The Tarriff Hype.

[Ron in Regina]

Republican senator warns Carney: Closer ties to EU hurts chance of trade deal with U.S. — CBC News

A long-serving Republican senator from a border state is warning Prime Minister Mark Carney against strengthening Canada's economic and political ties to the European Union.

apple.news

Carney heads to Europe aiming to build 'unique alliance' with EU — Global News

Prime Minister Mark Carney is en route to France with the goal of forging a "unique alliance" with the European Union (EU). David Akin explains what that could mean for Canada, and how it appears the feeling is mutual for the EU.

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The Wall Street Journal’s report, published Sunday, that Canada is pursuing “associate membership” in the European Union, and that the EU is “open to the idea,” was a fine piece of journalism with a lot of resources behind it. It cited officials, albeit mostly anonymous, “from a dozen different governments involved in … conversations” to back up the story.

Those dozen governments’ officials mentioned everything from “frictionless” trade in goods and services to allowing Canadians to work in Europe without a visa — and, presumably, vice versa. You might reasonably call such an agreement “associate membership,” though that’s not a category that currently exists. Helpfully for the Liberals, it could mean anything (or nothing?).

Chris Selley: Carney's EU cuteness is an unwelcome return to Justin Trudeau's playbook — National Post

If Iceland doesn't want into the EU, there's no reason to believe Canadians would support it

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Last Saturday, a 5,000-word Wall Street Journal exclusive gave us a hint at what might be coming. The reporting claimed that the prime minister has spent months using his extensive European Rolodex and connections to push for deeper relations with the EU. According to the Journal, Carney even “suggested Canada take on a new title: Associate Member of the European Union.” Government sources challenged the story later in the day, saying the reporting “overstated” what is being discussed.

Ben Woodfinden: The EU is an economic disaster. What exactly is Mark Carney after? — National Post

Canada doesn't need to change its status to trade more with Europe

apple.news

We cannot delude ourselves into thinking we will ever be able to entirely detach ourselves from America, as that’s never going to happen. It will likely remain our biggest trading partner and most important security partner, yet we must lessen our dependence on a much less reliable and volatile United States no matter who succeeds Donald Trump as president. A president who muses about annexation and slaps tariffs on his closest ally and biggest trading partner isn’t just an aberration, he is himself a symptom of an America that has changed.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — facing a re-election battle in November's midterms in a state highly dependent on cross-border trade — says it's unfortunate that Canada is turning toward the EU in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. "That doesn't help rebuild the good relationship that we once had and that I want us to have again," Collins told CBC News correspondent Katie Simpson at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Collins's comments come amid growing signs of unease among some Republicans in the U.S. Congress over Trump's trade tactics toward Canada, particularly as the Nov. 3 midterm elections grow nearer. The Republicans hold narrow majorities in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate and stand to lose control of Congress if the Democrats can flip a handful of districts or states, and the Senate is currently viewed as a tight toss-up or slight lean away from a Republican majority depending on the forecast.

It used to be that the Democrats were the tariff/protectionist party, & the Republicans where the open for business party, but shit switches eventually like with Democrats and Jim Crow laws…& then trying to point the finger at the Republicans over those decades later, etc…

 

[bob the dog]

I wonder if Trump has thought about removing the "North" from "North America" yet. Watch for that one to come along soon.

 

[spaminator]

Metrolinx hands out Lake Ontario-themed transit cards
The limited-edition release comes as Canadians continue to push back on the Trump administration’s claims to the body of water

Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Sep 16, 2026 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 2 minute read
Limited-edition Lake Ontario Presto card from Metrolinx.
Limited-edition Lake Ontario Presto card from Metrolinx. Photo by Reddit

As Canadians continue to show their love for Lake Ontario, Metrolinx was also showing their appreciation for the smallest of the Great Lakes with a limited-edition keepsake.


About 1,000 Lake Ontario-themed Presto cards were handed out at Toronto’s Union Station on Tuesday morning to emphasize GO Transit and UP Express riders’ local pride.

The transit cards show a patch emblazoned with “Lake-Lac Ontario” along with a graphic of sun and water.

The card itself reads: “Lake Ontario, Now and Always,” as well as its French translation, “Lac Ontario, Aujourd’hui et pour toujours.”

Other limited edition Presto card. TORONTO SUN GRAPHIC
Other limited edition Presto cards. TORONTO SUN GRAPHIC
‘Now and always’ is the takeaway
Also on the card is blue representing the lake, with “Lake Ontario” and “Ontari’io,” on it, the latter which comes from the Wendat word that means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”

The words on the Presto cards appear to be inspired by an X post from Prime Minister Mark Carney after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.



“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” Carney wrote on Aug. 27, nearly a week after trade talks between the two nations collapsed.

“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” the PM continued.

“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”

Lake Ontario
The “now and always” sentiment on the Presto cards, which were snapped up by Tuesday afternoon, according to Metrolinx, was also seen in signage at Union.

Promotion of the limited-edition Lake Ontario Presto card.
Promotion of the limited-edition Lake Ontario Presto card. (Reddit) Photo by Reddit
“We’re proud to operate bus and rail service along the shores of Lake Ontario, from Oshawa to Niagara,” Metrolinx said in a statement.

“Today’s customer engagement event and limited-edition PRESTO card giveaway celebrate the pride Ontarians and Canadians have in this iconic Great Lake and the name it has carried for generations — Lake Ontario, now and always.”




The limited-edition release comes as Canadians continue to push back on the Trump administration’s claims to the body of water, among other things.

Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a massive blue sign on the shores of Lake Ontario, between Stoney Creek and Grimsby.

“Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we’ve set up this sign to remind them it’s Lake Ontario now and forever.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2093066041286910329

PRESTO, NO CHANGE-O: Metrolinx hands out Lake Ontario-themed transit cards

Metrolinx showed its appreciation for some lucky riders and the smallest of the Great Lakes with a limited-edition keepsake. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Donald Trump says he could consider Canada-EU partnership a 'hostile act'
Threatens new tariffs after European Commission president says EU considering making Canada 'associate' member

Author of the article:Jordan Ercit
Published Sep 16, 2026 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 2 minute read
Trump and Carney
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Prime Minister Mark Carney at a working lunch with leaders of G7 and the Middle East, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Photo by Evelyn Hockstein /GETTY IMAGES

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with a new round of “heavy tariffs” if its dealings with Canada are not to his liking.


The president made the threat in comments to reporters on Wednesday after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said they were considering making Canada an “associate member” of the EU during a State of the Union address earlier in the day in Strasbourg, France, that was attended by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

That prompted Trump to say that he could consider the move as a “hostile act” before qualifying the threat.

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine,” he told reporters via CNN. “If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) shaking hands with Canada's PM Carney
This handout photograph taken and released by the European Union on September 16, 2026 shows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) shaking hands with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney during her annual keynote address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Photo by Christophe Licoppe /Getty Images
Threat latest wrinkle in U.S. trade war
The possibility of Canada becoming an “associate” EU member was recently reported on by the Wall Street Journal, which prompted a denial from Carney over the weekend while he was here for the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canada Investment Summit.


The move is meant to draw Canada closer to Europe amid a trade war with the U.S. that has been ratcheted up in recent weeks with new tariffs and counter-tariffs being levied on billions of dollars’ worth of goods from both countries, Trump’s threat to correct the currency “imbalance” between the nations and the U.S. renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

Trump has also vowed to block Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier – which already has a manufacturing presence in the U.S. – from the American market unless they “build here,” signed an order on Wednesday to ban “Canadian-origin products” from government contracts and repeatedly made comments about Canada becoming the “51st state.”


EU partnership for ‘our common strength’
Von der Leyen, meanwhile, said the proposal to bring Canada closer to the EU was not meant as “a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength.

“In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” she said in her address.

Meanwhile, Carney, the former head of the Bank of England, downplayed the EU speculation over the weekend in comments to the CBC at TIFF, adding “we’re not looking to become a member of the European Union.

“What we are looking (at) and will begin discussions for (is a) unique alliance with the European Union,” he said.

http://cnn.com/2026/09/15/americas/canada-mark-carney-eu-trump-hnk

Donald Trump says he could consider Canada-EU partnership a 'hostile act'

US President Donald Trump has threatened the EU with a new round of 'heavy tariffs' if its dealings with Canada are not to his liking. More.

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with a new round of “heavy tariffs” if its dealings with Canada are not to his liking.

Seriously? Canada currently isn’t the 51st state. The Canadian prime minister confirmed Canada’s interest in becoming the first ever “associate member” (whatever that means) of the union, an invitation extended the previous day by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Carney lays out case for deeper alliance between Canada and the EU — The Globe and Mail

Prime Minister calls for strengthening sovereignty in the face of threats to freedom and democracy in speech to European Parliament

apple.news

That prompted Trump to say that he could consider the move as a “hostile act” before qualifying the threat.

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine,” he told reporters via CNN. “If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe, which is a possibility.”

While what that means remains to be seen, Carney used his speech to pitch Canada as a natural ally for the block of 27 European countries in the face of international upheaval — a “tremendous storm,” in his words — and the creation of the next world order.

He sold Canada as a reliable partner in the face of increasing trade violence and volatility by U.S. President Donald Trump. To hundreds of European lawmakers, he proposed Canadian energy and critical minerals in exchange for knocking down trade and travel barriers as well as deeper integration on tech, defence and artificial intelligence.

The move is meant to draw Canada closer to Europe amid a trade war with the U.S. that has been ratcheted up in recent weeks with new tariffs and counter-tariffs being levied on billions of dollars’ worth of goods from both countries, Trump’s threat to correct the currency “imbalance” between the nations and the U.S. renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

On Thursday, the prime minister set out to make it clear to Trump that the budding partnership with the E.U. was not intended as a hostile effort to supplant the U.S., a fear expressed by the American president Wednesday evening that came with a threat of significant trade retaliation.

Trump has also vowed to block Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier – which already has a manufacturing presence in the U.S. – from the American market unless they “build here,” signed an order on Wednesday to ban “Canadian-origin products” from government contracts and repeatedly made comments about Canada becoming the “51st state.”

On Thursday, the Canadian prime minister set out to make it clear to Trump that the budding partnership with the E.U. was not intended as a hostile effort to supplant the U.S., a fear expressed by the American president Wednesday evening that came with a threat of significant trade retaliation.

Trump threatens to stop trading with EU over ‘laughable’ membership offer to Canada — Guardian US

US president responds as Mark Carney seeks to move closer to Europe and diversify defence ties

apple.news

“I am not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great-power rival, only with better manners,” Carney said. Dozens of EU parliamentarians laughed and clapped in response.

Canada and EU should ally to protect democracies, Carney says, after 'associate member' proposal angers Trump — Reuters

Canada and Europe should ally to protect their markets, democracies and rule of law in a world dominated by the United States and China, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday, after an EU proposal to ‌make Canada an "associate member".

apple.news

“We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience, so no one, no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten our territorial integrity, or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.”

Carney welcomes EU's 'associate member' plan, while Trump lashes out — National Post

Carney's speech repeatedly took aim at Trump's administration without naming the president

apple.news

Meanwhile, Carney, the former head of the Bank of England, downplayed the EU speculation over the weekend in comments to the CBC at TIFF, adding “we’re not looking to become a member of the European Union.

“What we are looking (at) and will begin discussions for (is a) unique alliance with the European Union,” he said.

“We are not fair-weather allies. We do not pursue zero-sum deals,” Carney told hundreds of European lawmakers. “Our commitment to the rule of law and our unyielding defence of human dignity, individual freedom, and democracy share the same deep roots, the same unwavering dedication.”

Canada has loads of energy, including natural gas and hydrogen, and critical minerals that Europe will need for decades, he argued. On the flip side, Canada can contribute to Europe’s military procurement and development and would like to pool “sovereign compute power” to break away from foreign tech giant dependence.

Carney embraces tighter ties with E.U. despite ‘hostile act’ warning from Trump — The Washington Post

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed European lawmakers Thursday after E.U. officials said Canada could become the bloc’s first “associate member.”

apple.news

 

[55Mercury]

ftr I also consider placing Canada under the auspices of an unelected body a hostile Act, and so should everyone who thinks democracy should mean something.
F the EU f the WEF and f the Prime Traitor

 

[pgs]

ftr I also consider placing Canada under the auspices of an unelected body a hostile Act, and so should everyone who thinks democracy should mean something.
F the EU f the WEF and f the Prime Traitor

Anyone paying attention knew exactly who Carney is and who he represents prior to last election . Unfortunately not enough people pay attention. Elbows up .

 

[Ron in Regina]

ftr I also consider placing Canada under the auspices of an unelected body a hostile Act, and so should everyone who thinks democracy should mean something.
F the EU f the WEF and f the Prime Traitor

I’ve no idea what an “associate member” to the EU even means, & I don’t know if anybody else does either, but it’s not a member. I’ve no idea what Canada & the EU are or aren’t agreeing to.

The geography doesn’t change. Physically Canada is now and will always be connected to exactly one country (unless the US breaks into several smaller countries I guess?), and every other trading partner is at least an ocean away, so America will (probably) always remain our primary trade partner, but the %’ages can change (like Canada going from being America’s largest trading partner to its second largest trading partner recently).

Opinion | Trump says the US doesn’t need Canada. But it’s the source of key minerals for the military — Guardian US

Trump himself has acknowledged the US need for Canadian aluminum – and has largely exempted metals from tariffs

apple.news

The bigger question is, if America doesn’t need anything from Canada, then why is Trump threatening the EU for talking to Canada about this “associate member” status whatever that means (?) for a separate sovereign nation that’s supposed to be an ally to America talking about trade to the EU (a group of sovereign nations) that are also supposed to be an ally to America?

CNBC Daily Open: Trump bemoans hostile acts — CNBC

President Trump is not happy with the Federal Reserve for hiking rates, or with the EU for inviting Canada to become an "associate member" of the bloc.

apple.news

Neither Canada or the EU are US states or protectorates like North Dakota or Puerto Rico or Guam or whatever.

 

[harrylee]