Recent searches
Search options
A Canadian friend's perspective on US behavior since the Trump regime was installed:
---cut here---
One thing I've learned over the past few weeks, and it's been a bit of a sobering lesson, is that a lot of Americans I know don't actually know what's going on between the US and Canada right now, and just how seriously Canadians are taking this. So, against my better judgement, here's a timeline to explain why we're here, and why we're angry.
Nov 30th, 2018 - The United States, Canada and Mexico finalize a trade agreement. Trump personally negotiates the terms and signs the document, celebrating it as 'the greatest trade agreement in history". (This is important.)
Nov 29th, 2024 - In a face to face meeting, Trump threatens the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, that he will be imposing 25% tariffs and that if Canada wants to avoid that, it should join the US as a state.
Nov 30th, 2024 - Trump publicly calls our Prime Minister 'Governor Trudeau' and instructs his staff to only address him as Governor going forward. He again suggests Canada should join the USA.
Dec 3rd, 2024 - Trump remarks that he would split Canada into two states once annexed.
Dec 10th, 2024 - Trump posts that the majority of Canadians support annexation, despite public polling that only 13% of Canadians would consider the idea.
Dec 18th, 2024 - Trump again falsely states that the majority of Canadians support annexation and that one of his lapdogs, Wayne Gretzky, should have a leadership role in that new scenario.
Jan 7th, 2025 - At a press conference, Trump says that he would use economic force to destroy the Canadian economy to annex it.
Jan 14, 2025 - Trump again claims that most Canadians want to be American, despite new polls showing only 10% of us are open to the idea.
Jan 20th, 2025 - During his inaugural address, Trump says that the U.S. will 'expand its territory' during his second term.
Jan 23rd, 2025 - At the World Economic Forum, Trump says that Canada can avoid tariffs and economic collapse if it joins the US. He says this in front of representatives from most countries in the world.
Jan 24th, 2025 - Trump states publicly that Canada 'will' become a state
Jan 31st, 2025 - Trump announces a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports to begin the next day.
Feb 2nd, 2025 - Trump refers to Canada as its 'Cherished 51st state' and that it should join the US to avoid tariffs.
Feb 3rd, 2025 - A one month delay is agreed upon. Trump, in a conversation with Trudeau states that he doesn't think existing border treaties with Canada are valid, and need to be revised.
Feb 7th, 2025 - In a closed door meeting with his cabinet, Prime Minister Trudeau is recorded, without his knowledge, telling everyone that he believes very strongly that Trump is serious and that he stated his reason for annexation as Canadian resources.
Feb 9th, 2025 - In a Super Bowl pre-game interview, Trump says that he's serious about his threats, calling it a 'viable consideration for expanding US territory'
Feb 10th, 2025 - Trump announces an additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to come into effect March 12th.
Feb 24th, 2025 - Trump publicly remarks that whoever signed the USMCA agreement is an idiot. He was the one that signed it.
March 4th, 5th, and 6th 2025 - Tariffs come into effect. Canada retaliates with it's own tariffs. Tariffs are again postponed until April 1st after a huge market backlash.
March 4th, 2025 - In an address to a joint session of congress, Trump states that the US will own Greenland 'one way or the other'.
March 5th, 2025 - US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told Canadian finance minister Dominic LeBlanc that Trump "had come to realize that the relationship between the United States and Canada was governed by a slew of agreements and treaties that were easy to abandon."
March 7th, 2025 - Unconfirmed Memorandum and maps leaked on twitter reveal Trump is allegedly planning to annex the entirety of the great lakes and Southern Ontario, home to 13,491,332 Canadians. This amounts to 35.25% of Canada's total population and includes its largest city, Toronto. This region accounts for 38% of the Canadian economy, and its loss would make Canada's independence functionally impossible.
March 8th, 2025 - Canada's foreign minister warns European allies that their government considers Canada to be under existential threat.
March 9th, 2025 - Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister, in his acceptance speech, states that Trump is seeking to destroy Canada, and its way of life.
March 11, 2025 - President Trump threatens to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if Canada does not drop a 250% to 390% tariff on U.S. dairy products, which he doesn’t state only kicks in after a certain quantity of tariff-free U.S. dairy enters Canada, a quantity that was originally negotiated and agreed to by Trump during the USMCA in 2018.
In Trump's own words, "The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.
Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — And Canada will be a big part of that. The artificial line of separation drawn many years ago will finally disappear, and we will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the World — And your brilliant anthem, “O Canada,” will continue to play, but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!"
March 11th, 2025 PT. II - Peter Navarro, a Senior Advisor for Trump is interviewed by MSNBC. When asked about the tariffs he responds with "Just tamp it down, please, over there, ok? They're throwing down the hockey gloves. Stop that rhetoric...we're not going to tolerate anything but them stopping killing Americans", insinuating that this situation was caused by Canadians killing Americans.
March 11th, 2025 PT III - Trump again publicly muses that Canada, Greenland, and the US should be one country, and questions the validity of the Canadian and American border.
To my American friends, I know most of you are amazing and generous people. You didn't ask for this, and I understand that. I hold no ill will towards you, whatsoever. But I must stress, with as much seriousness as I can, the amount of damage this has done.
We have viewed you as our closest friend and ally for a century. We thought of you as brothers and sisters. We answered the call, again and again, for any support you needed from us. Most of Canadians visit the USA so much that we've seen more of the US than we have the rest of Canada.
American products have been taken off our shelves. Canadians are cancelling travel plans to the US. Photo after photo has been shared on social media of empty flights from Canada to the USA.
This isn't a joke to us. We're not overreacting. We don't think he's just saying this shit to cause chaos or negotiate a deal. We wholeheartedly believe that our closest ally and friend is about to bring violence across our border, economically destroy us, and eliminate our way of life.
The main driver for Canada's creation in 1867 was SPECIFICALLY to not be part of America, and to end America's very public threats and plans to annex our territory.
We're angry. We're really, really fucking angry. Open your eyes to what's happening because we're tired of trying to make you understand why and asking you why it seems like none of you care. **
I still hope that there is time to repair this. I still believe that this is the result of one man's plan to burn it all down. But time is running out, and fast.
@tprophet At this time, on behalf of the United States, I would like to offer Canada our unconditional surrender.
@segfaul7 @tprophet Thank you, that's probably for the best. Last time the USA attacked Canada, it did not end well for the USA. This time, Canada has NATO and the Commonwealth behind it, and honestly pretty much every member of both of those would seize the opportunity to both help a friend, of course, and slap that fool as a special bonus.
I'm sorry, where are you seeing all these other countries "behind" us?
Starmer said there's no light between him and Trump on Canada. Rutte pretty much laughed off Trump's Greenland talk in the Oval Office and did not challenge him on Canada.
There is no chorus of condemnation for Trump's words from world leaders, nor is there a chorus of support for Canada.
All of our allies will happily accept our destruction if it keeps US guns from pointing at them.
@AlexanderVI @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
That's only because nobody is taking it seriously yet.
trump is so full of shit that it's difficult to know when he is being serious
This is not one of those cases. Public statements, reports of direct conversations with Canadian officials, and the creep zone of Technocracy and American Imperialist enthusiasts around him are not hard to decode - in many cases they are perfectly explicit.
He is telling us all exactly what he plans to do.
It is not a joke. It is not a bit of random weirdness.
If what it takes to make I clear is a full spectrum invasion, we are doomed.
@AlexanderVI @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
I think there will be a huge international outcry, and even his own military will refuse to act on his orders.
I don't doubt that he is serious, but I think other leaders are reluctant to take his threats seriously
@Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
I am certain there is deep reluctance to take it seriously. Contemplating it requires completely rethinking all aspects of current military strategy.
I would like to believe the Joint Chiefs would balk and/or the JAGs would make a stink about legality. He has already removed likely impediments in both those institutions. Hegseth is clearly a "how high" yes-man.
@AlexanderVI @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
Trumps playing the same plan that Hitler used, down to the beer putsch, sentenced in court, won the election, instituting lebensraum, erasing LGBTQ (pink triangles), othering foreigners with extreme prejudice, and more.
And I don't believe he'll willingly leave the presidency after 4y. Hitler didnt, likely for similar 'emergency reasons' with ongoing wars with Canada and Greenland.
The only way he's leaving is the following:
Congress grows a pair and kicks his ass into prison.
An assassin actually does it right, and not that staged ear shit.
Or he goes out like the painter and offs himself.
@AlexanderVI @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
What do you mean "no notes"?
@pierat
I cannot add anything to what you have written, you have covered it quite precisely.
The phrase comes in this case from the entertainment business - when producers want creators to make changes to their vision, they provide comments that are referred to as "notes".
@AlexanderVI @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
Cool! I've never ran across that phrase. I learned something new 
@pierat @AlexanderVI @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
If there's any generals left with a spine and a conscience, the best(!) hope is a military coup.
@pierat @AlexanderVI @Captain_Jack_Sparrow @hatter @segfaul7 @tprophet
or health. Trips over golf clubs....