Summary

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced he is canceling a $100M contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink and banning U.S. firms from provincial contracts in retaliation for Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada.

Ford warned that American companies could lose “tens of billions” in revenues.

Canada and Mexico have imposed counter-tariffs, while Ontario also plans to remove American liquor brands from stores.

Trump responded by suggesting Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state to avoid tariffs, arguing Canada’s trade surplus makes it economically dependent on the U.S.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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    21 hours ago

    Government-run liquor stores in B.C. have begun pulling “red-state” U.S.-made alcohol brands from store shelves as part of the province’s initial response to new American tariffs on Canadian goods.

    I like that BC is specifically targeting US liquor made in red states. Not that I disagree with the wholesale removal of US liquor brands in Ontario, but I appreciate BC calling out red states specifically.

    Not sure if there’s anything my red state produces that is exported to Canada, but feel free to block those too.

    • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
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      20 hours ago

      Fuck it, he runs all of the us, not just the red states.

      Pull it all until the citizens really feel the burn and fight back internally. Zero reason even slightly negotiating with him

      • atzanteol
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        20 hours ago

        It’s more effective to target his supporters though. If they block Kentucky Bourbon but still allow California wine then the right people will be angry and his opposition will be stronger.

        • iAmTheTot
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          20 hours ago

          I disagree. Placing the same restrictions on blue states also motivates them to speak up and rally against Trump. Plus, don’t discount how many red voters exist in blue states. They are worth reaching as well.

          • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            The people in the blue states already do speak up and rally against Trump. It hasn’t helped in the past and won’t help in the future, partly because they don’t have any power under the Electoral College, partly because it makes Trump voters double down, and partly because red states see it as a good thing to be doing something that makes blue states angry. They will happily harm themselves if it also harms liberals.

            Your last point is true, though. There are more Trump voters in CA than there are in some large number of red states combined.

            • iAmTheTot
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              15 hours ago

              Your first paragraph is undercut by your second.

              I didn’t say blue voters. I said people in blue states. That means blue voters, red voters, independent voters, and non voters. I meant everyone in those blue states should feel the effects and speak up and out.

              • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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                13 hours ago

                And those voters would still vote for Trump. They will claim their hardships weren’t due to Canada’s tariffs but due to California having too high of taxes and not giving them enough water.

            • jj4211@lemmy.world
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              14 hours ago

              Many of the blue states send republicans to the house, and if those districts went the other way, we’d actually have a house that might actually be interested in holding Trump accountable.

        • jj4211@lemmy.world
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          14 hours ago

          Note that without California republican House members, the GOP wouldn’t have a majority. Nevada despite being a ‘Red State’, contributes more democrat than republican representatives. If three red house races had went the other way, Trump would have had much more meaningful resistance.

          The federal government ultimately has authority over the blue states, and as such Trump and American companies have access to their resources and/or status.

        • photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          20 hours ago

          It’s not. They’ll see it as more evidence of the globohomo hegemony punishing the poor, oppressed right and further cement their worldview.

          • atzanteol
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            20 hours ago

            It’s not just trump though, people vote in local elections as well. You want Newsom to be strong and Kentucky conservatives to be weak.

    • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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      20 hours ago

      I support pulling all the US liquor from Ontario stores. It’s a luxury that can very easily be replaced by Canadian products.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        Done and done.

        “As part of Ontario’s response strategy to the imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, the government of Ontario has directed (the) LCBO to indefinitely stop all sales of U.S. alcohol products in our stores and online and to stop wholesale sales of U.S. products to restaurants, bars, grocery and other retailers no later than Feb. 4, 2025,” a spokesperson from the LCBO confirmed to national broadcaster CTV News.

        • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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          8 hours ago

          It is. Right now I’m quite interested in buying Canadian though, to support this country through a difficult time.