Brad Reed
February 17, 2025
RAW STORY
Retired Vice Admiral Mark Norman, who once served as Canada's Vice Chief of the Defense Staff, does not believe that the relationship between his nation and the United States is salvageable — even if President Donald Trump is no longer in the White House four years from now.
Writing for the National Post, Norman argues that the U.S.-Canada relationship "cannot be saved," and then goes on to explain why the damage being done by Trump cannot be so easily undone.
"When the leader of our closest neighbor, ally and trading partner says that he can destroy us with the stroke of a pen — and repeats his willingness to do so — it is more than just an expression of perceived superiority or hyperbole, it’s a real threat," argues Norman. "To dismiss it as anything less would be irresponsible and naïve. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we are going to act as a serious nation or not."
Norman goes on to propose an international anti-Trump alliance in which Canada can lead the way in trying "to convince the other kids in the schoolyard that the bully is not as invincible as he thinks." He also warns that failing to do so will turn international relations into a scene from "Lord of the Flies" that is filled with "chaos, conflict and savagery."
He closes by warning that Canada may need to take once-unthinkable steps to upend its relationship with the United States.
"This may need to include otherwise previously unthinkable actions such as shutting off our oil and gas, electrical power and critical supplies, as well as the abandonment of historic diplomatic and military relationships and commitments," he writes. "We must also convince our other allies — those kids on the sidelines of the schoolyard — that they too have a responsibility to act as they are at risk as much as we are."
'Watch out': Canadian PM candidate aims threat at Elon Musk during MSNBC interview
Tom Boggioni
February 16, 2025
Tom Boggioni
February 16, 2025
RAW STORY
Chrystia Freeland (MSNBC screenshot)
A very blunt-talking former deputy prime minister of Canada appeared on MSNBC on Sunday morning and warned Donald Trump that his threats of tariffs will be met with equal force and more if he proceeds forward with them.
Speaking with host Ali Velshi, Chrystia Freeland, who is reportedly lining up a bid to become prime minister when federal elections roll around in the spring, aimed a considerable amount of her ire at billionaire Elon Musk who appears to have Trump's ear on every policy endeavor.
Freeland first made her point on how much the U.S. relies upon Canada as a trade partner.
"If you didn't have Canadian electricity, the lights in your building right now might not be shining," she told the MSNBC host. "And Trump Tower, you know, that famous escalator, it might not be operating because you get electricity from Canada for New York."
"A lot of your oil comes from Canada so, when people are filling their tanks up with gas, they should say, 'Thank you, Canadian friends, for providing this.' And truly, at a time when consumers don't want to pay higher prices, at a time when the United States needs more energy rather than less, it is just self-defeating and self-mutilating to be talking about putting a tax on the energy you get from us."
Turning to Musk, she told Velshi, "You know, I think Americans are the ones who invented the term: 'The customer is always right.' Well, we are your biggest customer, so watch out. If you hit us, we will hit back and our retaliation, unlike these across-the-board tariffs is going to be surgically targeted."
"We're going to design it so we do the minimum harm to ourselves and have the maximum impact in the United States and we are going to target constituencies that have particular influence in the White House,"she elaborated. "So one of the things I am proposing is a 100% tariff on Teslas, and I am inviting all the countries in the world that would be affected by these tariffs to join us. I think that would get us some attention in the Oval Office."
You can watch below or at the link:
Chrystia Freeland (MSNBC screenshot)
A very blunt-talking former deputy prime minister of Canada appeared on MSNBC on Sunday morning and warned Donald Trump that his threats of tariffs will be met with equal force and more if he proceeds forward with them.
Speaking with host Ali Velshi, Chrystia Freeland, who is reportedly lining up a bid to become prime minister when federal elections roll around in the spring, aimed a considerable amount of her ire at billionaire Elon Musk who appears to have Trump's ear on every policy endeavor.
Freeland first made her point on how much the U.S. relies upon Canada as a trade partner.
"If you didn't have Canadian electricity, the lights in your building right now might not be shining," she told the MSNBC host. "And Trump Tower, you know, that famous escalator, it might not be operating because you get electricity from Canada for New York."
"A lot of your oil comes from Canada so, when people are filling their tanks up with gas, they should say, 'Thank you, Canadian friends, for providing this.' And truly, at a time when consumers don't want to pay higher prices, at a time when the United States needs more energy rather than less, it is just self-defeating and self-mutilating to be talking about putting a tax on the energy you get from us."
Turning to Musk, she told Velshi, "You know, I think Americans are the ones who invented the term: 'The customer is always right.' Well, we are your biggest customer, so watch out. If you hit us, we will hit back and our retaliation, unlike these across-the-board tariffs is going to be surgically targeted."
"We're going to design it so we do the minimum harm to ourselves and have the maximum impact in the United States and we are going to target constituencies that have particular influence in the White House,"she elaborated. "So one of the things I am proposing is a 100% tariff on Teslas, and I am inviting all the countries in the world that would be affected by these tariffs to join us. I think that would get us some attention in the Oval Office."
You can watch below or at the link:
'Sometimes it does take a threat': Canada’s Conservative leader puts Trump on notice
SOON TO BE CANADA'S NEXT PM
Tom Boggioni
February 16, 2025
Tom Boggioni
February 16, 2025
RAW STORY
The leader of Canada's Conservative Party has drawn a line in the sand for Donald Trump that, if he wins his country's next federal election, he has no intention of entertaining a plan for Canada to become part of the U.S.
According to a report from Politico, Pierre Poilievre gave a rousing speech in Ottawa on Saturday where he told a crowd, "Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state. We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,"
As Politico's Mickey Djuric reported, "Poilievre, who has appealed to Canadians by tackling complex issues with pithy slogans, used a Flag Day rally to reset his campaign in response to tariff threats that have scrambled the political landscape."
In his speech, he declared, "We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. But never confuse our kindness for weakness. We are mild-mannered and made of steel," before adding, "Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become."
As the Politico report noted, Poilievre made it clear that Trump needs to "Work with Canada, or lose it as a friend."
“Carry out the unprovoked attack on our economy and your consumers will pay more and your workers will make less,” he told the crowd. “Gas prices will skyrocket. You will turn a loyal friend into a resentful neighbor, forced to match tariff with tariff and to seek friends elsewhere. Both our economies will weaken, leaving less money for defense and security and our enemies will grow stronger.”
He then. warned, "Simply put, we can no longer depend on the Americans alone for our trade. We can no longer think of them as our backup defense. These threats, my friends, are a wakeup call.”
You can read more here.
The leader of Canada's Conservative Party has drawn a line in the sand for Donald Trump that, if he wins his country's next federal election, he has no intention of entertaining a plan for Canada to become part of the U.S.
According to a report from Politico, Pierre Poilievre gave a rousing speech in Ottawa on Saturday where he told a crowd, "Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state. We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,"
As Politico's Mickey Djuric reported, "Poilievre, who has appealed to Canadians by tackling complex issues with pithy slogans, used a Flag Day rally to reset his campaign in response to tariff threats that have scrambled the political landscape."
In his speech, he declared, "We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. But never confuse our kindness for weakness. We are mild-mannered and made of steel," before adding, "Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become."
As the Politico report noted, Poilievre made it clear that Trump needs to "Work with Canada, or lose it as a friend."
“Carry out the unprovoked attack on our economy and your consumers will pay more and your workers will make less,” he told the crowd. “Gas prices will skyrocket. You will turn a loyal friend into a resentful neighbor, forced to match tariff with tariff and to seek friends elsewhere. Both our economies will weaken, leaving less money for defense and security and our enemies will grow stronger.”
He then. warned, "Simply put, we can no longer depend on the Americans alone for our trade. We can no longer think of them as our backup defense. These threats, my friends, are a wakeup call.”
You can read more here.
Majority of Americans Oppose Trump Takeovers of Canada, Gaza, and Greenland
"These findings demonstrate the unpopularity of Trump's stated intention for the U.S. to illegally and/or forcibly take over various areas across the globe," said one polls
"These findings demonstrate the unpopularity of Trump's stated intention for the U.S. to illegally and/or forcibly take over various areas across the globe," said one polls
A pedestrian walks by sidewalk graffiti outside the Trump International Hotel on December 23, 2024 in New York City.
(Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Brett Wilkins
Feb 12, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
As President Donald Trump proposes territorial expansion reminiscent of 19th-century imperialist ambitions, polling published Wednesday reveals most Americans oppose a U.S. takeover of Canada, Greenland, or Gaza—while opinion is more evenly split on conquering the Panama Canal.
According to the Data for Progress poll of 1,201 likely U.S. voters, first published by Zeteo, 61% of respondents oppose a U.S. takeover of Canada, which Trump has repeatedly said should become the "51st state."
An even higher percentage—62%—are against the U.S. taking control of Gaza. After being told about Trump's proposal to ethnically cleanse the local Palestinian population following more than a year and a half of Israeli bombardment, invasion, and siege, and to develop Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," that rose to 64%. Nearly 7 in 10 respondents also oppose sending U.S. troops to invade Gaza, a scenario Trump says is possible.
When it comes to Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory that hosts hundreds of U.S. troops—and one lost thermonuclear bomb—a narrow majority of 53% oppose Trump's proposed American takeover.
Then there's the Panama Canal, which, much to the chagrin of Panamanians, the United States controlled, including through use of deadly force, until then-President Jimmy Carter transferred sovereignty in the late 1970s. While 46% of survey respondents oppose a U.S. takeover of the crucial waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, 41% support such a move.
However, there were major political and racial variances, with over seven times as many Republican respondents strongly favoring a U.S. takeover of the canal as Democrats and more than four times as many whites as Blacks strongly backing the proposal.
Overall, young, college-educated, female, Black, Latino, and Democratic respondents were least likely to align with Trump's imperialist agenda, while Republicans were the most likely to support the president's proposals. Republican support was strongest for taking over the Panama Canal, with two-thirds of GOP respondents favoring the action.
"These findings demonstrate the unpopularity of Trump's stated intention for the U.S. to illegally and/or forcibly take over various areas across the globe, especially Gaza," Data for Progress deputy executive director Ryan O'Donnell said Wednesday.
"More broadly, it reflects a pattern of expansionist policies pushed by both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—policies that fuel instability rather than resolve conflict," O'Donnell continued. "A strong majority of voters are opposed to the U.S. taking over Gaza and resettling the Palestinians who live there, and even more respondents reject the idea of the U.S. sending troops to the Middle East to accomplish this plan."
"Public opinion on this is clear: The American public rejects this unrealistic and destabilizing proposal," he added.
This article has been updated to correct the figures related to a U.S. takeover of Gaza.
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