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Comment by lijok | Hacker News Reader

I see, so like saying "we'll make it less appetizing for our nationals to do business with you, so they'll go shopping elsewhere"?

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Exactly right. There are trade deals forming between countries that in unprecedented ways to avoid dealing with the constantly changing tariffs while one country says they'll take their ball and play alone.

But the US is the bigger country just next to it, also the most practical to trade with. Trading with country further appart means less efficient in transport. Is it not still self inflicted harm?

What options do Canadians have? Deal with the wildly capricious economic policies of the US president, or go seeking other, more stable opportunities elsewhere? Almost all countertariffs we have in place are targeted as opposed to the sweeping tariffs Trump is implementing.

They could seek other opportunities elsewhere without adding tariff themselves: continue to import from the US and other countries like before. They may indeed export less to the US due to reduced demand from the US, but reciprocating the tariff won't help with that.

But the point is to hurt producers of other country, to motivate them to argue to their government about original tariffs.

There are no winners in the trade war.

It's not practical when Trump sees a TV ad that enrages him and then cancels all negotiations, how are Canadian leaders supposed to proceed? There's no good faith whatsoever from him.

less efficient in transport

Not after factoring in the 35%-50% tarrif Trump has imposed on many Canadian goods.

No it is not. It would be being doormat to a bully and bully would come in bully them more.

The Econ 101 view would say yes, note most countries haven't imposed 1:1 retaliatory tariffs.

But economic considerations are not the only ones. Opposition to the American Revolution is a fundamental theme in Canadian history. People shouldn't be surprised when Canada acts accordingly.

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