Canada should not respond to potential U.S. tariffs with retaliatory tariffs, as this would primarily harm Canadian consumers by driving up prices. Instead, Canada should leverage its industrial and technological capabilities to undermine the monopolistic rent-seeking of American corporations by legalizing and promoting third-party modifications, repairs, and alternative marketplaces for technology, agriculture, and other industries. By dismantling restrictive intellectual property laws—many of which were imposed under the USMCA trade agreement—Canada could become a global hub for jailbreaks, independent app stores, and right-to-repair solutions, thereby reducing dependence on U.S. tech monopolies and fostering a new high-tech economy that directly benefits Canadian consumers and businesses.
As soon as I heard “retaliatory tariffs” I was like Jesus fuck why? Can we maybe think for longer than three seconds about this in terms of effecting the working class citizens of Canada? Retaliate in ways that hurt American citizens and benefit us. Destabilize the country instead of just making both worse.
In order to support tariffs, you must first support eliminating jobs and companies getting rid of emplyees due to lack of sales from the higher prices. Tariffs on Canadian imports means Canadians lose their jobs. Retaliating with tariffs on American imports means Americans lose their jobs.
