This is a situation where social media can actually be helpful for a change, allowing Canadians to organize and share information so we can better support Canadian businesses and support the government's tariff response. We could probably do with a thread assembling all the various ideas people have - lists like the one posted a couple pages back - to resist and mitigate the impact of the tariffs.
The obvious things to do when spending money day-to-day:
1. Buy Canadian products.
2. If a Canadian product isn't available, buy a non-USA-produced product.
3. If you can't do either of the first two, buy a blue-state produced product.
4. Wherever possible, buy from a Canadian-owned/operated business.
In addition to physical products, review subscription services (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Sirius, WSJ) and cancel them. If you have the option of cancelling by phone, do that and tell the person you speak to flat out why you're doing it. If you must have a US streaming service (which will probably be most of us) then rotate through subscriptions rather than paying for 3-4 all at the same time.
Obviously, don't travel to or spend money in the USA to the extent you can avoid it.
If people or businesses in your community are impacted, consider what you can do to help them. If the tariffs end up devastating a particular region or industry and if you're in a position to do it, make donations to that region's food banks and other local charities so those most in need have additional support.
If you have friends, families, business contacts in the US - and if they're not Trump supporters - be kind and polite to them despite what their government is doing. As much as this is a political US/Canada battle, it's also an ideological one, and we want to keep our ideological allies in the States on our side to the extent we can.
These are all little things, but we need to get the ball rolling to not only sustain but actually build up Canadian businesses and capabilities in the long term. We're way behind in so many respects, but we can't do nothing, and we've got to start somewhere. And we should do many of these things even if the tariffs never actually come or are short lived.
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Oil is obviously our most valuable (on aggregate) and plentiful resource, and has the most potential to be ramped up in the short/medium term, but I'm getting annoyed that it's the only thing a lot of people are talking about. We need a major overhaul of the entire economy and diversify industries as well as export partners. O&G is a big part of that but not the only game in town.
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Oil is obviously our most valuable (on aggregate) and plentiful resource, and has the most potential to be ramped up in the short/medium term, but I'm getting annoyed that it's the only thing a lot of people are talking about. We need a major overhaul of the entire economy and diversify industries as well as export partners. O&G is a big part of that but not the only game in town.
Indeed. I'm certainly aware of the possible impact a trade war could have on the construction industry. The price of materials could seriously impact business.
I've got 20 people who depend on my company for their livelihoods. I don't want to face layoffs like we had to during Covid. Definitely need cool heads and unity in times like these.
Oil is obviously our most valuable (on aggregate) and plentiful resource, and has the most potential to be ramped up in the short/medium term, but I'm getting annoyed that it's the only thing a lot of people are talking about. We need a major overhaul of the entire economy and diversify industries as well as export partners. O&G is a big part of that but not the only game in town.
I don't think you are a wingnut, but you do sound like one.
You make it an all or nothing binary argument. Not all indigenous groups are against pipelines. Some support them and support has started popping up since the orange administration.
You have an opinion about about how this scenario will play out. You may be correct, but most likely you will be wrong. Either way, one man's opinion is no reason to act irresponsibly.
Some people who support pipelines are against them in certain places. I have a close friend who is a CEO of a large pipeline corporation. He would disagree with you even though his business is to move oil and he wants to see a more pipeline-friendly regime in this country. He just also happens to have respect for the natural environment and the rights and traditions of the people who were here first. Its about building concensus and finding solutions to problems, not just dropping the hammer and forcing people to accept things they don't want, even if they are wrong. That's what got us in this mess in the first place.
Honestly, you've been making this same argument for years; it's not really a Trump thing for you.
And to be clear, I get it. I understand what you are saying, and why you are saying it. Like you said, we disagree, but I feel that you are wrong in the way you would have your ideas implemented moreso than the ideas themselves.
Fair enough. What about this idea: do what I’m saying on the sorta “bull it through” approach with emergency legislation and sans consultation; but then just put it in the same right of way as the TMX expansion (as much as possible, there could be a few areas on the route where there will need to be some slight deviations). Follow the same environmental conditions and respect for previous consultation requests as the TMX expansion that just finished. Like the last consultation is pretty damn fresh and probably involves largely the exact same people.
That way you know you have more or less followed strict environmental guidelines and impacted parties requests as reasonably as possible given the urgency of the infrastructure. Again I think the port of Vancouver and/or dock / export infrastructure on the coast might need upgrading as well. Not too sure about that side of things and might kill the idea.
Concurrent with above you yes/ also pass emergency legislation to kickstart other economic drivers and industry supports that can be sold to alternative markets like Europe and Asia.
Basically go ham trying to diversify the whole economy but expand the pipeline as well.
We generally travel to the U.S. twice a year. Today my wife is checking around and asked if I want a few weeks in Palm Springs next month. No way, I said. We’ll find someplace else or winter here.
We disagree, all good. Nobody who wants this country to have an economic future for their kids or future generations is a “wingnut”. The pendulum has swung too far to favour environmentalists and indigenous groups because guess what? We don’t need to consult them because I’ll tell you what they say- they don’t want it. They strongly oppose it. They will not have pipelines. So what, the 40 million Canadians get ####ed because of the desires of a few?
Moreover, personally I think this is a super critical juncture in this nation’s history. I believe our sovereignty is at stake. The US strategy here is to crush us economically and then come in and say hey, join us, and you won’t have economic pain. In that context, how do indigenous think it’s going to be after being taken over by the USA? Will the billions in reconciliation transferred to Canadian First Nations continue with a country that has no economy or worse doesn’t even exist? Hell, the FN groups should be begging for this to be built.
Honestly, the ones who sound like wingnuts are the ones still thinking that Canadian environmental and oil and gas regulatory frameworks that got us into this disaster are the perfect recipe to get us out of it. Yeah let’s go poll people who hate pipelines to see if they’ll let us have an economic future.
Fair enough. What about this idea: do what I’m saying on the sorta “bull it through” approach with emergency legislation and sans consultation; but then just put it in the same right of way as the TMX expansion (as much as possible, there could be a few areas on the route where there will need to be some slight deviations). Follow the same environmental conditions and respect for previous consultation requests as the TMX expansion that just finished. Like the last consultation is pretty damn fresh and probably involves largely the exact same people.
That way you know you have more or less followed strict environmental guidelines and impacted parties requests as reasonably as possible given the urgency of the infrastructure. Again I think the port of Vancouver and/or dock / export infrastructure on the coast might need upgrading as well. Not too sure about that side of things and might kill the idea.
Concurrent with above you yes/ also pass emergency legislation to kickstart other economic drivers and industry supports that can be sold to alternative markets like Europe and Asia.
Basically go ham trying to diversify the whole economy but expand the pipeline as well.
There’s no room for another pipeline in that row and even if there was the limiting factor would then be vessel logistics into and out of that harbour. There’s no upgrading or solution for that.
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Even if Canada decided tomorrow to build pipelines, additional ports (or expansions), refineries, LNG terminals, and whatever else, we'd be years away from completing them. That's not even accounting for time lost for environmental assessments, and consultation with local authorities.
I hate to sound defeatist, but I think we're hooped.
Surely, the building of critical infrastructure now is required as a matter of national security. There must be recourse to emergency measures and/or legislation to get these under construction immediately?
There’s no room for another pipeline in that row and even if there was the limiting factor would then be vessel logistics into and out of that harbour. There’s no upgrading or solution for that.
Yeah I figured the ROW was packed but I was more meaning expand the existing. There’ll be areas it wouldn’t be able to be expanded for sure though I know.
Yes the harbour / dock system would be the limiting factor but last time I checked the map it’s a pretty gigantic coastline.
There’s no other country / group of people on Earth who scramble all over themselves to talk about why we can’t build things than Canadians.
Canada has become a country of people saying why things can’t work rather than why they can. Spending time on this website is a good example of that.
And again I go back to- if Canadians aren’t willing to do anything different, then we’re gonna get what’s coming. Most entitled people on Earth. We think we can continue to have the highest standard of living in the world and in exchange offer it no value. You either have to make stuff or sell resources. You don’t get to do nothing.
