The heads of the two main automotive lobbies were on the Hill yesterday to call for a resumption of negotiations so that tariff-free access can be returned to the auto sector, which is integrated across the border. The problem is that it’s not Canada that’s the problem here, it’s the US, and not just Trump. To wit, even Democrats are saying they would keep tariffs in place, particularly ones the UAW are calling for.
The trouble, you see, is that the U.S. now has two pro-tariff parties.
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T00:25:07.710Z
The UAW want to keep the section 232 tariffs in place to protect the US auto industry, Canada be damned. So much for so-so-solidarity with their Canadian brethren and sistren! I think that the auto industry in this country needs to seriously start thinking about a different future because we’re not going to get back to the old status quo. There is simply too much pressure in the US to maintain protectionism, and that ends badly for us, and the longer we keep waiting for something to change in the hopes that the old normal will return, the more our industry is going to suffer.
Disinfo cowardice
Canada has withdrawn its sponsorship of a European disinformation conference because of American pressure. Some of the panels at this conference included discussions of Americans as sources of disinformation, and so they leaned on us, and Lithuania, among others, to pull out, and Canada backed out. They made a bunch of excuses about how there were changes to the “framing” of several panels, which organizers disputed and had receipts, and the CBC even used the Wayback Machine to confirm that Global Affairs was lying to them. This is a very bad sign for the future, and where we can assert our own sovereignty, especially in the face of American pressure and yes, disinformation. Once again, Carney is showing cowardice while making a big roar.
4 What does the Carney government‘s inability to withstand pressure over a few panels at a conference tell us about its willingness to actually regulate US tech companies, or to pursue “digital sovereignty”? Does Mark Carney’s digital sovereignty include predatory and monopolistic US corporations?
— Blayne Haggart (@bhaggart.bsky.social) 2026-10-08T10:46:22.753Z
Ukraine Dispatch:
After a Russian glide bomb strike on busses in Kramatorsk which killed 35 people, President Zelenskyy (correctly) accused the Americans of inaction. (In fact, they are busy negotiating business deals with Russia, who has no interest in ending the war).
Noteworthy:
- GHG emissions were back on the rise in 2025, while the tiny dip in emissions from the oil and gas sector were because of more efforts to trap methane.
- First Nations from along the proposed pipeline route and from the oilsands region are raising concerns about the National Interest designation of the pipeline.
- Supriya Dwivedi worries about the broader implications of the Brad Bradford mayoral campaign in Toronto using digital asbestos to push online content.
C-22 is a Very Bad Bill, but I remain unconvinced that the Senate will meaningfully amend it. We will probably see a few half-hearted amendments proposed and defeated, the bill will pass, and senators will engage in a round of self-congratulation for how "independent" they are.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-10-08T23:06:57.093Z
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