they should be respecting another country adopting that for their own country.

 

Yep! The global network is so entangled……. But if Canada needs a friend I am sure Australia will stand beside you so be reassured you are not alone in this world. But then looks like Europe is also welcoming you and you have a real advantage there since most of you speak French whereas not even the British are 100% sure what the Aussies speak is English

 

I was talking economic reality with Canada. Care to interact? The idea applies to all trading partners.

This is not US vs Canada. That would be an emotional argument, not an economic one. We are talking prudent, sustainable economics of plus or minus 15% export/import imbalance over time. Can you accept that idea?

 

And the US actually has a trade surplus with Canada aside from the crude oil it absolutely needs and buys at substantial discount.

 

But YOUR tariffs still do not hurt China they hurt YOU because YOU are the ones paying them. At most it might force US importers to look for other untariffed suppliers but the way Trump is going that will probably be only “Nambia” and Tierra Del Fuego

 

When I was visiting Canada....Alberta & Saskatchewan in particular...everything I saw was US made...farm machinery was JD,CIH, NH,CAT, etc, vehicles all US ...Chev, Ford, Dodge, restaurants too....Walmart in every "city" over 5000 pop., grocery stores filled with many US items.

 

Americans know how to get fat. I have trouble believing the penal colony has come up with some prison candy that exceeds our expectations.

 

I don’t boycott. I buy what I need, want. The politics of the company or country that makes the stuff I buy means nothing to me. If I like and want what they make, I buy it.

 

I think I was pretty clear in my post, to the point where if you really need further explanation, I don't think I can dumb down my language further. Sorry

 

When I was getting groceries at Costco this weekend, the store had a lot of fruits and vegetables from Mexico and almost none from the USA. Where it gets challenging, is the processed food. Mist processed stuff is from the USA.

 

I disagree with the trade retaliations too. I think Canada should just restrict the sale of oil to the USA since the oil is what causes the trade deficit. Without oil, Canada has a deficit with the USA.

 

That’s because winter is not the growing season in the U.S.

 

So if I understand correctly - and please correct me if I'm wrong - you are asserting that Canada imports more US goods than the US imports Canadian goods. What is happening, however, is that Canada is now finding alternatives to US goods. The fruit they do not grow can come from other countries. And if an alternative for something is produced by a Canadian company, they buy that. I don't find that dumb at all. Dumb would be rolling over. Dumb would be continuing to do something that hurts them.

 

Surely that changes drastically with the tariffs 25%. And your figures don't account for services, the difference is 13%.
The big difference is Canada has lots of mineral deposits that everyone wants, so I don't think they'll panic too much.

 

They are doing something that hurts them. Tariffs and boycotts can hurt, no matter who does them.

This is economic war, and wars hurt both sides.

 

A quick search yielded an understanding that US beats Canada in services, mostly due to Canadians crossing the border.

Couldn't find much else in specifics though so if you got a source I'll check it out.

In any case, sure, Canada can look to other sources to export, but just like Russia with Europe, it had to pay more(transportation) and charge less in order to make its deals with China and India work. The benefits of close proximity and largest, wealthiest market in the US simply cannot be easily absorbed elsewhere.