War with Canada?
Canada goose vs Eagle. Who wins?
Canada is “not viable” as a country without continued economic support and military protection from the US, President Donald Trump has claimed.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his idea of Canada joining the US as the 51st state, which Ottawa strongly opposes. The president argued that Canada does not “pay very much for military, and the reason they don’t pay much is they assume that we’re going to protect them… they don’t pay their share of military in NATO.”
“The other thing is, we subsidize them to the tune of about $200 billion a year. If we stopped doing that, if we stopped allowing them to make cars through tariffs and other things – cars, trucks, etc., what they make – they’re not viable as a country,” he added. (RT)
As with most of Trump’s statistics, they are distorted. This approach is that of Goebbels:
Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.
The truth does not matter. Trump, like Goebbels thinks, perhaps correctly, that a majority of the American public simply don’t care, that it has become “fictionalized”. More about that in another post!
No matter —Trump can say the most outlandish things.
No, the US is not “subsidizing” Canada.
While the trade deficit has grown in recent years to $ 72 billion in 2023, it largely reflects exports of energy and raw materials. Canada is the world’s 9th largest exporter of cars and parts but a sizeable percentage of those cars are built by American companies in Canada-- most of the rest by the Japanese. And Canada imports more than it exports! Nope— no deficit here.
As for not paying much for military, Canada has committed to purchasing F35 fighters which are completely unsuitable for its national defense needs.
What it really needs are long-range, twin engine aircraft like the Su35 or the Su57 —each of which costs between a quarter or a third of an F35. Since the F35 remains only 50% operable, perhaps less than that under extreme Canadian climatic conditions, Canada would need twice to three times as many to do the job of one of its Russian equivalents, which by the way have STOL capabilities which allow them to be stationed flexibly .
Not that Canada would ever buy from the Russians or the Chinese-- who have never threatened it.
It buys from the only country to have ever invaded it – twice-- the US—which has a history of continental aggression and invasion, and with whom it has territorial disputes, mainly in the Arctic. (Guess why the US wants Greenland!)
The F35 will cost Canada around $74 billion. Add to that about $4 billion for Poseidon surveillance aircraft. And, in 2025, Canadian NATO defense spending is estimated to be $51 billion.
Assuming, of course that the cost of the F35 program is not included in NATO contributions in Canadian defense accounting, then Canadian taxpayers are shelling out close to $130 billion to Make America Great Again. )Oh…Canada has contributed $20 billion to the NATO proxy war.
Total cost of supporting American defense -- $150 billion, which is half its healthcare spending, now generally considered underfunded although a fraction of US spending per capita. If you doubled Canadian healthcare spending, it would still be less per capital than in the US. .
Consider also that Canadian energy is supplied at costs lower than international market prices. For example, crude oil today was about $59 per barrel. But the OPEC price was about $78.
So, why has Canada allowed the US to exploit it?
Is it because our largest immigrant groups have been American? Not really —many of those were refugees. First, the United Empire Loyalists. Then indigenous groups. Blacks. Vietnam war opt-outs. And just people who wanted a kinder, gentler national home with good education and healthcare. And …um.. bears downtown.
The basic reason is for letting this situation slide is probably just laziness. Canadians are easy-going. Most live within a few hundred miles of the border and regard Americans as neighbors, like the bears. A friendly economic relationship was just convenient, and implementable with little fuss and bother.
Personally, I prefer bears, who are pretty straightforward.
The US has never been Canada’s friend. We went to the same school maybe. But the US was the rich (older) kid with the big flashy car and the girlfriend with big boobs who gave blowjobs in the backseat. We didn’t like him that much really. Nor his girlfriend – but she had a younger sister who was cute and nice, and we got the occasional ride in the car.
So we did him favors. And got some in return.
Now, however, he thinks he owns us.
So Trump has given Canada a wakeup call. If only we could handle him like a bear.
But, there is another future waiting for us, if we wait and ride out the storm.
It’s called BRICS.
It’s time to graduate from high school,
We need new and better friends than those who are not—and never have been — friends at all.
As in the contest between the Eagle and Goose, we win by surviving.
Almost Valentine’s….
Ichi and Chappy wish you love.
I don't see why Canada needs to defend itself from anyone. Just like the UK, France, Germany... Australia, New Zealand... none of them needs anything but a small army, a small coastal navy, and a couple of squadrons of jets and helicopters to support the soldiers and sailors if necessary.
NATO is an absurd anachronism whose only purpose is to line the pockets of the arms manufacturers and give failed politicians a place to grandstand. If they all stayed home and minded their own business, they'd never come within 1,000 km of Russia or China. Or Iran.
Great piece! Of course Trump has never gotten his stats correct, not even with out closest neighbor.
The current problem with Canada is the Trudeau government, which will hopefully go the way of the DoDo bird.
One error in the piece however... Goebbels did not use the "lie" in his propaganda and instead often used the truth. And he did not invent the "Big Lie". That was a British invention...