Donald Trump said he’d lob more tariffs on Canada, on Saturday. Hours later, Ontario’s ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs aired during game two of the World Series.
The ad was expected. The campaign was released by Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, and it has been the latest flash point in trade tensions between the US and its neighbor to the north.
The advertisement initially drew Trump’s ire on Thursday night, and he posted to Truth Social to say that he was terminating all trade negotiations with Canada. Ontario subsequently announced on Friday that the ad would be pulled by Monday, but only after it had been aired during Friday and Saturday’s World Series games.
Cory Doctorow is right. Canada shouldn’t enact retaliatory tariffs against us. That’s just stooping to our level, hurting both Americans and Canadians even more. What Canada should do is repeal any and all laws that were passed merely due to the pressure of potential tariffs from the US if they didn’t.
Like international any-piracy laws. Like anti-right to repair laws. DMCA clone laws around the world were passed at the threat of US tariffs, and now our load is blown. Let Canadians copy and pirate US-owned media without the US media companies being able to do fuckall about it. Let Canadians create companies that export repair guides and kits for locked-up systems like John Deere tractors.
Bring back the days when there were modchip stores where you could bring your console! Start manufacturing android tv boxes and handhelds loaded with emulators and games like China. Manufacture domestic versions of shit thats patented in the US for way cheaper and if people happen to come over here to buy it, oops. Meanwhile our citizens wont ha e to pay the insane markup on the american versions.
The real target is patents… suddenly who gives a fuck about american IP laws?
The problem is the guy at the helm (Carney) is basically a Conservative in a Liberal hat. Years ago his policies would have fit squarely into the Conservative agenda, but the latter swung so far right with their anti-immigrant, anti-trans, tough on crime bullshit that the Liberals nominated a moderate conservative to lead the party. Carney is perfectly happy with all the things you listed sadly.