There was more reaction to the threatened Section 338 tariffs yesterday, particular from the premiers, who were meeting in Charlottetown, though those reactions were mixed. Doug Ford was full of bluster and saying that if we cut off oil and potash, we could “dismantle” the US, while Danielle Smith and Scott Moe, true to form, insisted that no, we mustn’t use those products for retaliation. Prime minister Mark Carney had a curb-side press conference to say that he spoke with Trump this morning and that they will “intensify negotiations,” whatever that is supposed to mean, because apparently the thinking is that we can still come to some kind of trade agreement with the US? Even though there is no agreement to be had, and never will be? I also note that if you look at how provinces are affected by these threatened tariffs that Alberta and Saskatchewan are barely threatened at all—it’s quite clear that a lot of these were chosen to exacerbate divisions.
There's a lot of variation across #cdnecon in exposure to the new 50% U.S. tariffs (on August 19). Here's a preliminary estimate of the share of exports affected (based on HS6, so a slight over-estimate). BC/ON/QC most exposed. Others far less so.
— Trevor Tombe (@trevortombe.bsky.social) 2026-07-21T19:53:38.355840Z
https://bsky.app/profile/emmettmacfarlane.com/post/3mr6jtyqv522e
https://bsky.app/profile/emmettmacfarlane.com/post/3mr6jxnjdk22e
News In Photo:
— The Beaverton (@thebeaverton.com) 2026-07-21T18:13:17.448Z
Meanwhile, senior officials have confirmed that what Carney said about the bridge agreement was wrong, and that the revenue-sharing is tolls minus operations (like snow clearing) and not post-debt repayment, meaning that it’s likely he was being misleading in the media. But in light of the latest threats, the Canadian government has decided not to attend any kind of ribbon-cutting when it opens next week, because why should they?
My Latest:
For National Magazine, I delve into why the government’s Digital Safety Act is very likely unconstitutional, and completely unworkable.
Ukraine Dispatch:
A Russian guided bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia has killed at least three people. A Liberian-flagged ship headed to Ukraine was attacked off the coast of Romania. Following days of protests, president Zelenskyy replaced General Oleksander Syrskyi as the head of the army with Mykhailo Drapatyi.
Noteworthy:
- Mike Moffatt suggests there is a better way to measure the true home ownership rate in the country than what we do currently.
- Andrew Coyne points out that nothing will assuage Trump, and there is no winning with him, so we might as well just do what we want.
They’re going to milk this in playing the victim for weeks, if not months. Thanks for that, Fife!
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-07-21T22:07:05.898Z
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