Tag: canada

Alberta to impose EV tax starting next Thursday

Starting February 13, Alberta’s electric car drivers will be subject to an EV tax. A $200 surcharge will be added to their tab when they renew their annual registration.

“Owners of electric vehicles use the same roads as other Albertan drivers,” said Alberta’s Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally. “It’s only fair they contribute to public services, including those that ensure the continued safety and upkeep of Alberta’s roads.”

The province says it addresses concerns on tax fairness, according to a prior government news release, with drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles paying similar fuel tax charges each year. 

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Mexico, Canada Will Each Send Troops to Border in Effort To Stop Trump Tariffs

Hours before President Donald Trump’s tariffs were slated to go into effect, Mexico agreed to immediately send 10,000 troops to its border with the United States to curb the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants, prompting Trump to pause the tariffs for one month. Canada soon followed suit, promising to send troops to its U.S. border in exchange for a tariff pause.

“Mexico will immediately reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard to prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl,” Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum told Trump during a Monday morning call. Trump confirmed the tariff pause in a Truth Social post, noting that “these soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country.”

Hours later, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Monday afternoon that Canada will be “reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel” and that “nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.”

“Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar,” Trudeau continued. “We will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.”

In exchange, Trudeau finished, “proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days.”

The agreement comes two days after Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada to “protect” Americans from the “major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs.” Both Canada and Mexico announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Trump also levied a 10 percent tariff on China, which remains poised to take effect on Tuesday.

Mexico will also expand an import substitution plan, dubbed Plan Mexico, to reduce reliance on Chinese imports and produce more goods in Mexico, Sheinbaum said at a news conference after the call.

The United States will engage in further negotiations with Mexico and Canada during the pause, Trump said on Truth Social. “As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans,” Trump wrote. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome.”

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CEO of Canada’s 2nd-biggest company defends Trump’s tariff demands, slams Trudeau for not stopping trade war

The CEO of Canada’s second-largest publicly traded company says Canadians want their government to do all the things that President Trump is demanding — and slammed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not preventing the trade war.

Trump, 78, on Saturday, signed an executive order to slap 25% across-the-board tariffs on America’s northern neighbor, citing its failure to meet his demands on helping stop the fentanyl and illegal immigration trade.

“Canada thrives when it works with America together. Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain,” Tobi Lutke, who co-founded Shopify, wrote on X.

“These are things that every Canadian wants its government to do, too. These are not crazy demands, even if they came from an unpopular source. These tariffs are going to be devastating to so many people’s lives and small businesses.”

Lutke’s withering critique came in response to a clip of Trudeau announcing 25% retaliatory tariffs on $107 billion worth of US goods and pushing for policies targeting red states.

Shopify, the e-commerce giant that Lutke co-founded in 2006, is worth about $150 billion. It’s Canada’s biggest tech company and biggest-ever startup — and second only to the Royal Bank of Canada in size.

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Canada announces US tariffs on hold for 30 days after Justin Trudeau holds ‘good phone call with President Trump’

President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a temporary deal Monday evening to halt the imposition of 25% tariffs on each other’s imports for 30 days while a final border security pact gets hashed out.

Trump, 78, and Trudeau, 53, spoke on the phone twice Monday before announcing the agreement, with Canada set to ensure 10,000 troops will be stationed at the northern border and the PM vowing to take steps to crack down on fentanyl smuggling.

“Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country,” Trump announced on Truth Social, following the call with Trudeau. “Canada will implement their $1.3 Billion Border plan.”

“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that,” he added. “I am very pleased with this initial outcome.”

In a separate post on X, Trudeau indicated that Canada would move ahead with its $1.3 billion border plan announced in December, weeks after Trump first threatened the 25% duties that were due to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. (Canadian energy products would have been subjected to a lower 10% rate.)

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Survey: Nearly Half of Canadian Businesses Plan to Move Production to the U.S — 60% Are Looking for Business Acquisitions In Response to Trump Tariffs

A seismic shift is underway in Canada’s business landscape as President Trump’s tariffs drive companies south of the border.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump enacted substantial tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. These measures are designed to address pressing national concerns, including illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and trade imbalances.

The administration has imposed a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico, with a 10% tariff specifically on Canadian energy exports. Imports from China are now subject to a 10% tariff.

According to a new KPMG survey, nearly half of Canadian businesses (48%) are actively planning to move production or investments to the United States to stay competitive, while 60% are exploring acquisitions in the U.S. market.

Recognizing the writing on the wall, an overwhelming 65% of Canadian businesses took proactive measures before President Trump even stepped into office.

Many began shipping goods to the U.S. ahead of potential tariffs, ensuring their products avoided any sudden cost increases.

“The new U.S. administration’s economic and trade policies are having huge ripple effects in Canada and around the world,” says Lucy Iacovelli, Canadian Managing Partner, Tax and Legal, KPMG in Canada. “There are important steps that Canadian businesses can take to prepare for trade disruption and higher costs and build resiliency.

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Trump’s Tariff War

The leaders of Canada and Mexico are indignant because Trump slammed 25 percent tariffs onto their exports. In this dispute, most of the world will side with Canada and Mexico, and Trump will be viewed as mean, erratic and even racist. It is likely that Democrats will also blast Trump, but that will be a mistake — for Democrats.

For years, the nation has talked about massive numbers of fentanyl deaths, yet there has been little or no relief. Trump is taking the only action that is likely to alleviate the problem in a significant way.

On this issue, the resistance offered by Canada and Mexico has been disgraceful. President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico put the blame entirely on the United States, and promised her own 25 percent retaliatory tariffs.

Sheinbaum arrogantly declared that Americans can solve the fentanyl problem by combating “the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don’t do.” In an ideal world, that might be a solution. However, our “main cities” are run by Democrat mayors and district attorneys, and they don’t care much about crime unless it can be pinned onto someone in MAGA world. To solve the illegal migrant and drug problem, we need more cooperation from Mexico, as Sheinbaum should know.

The response of Canada’s prime minister is just as inadequate. Justin Trudeau indicated that Canada will issue its own 25 percent tariffs, targeted towards certain U.S. products. He then tried to sweet-talk Americans by claiming that the border and drug problems are not very significant (“…already safe and secure”), and that Canada has implemented a major plan to remedy the minor problem. Let’s examine Trudeau’s big plan.

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Canada Has Detailed Retaliation Plan to Harm Republican States the Most in Response to Trump’s Tariffs

Why is Canada targeting Republican-led states?

President Trump officially imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China on Saturday after they had ignored his threats.

Trump slapped the tariffs on the three countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

  • 25% tariffs on all Mexico imports
  • 25% tariffs on nearly all Canadian imports — 10% on Canadian energy resources
  • 10% tariffs on all China imports

“Today, I have implemented a 25% Tariff on Imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian Energy), and a 10% additional Tariff on China. This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl. We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all. I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it,” President Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday.

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Since 2018, Over 75,000 Canadians Died Waiting for Health Care

If you think Canada has such a great nationalized health care system, you need to reconsider.

Death by Delay

SecondStreet reports 15,474 Canadians Died Waiting for Health Care in 2023-24

Today, SecondStreet.org released government data showing an additional 15,474 patients in Canada died in 2023-24 before receiving various surgeries or diagnostic scans. However, that number is incomplete, as several governments provide either partial data, or simply do not track the problem.

SecondStreet.org collected the data by filing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests across Canada. When the data collected is extrapolated across jurisdictions which did not provide data, the number actually nearly doubles, to around 28,077. These figures cover everything from cancer treatment and heart operations to cataract surgery and MRI scans.

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Trump Sets Saturday Deadline for 25% Tariffs on Mexico and Canada to Force Action on Illegal Migration and Fentanyl Crisis

President Donald Trump has set a Saturday deadline to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada.

The administration asserts that these tariffs will remain until both neighboring countries take substantial measures to curb the flow of unauthorized migrants and illicit drugs into the United States.

This announcement follows a recent agreement with Colombia, where the threat of similar tariffs led the Marxist president to fold like a cheap suit and begin accepting deported migrants.

In a statement from the Oval Office Thursday, President Trump emphasized the urgency of the situation.

“Mexico and Canada have never been good to us on trade. They’ve treated us very unfairly on trade,” Trump said.

“We’ll be announcing the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a number of reasons. Number one is the people that have poured into our country so horribly and so much.

“Number two are the drugs, fentanyl and everything else that have come into the country. Number three are the massive subsidies that we’re giving to Canada and to Mexico in the form of deficits.

“I’ll be putting the tariff of 25% on Canada and separately 25% on Mexico. We will really have to do that because we have very big deficits with those countries. Those tariffs may or may not rise with time,” Trump said.

When asked about whether he would impose tariffs on Canadian and Mexican oil, Trump said, “We may or may not. We’re going to make that determination probably tonight.”

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CBSA refusing to honour pardon for Jan. 6 fugitive detained in B.C.

The Canada Border Services Agency is refusing to honour U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to pardon those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot in Washington D.C.

An Indiana man detained in a Surrey, B.C. immigration detention centre may soon be free to return following U.S. President Trump’s executive order to pardon all those involved in storming the Capitol building in Washington in 2021. 

Antony Vo, 32, fled to Canada to make an asylum claim to avoid sentencing after being convicted of four non-violent misdemeanours that occurred during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.

“It has been a long fight for my client but I am happy he has been pardoned in the USA so he will likely drop his claim and return to the USA,” Vo’s U.S. lawyer Damilo Ausni told True North. 

The CBSA attempted to intervene in the matter by sending a letter to the Immigration Refugee Board last week prior to Vo’s hearing to state that he was “not on the list of individuals pardoned by the US President.”

Along with specific individuals pardoned by name in the executive order, Trump also granted “a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

Vo’s legal representation in Canada, Robert Tibbo, told the National Post that his client’s counsel in the U.S. all indicate that “yes, 100%, he’s been pardoned.” 

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