TORONTO – On February 1st, Canada braced for the imposition of 25% and 10% tariffs on consumer goods and gas and oil, respectively, by the US if conditions set by the occupant of the White House were not met. Said conditions are as follows: prevent the crossing south of the border of undocumented people and control the flow of fentanyl to the US. The occupant of the White House then gave Canada a reprieve after he gave Mexico one – a reprieve of one month. 

Canada has vast forests. Even before Trump issued the first condition, Canadian authorities were stopping undocumented crossers to the US. But, it’s not like the Mexican borders where the undocumented can be seen even at night time using night vision goggles. Nonetheless, with the threat looming to slap the tariffs, Canada has become more vigilant in its watch over these forests.

Fentanyl has become the drug of choice worldwide. It is administered to control the physical pain of someone who is ill. But, as in every drug, it can be used as a drug of leisure. And, sadly, this drug is now an issue in this trade war. US Customs seized 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl at the Canadian border compared with 9,570 kilograms from the Mexican border as stated in Fakiha Baig’s article at The Canadian Press of February 5, 2025, and featured in CBC, “Police are cracking down on fentanyl in Canada but say it has nothing to do with Trump”. The US customs and Border Patrol this past week stated “only about 0.2% of all seizures of fentanyl entering the US are made at the Canadian border; almost all the rest is confiscated at the US border with Mexico”.

So, this begs the question, is it really just about the tariffs? The official data on US trade as at the end of 2024 is that the US has a trade deficit of nearly 1.2 trillion US dollars. What this means in layman’s terms is that Americans have enjoyed the products of foreign countries more than they have the ones made in their country. One trillion is incomprehensible enough; 1.2 trillion makes me want to heave a heavy sigh.

What exactly is Trump’s motive for this heavy tariff he is about to slap on Canada next month. Steven Chase of The Globe and Mail, February 7, 2025, quotes The Canadian Prime Minister as follows, “Donald Trump wants to annex Canada to gain access to its critical minerals.”. The annexation of the Canada as the US ‘ 51st state is a dream of the 47th US President, a feather that would have the best place in his golf cap. And it is being used as a threat by this President through the 25% and 10% tariffs. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau suggests that one solution to prevent annexation is for a genuine free trade within Canada. This means provinces will have remove barriers between them. Doable? Yes, of course.

We’re not in the 1930s anymore when the Smoot-Hawley Act which proposed a 59.1% tariff which promised to revitalize rural economies in the US fell on the wayside. It didn’t cause the Great Depression but exacerbated it. Even prolonged it. It caused the downfall of US’ and Canada’s politicians. It was disastrous, as discussed by Christine Sismondo, March 18, 2018, Maclean’s Magazine. These days, we are the number one supplier of steel and aluminum to the US. Energy makes up for our biggest export as well, as stated in the NYTimes Newsletter, “Canada Letter”, January 18, 2025. On some days, Canada is the biggest trading partner of the US; other days, Mexico.

My question is this – why annex Canada and not Mexico. Or, if I may be bold enough, why not Puerto Rico which is a US protectorate.

In the pic above, Donald Trump (photo from Twitter-X @WhiteHouse)