The rapid demise of Canada-U.S. official relations, marked by fury in one nation and indifference or bewilderment in the other, suggests there will be no quick reconciliation or return to something resembling normal. In the span of a few days this mercantile dispute – seeded by the new American right-wing agenda to cripple Canada’s sovereignty and stability, make it a vassal state and reap its resources – became an incendiary divorce riven by irreconcilable differences. Canada doesn’t wish to be the next Venezuela.
The impacts on Canada will bring historic changes, domestically and internationally. Most Canadians feel Ottawa cannot abide sorting things out in good faith with the likes of Mr. Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick. They are fed up with the administration’s insults, vulgar greed and dishonesty – epitomized so aptly by the
Gordie Howe Bridge extortion.
Canada needs to be cautious about pivoting from the U.S. lest it fall into China’s arms
apple.news
Oh yeah, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. had entered into an oil ‘agreement’ with Venezuela. "At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim asigned President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business

, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer," (ballroom-style) Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Donald Trump on Friday announced an unprecedented U.S. push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves, betting that American companies can revive the OPEC nation's battered energy industry while delivering a new source of crude to help bring down U.S. fuel prices.
apple.news
Trump said the ‘agreement’ would more than double
American oil reserves. Since the U.S. captured and removed the now former President Nicolas Maduro from power in January, Washington has been trying to secure a stable flow of Venezuelan crude for U.S. refineries while promoting American investment into the OPEC country's deteriorated energy industry, which currently produces some 1.25 million barrels per day of crude which is coincidentally about the amount that Canada ships west to the Pacific for non-American markets at the non-discounted rate.
The president told The Atlantic that Delcy Rodríguez needs to comply with U.S. wishes—or else.
www.theatlantic.com
Sources previously told Reuters that a
lease model was under consideration, with fields potentially auctioned to U.S. producers, but the arrangement could face legal and constitutional challenges in Venezuela, where the state (in theory) retains control over core oil industry activities.
(YouTube & Donald Trump warns Delcy Rodríguez as she is sworn in as Venezuelan president)
Critics call move to gain long-term access to country’s massive energy reserves ‘predatory’ and ‘unconstitutional’
www.theguardian.com
The U.S. has largely controlled exports of crude oil from the South American nation since snatching Maduro from his home in early January. The news appears to give the Trumpadministration more direct control over the country’s fields, though developing the tar-like deposits of oil and shipping it to the coast for export is likely to take years.
Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, said
one deal under discussion was a 100-year lease on several oilfields. The reports caused unease and anger among members of Venezuela’s opposition, who are already up in arms about Trump’s
failure to bring about genuine political change after capturing Maduro. The Trump administration has not yet released details on the arrangement, including which oil fields are covered and who will handle drilling.

Many view granting majority U.S. control over 65 billion barrels of national oil reserves as a profound compromise of Venezuelan sovereignty.
The agreement would grant the US majority control of over 65 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan oil reserves, Trump said.
apple.news
While technically possessing sovereign veto power, Delcy Rodríguez refusing a deal of this magnitude under active military and economic duress would have likely risked immediate removal (not by Venezuela voters either) or direct confrontation with the United States. President Trump explicitly signaled that Venezuelan leadership under Rodríguez had to cooperate on energy assets or face consequences similar to those faced by Maduro. The art of the Donroe Doctrine deal.