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The US has an incompetent autocratic leader, extreme wealth inequality, a secret police force that grabs people off the streets and sends them to torture camps,
unusually high rates of infant mortality, and an economy that only works for the wealthy...
Why doesn’t Canada want to join?

"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney completed a comeback victory for the governing Liberals in Monday's election,
positioning himself for a global role as a champion of multilateralism against U.S. President Donald Trump's more protectionist policies."

"I would like to thank Donald Trump without whom this would not have been possible." ~Mark Carney

"President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen." ~Mark Carney

"We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves and above all, we have to take care of each other." ~Mark Carney

Canadian Voter: "I think who I voted for would be the best to take care of Trump, because Trump is, I’m sorry to say, an asshole."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/28/americas/canada-ele...

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/carney-aims...

https://www.ft.com/content/f063d7df-3b55-460b-8a69...

https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social

Canadian Voter: "I think who I voted for would be the best to take care of Trump, because Trump is, I’m sorry to say, an asshole."

and unfortunately, this is pretty much the view of Trump across the world.

“America is back!”

Waaay back- in the “back of the bus” type of back.

Lulzies.
Canada just proved that the US doesn’t have the world’s dumbest voters after all.

10 years of idiot Labour rule with bad finances and problems up the wazoo and they just went for more all because Orange Man Bad.

LOLOLOL!

Canadian Voter: "I think who I voted for would be the best to take care of Trump, because Trump is, I’m sorry to say, an asshole."

And despite Trump's bragging, no one seems to want to 'kiss that asshole'.

TBH, i doubt trump can sustain interest in tariffs as
- nations realize donations\bribes do not guarantee a reliable contract, nor better deals
- trump realizes no further donations\bribes are coming, moves on to other grift
- economic forces present as hard data

that being said, canada will deliver a beatdown in negotiations if needed :
- Carney, Bank Gov for 2 nations, Ex-brookfield board
vs
- Trump, bankrupt enterprises in the double-digits. bibles, sneakers, and crypto scammer.

Canada just proved that the US doesn’t have the world’s dumbest voters after all.

Actually, it may have proved exactly that.

Trump is, I’m sorry to say, an asshole.

I can think of nothing more Canadian than pre-apologizing for calling Trump an asshole.

—Peter

Canada just proved that the US doesn’t have the world’s dumbest voters after all.

10 years of idiot Labour rule with bad finances and problems up the wazoo and they just went for more all because Orange Man Bad.

Which is the smart choice for them.

Trump is actively trying to harm Canada's interests. I mean, that's the point - he believes that Canada has been taking unfair advantage of the U.S., and he intends to stop it, which means taking away from Canada a lot of the things that have benefited them over the last many decades. Orange Man is bad for Canada. Given the magnitude of his efforts to reorganize U.S.-Canada trade relations, and the importance of the U.S. to Canada's economy, how to handle Orange Man's trade war against Canada is probably the most significant issue facing Canada in the immediate term.

So they wanted to elect someone who would vigorously fight against Trump. They adjudged that the Conservative Party would be less likely to do that. I think they're right. Trump made it so choosing the Liberal party was the smart move for Canada.

10 years of idiot Labour rule with bad finances and problems up the wazoo and they just went for more all because Orange Man Bad.

Yeah...no...
Canadians are happier with their lives than Americans, and rightly so...
In the 2025 World Happiness Report, Canada ranks 18th globally, while the United States has dropped to 24th-its lowest position ever. (Winning!)

Canadian households median net worth is $137,633 USD.
U.S. households median net worth is $107,739 USD

The US has a significantly higher maternal mortality rate than Canada.
The U.S. maternal mortality rate is approximately 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, the highest among high-income countries.
Canada’s maternal mortality rate is roughly half that, meaning it is about 11 deaths per 100,000 live births or lower.

The U.S. homicide rate is more than double that of Canada.

Everybody in Canada has health insurance.
Many Americans do not, (26 million Americans have no insurance and millions of others have inadequate coverage) our President says he has "part of a plan" to fix it.

Canadians live, on average, 4 years longer than Americans.

The poverty rate in the US is consistently higher than in Canada.
The U.S. poverty rate is around 17–19%, while Canada’s rate is about 10.5–13%.
The gap is even more pronounced for child poverty, with the U.S. rate more than double that of Canada.

Lastly Canadian Elections include a peaceful transfer of power. Not lies or coup attempts...that must be nice.

Inspired by Jim.
https://www.shrewdm.com/MB?pid=168463964

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by...

https://www.statista.com/statistics/233910/poverty...

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2022/america...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/world-happiness-rep...

Which is the smart choice for them.

Several more years of bad policy is a smart choice? Hey, if you say so!

There's a reason why Labour was down 20 points before the 51st state thing flared up: they're incompetent. Always have been. Carney might not be as far left as Trudeau was but his government will still be packed with the same people who've proved time and time again that they can't govern their way out of a wet paper bag.

Several more years of bad policy is a smart choice? Hey, if you say so!

There's a reason why Labour was down 20 points before the 51st state thing flared up: they're incompetent.

I do say so.

I don't think you realize - we're not the good guys to Canada any more. That's not just perception. We genuinely aren't going to be good guys to them - we're out to harm them. We've decided that we're no longer going to act as allies, but as adversaries. We have chosen to treat Canada as a rival going forward - perhaps the most disruptive and damaging shift to their situation that's happened in many decades. For the next three plus years, we are going to be actively working to hurt their economy and to try to eliminate them as a sovereign country so that we can annex them into our own.

So whatever domestic policy problems the Liberal Party (not Labour) has, the number one question for Canada in this election became who was better suited to deal with the American problem. Seen through that filter, Canada made the smart choice for them - because the Conservative party was perceived as being less able to forcefully fight the economic and diplomatic war with the U.S. Trump has made the U.S. the single biggest problem for Canada, and they chose their next government based on who best could try to solve that specific problem.

I don't think you realize - we're not the good guys to Canada any more.

You don't travel to Canada much. I do.
Even before there was ALWAYS an undercurrent of "big ugly southern neighbor" syndrome up there. It always manifests itself in Canadian elections and "The US is trying to take us over" is a popular trope in the Labour party.

Did Trump pour gasoline on it and fire a flare gun into it? Sure. But that doesn't change the fact that Canadian pols have used the US flag to smear each other over the years with the undertone of "Don't elect this guy or he'll make us into an American vassal".

For the next three plus years, we are going to be actively working to hurt their economy and to try to eliminate them as a sovereign country so that we can annex them into our own.

I've not noticed the line of tanks approaching the Peach Arch up in Blaine, WA. Maybe you'll let me know when they arrive.

Even before there was ALWAYS an undercurrent of "big ugly southern neighbor" syndrome up there. It always manifests itself in Canadian elections and "The US is trying to take us over" is a popular trope in the Labour party.

Again, it's not the Labour party - it's the Liberal party.

And Trump changed perception into reality. He's made it clear many times that he's not joking. He does want to take over Canada. And even if you don't credit that, he has fundamentally changed actual policy of the U.S. towards Canada. Unlike any time in the last many decades, the U.S. is genuinely and materially taking steps that will dramatically harm Canada. We are now treating them as an adversary and rival, and not an ally.

We've changed our policy, Dope. We're no longer the good guys to Canada, and we're not going to be the good guys to Canada any longer. We are now an adversary to them. In the immediate term, probably the most threatening to their well-being. So they picked the party that's going to be more inclined to push back against that adversary.

That was a smart move on their part. Bad for us - we'd be better off if they had elected someone more ideologically aligned with Trump, and therefore faced more pressure from their constituency to accommodate rather than push back on our newly implemented trade war. But definitely the right move for them.

Again, it's not the Labour party - it's the Liberal party.

Eh. Same philosophies, different continent. Way cooler to spell it with the 'ou' in there.

And Trump changed perception into reality.
I must have missed all the tanks along the border...

Unlike any time in the last many decades, the U.S. is genuinely and materially taking steps that will dramatically harm Canada. We are now treating them as an adversary and rival, and not an ally.

The other perspective on this is that Trump is making very, very aggressive moves on trade in an attempt to re-industrialize large swaths of the country. Do I agree with Slash and Burn negotiating tactics? No I don't.

Dope. We're no longer the good guys to Canada, and we're not going to be the good guys to Canada any longer. We are now an adversary to them. In the immediate term, probably the most threatening to their well-being. So they picked the party that's going to be more inclined to push back against that adversary.

Okay.

But definitely the right move for them.

Except for the fact that just like here the liberals are terrible at actually governing. BTW Trump will run over Carney in any negotiation. Poilievre would have been a far more capable representative of Canada's interests. They blew it.

I must have missed all the tanks along the border...

You think tanks are necessary for us to be an adversary to Canada? There's a reason why trade war is the metaphor that gets used.

The other perspective on this is that Trump is making very, very aggressive moves on trade in an attempt to re-industrialize large swaths of the country. Do I agree with Slash and Burn negotiating tactics? No I don't.

And those very, very aggressive moves will involve harming large swaths of Canada. He's not trying to hide this. He apparently believes that because we buy many billions of dollars of goods from Canada that we are "subsidizing" them, and he wants that to stop. But there's no way to stop it without severely harming Canada's economy. He's out to hurt them - quite severely. Which completely changed the election dynamic overnight there.

Except for the fact that just like here the liberals are terrible at actually governing. BTW Trump will run over Carney in any negotiation. Poilievre would have been a far more capable representative of Canada's interests. They blew it.

There's no indication that Trump can run over anyone in a negotiation. So far, all that's happened is the U.S. unilaterally giving concessions all over the place, because we've managed to create a situation where we have the weaker negotiating position and it's getting worse as time passes.

Trump's team completely misread the Chinese reaction to these trade moves. Trump needs Xi more than Xi needs Trump, and that increases over time - which is why China hasn't even come to the table. He hasn't been able to have any serious negotiations move forward past the initial phase, because Trump hasn't identified to his team or his counterparties what he actually wants. That's what sidelined the discussions with Japan, and the same is apparently happening with India. Since Trump doesn't actually know what he wants, that's not going to change going forward.

Which is why there hasn't been any material progress. Oh, sure - there's meetings. It's useful to someone like Modhi and Meloni to take a meeting with high-ranking U.S. officials. But those meetings aren't moving towards any actual agreements, because Trump doesn't know how to operate in a negotiation where the counterparty isn't forced into capitulation.

You think tanks are necessary for us to be an adversary to Canada? There's a reason why trade war is the metaphor that gets used.M</>

Carney is running around saying that Trump wants their land and resources and you're echoing that. To hear Carney tell it he expects US Paratroopers to come flying across the border Red Dawn style any day now. I'm half surprised he didn't scream WOLVERINES!!!!!! during his victory speech yesterday.

He's doing what left wing politicians do the world over: excuse their failures by hiding the weenie someplace else. In this case, south of his border.

And those very, very aggressive moves will involve harming large swaths of Canada. He's not trying to hide this. He apparently believes that because we buy many billions of dollars of goods from Canada that we are "subsidizing" them, and he wants that to stop.

You know who else made that very argument?

Justin Trudeau.

Now, why would the leader of Canada be raising a MAGA talking point? Do you think there may be even a slight amount of truth to it?

If not, then why did JT go there?

There's no indication that Trump can run over anyone in a negotiation. So far, all that's happened is the U.S. unilaterally giving concessions all over the place, because we've managed to create a situation where we have the weaker negotiating position and it's getting worse as time passes.

Is that so? I think you're not watching China as closely as you should. Google "ethane China imports" and tell me what you find.

Trump needs Xi more than Xi needs Trump, and that increases over time

Hmm, let's repeat this back to you:
So the country that runs a trade *surplus* is 100% in the driver's seat when the country that has a massive trade *deficit* cries foul?

Sure about that? Are you familiar enough with Chinese internal politics to muse over what happens to Xi if all of a sudden thousand of Chinese factories sit idle and a bunch of ships sit out at port with nowhere to go?

That's what sidelined the discussions with Japan

Also not correct. The Japanese and South Koreans are waiting for their elections before doing anything.

and the same is apparently happening with India.

Nope. Not according to Modi himself.

Carney is running around saying that Trump wants their land and resources and you're echoing that.

Actually Carney is the one doing the primary “echoing”- of Donald Trump.

So the country that runs a trade *surplus* is 100% in the driver's seat when the country that has a massive trade *deficit* cries foul?

Absolutely. Nearly all of what China sells to us can be sold anywhere, and we only buy 15% of their exports. A lot of important things we buy from China can't be bought from other countries. We depend on China to provide things we can't get elsewhere, because they're not made elsewhere (or at least not in quantity).

China's problems can mostly be solved with money - making sure that the people who are made unemployed get enough support to make it through the trade war that someone else started. Ours cannot - we don't have a way to get people the stuff they will want to buy due to a trade war that we started.

Plus, China's an authoritarian country, and we're a democracy. Which means that the Chinese government will be able to insulate itself from public discontent in a way that the U.S. government cannot. If the Chinese government tells their populace that they have to accept being poorer because Trump decided to upend the global trade system, they will have to swallow it. If Trump tells the voters they have to accept being poorer because he wanted to upend the global trade system, they will punish the GOP in the midterms and vote a Democrat into office in 2028.

Also not correct. The Japanese and South Koreans are waiting for their elections before doing anything.

Nope. They made it very clear that the Administration couldn't articulate to them what they wanted. Here's a Fox correspondent making the point:

https://x.com/CGasparino/status/191435919350453486...

Absolutely.

Uhh, sure.

Nearly all of what China sells to us can be sold anywhere, and we only buy 15% of their exports.


Okay. Guess we'll see about that.

Plus, China's an authoritarian country, and we're a democracy. Which means that the Chinese government will be able to insulate itself from public discontent in a way that the U.S. government cannot.

Sure. Tiananmen-square style.

If Trump tells the voters they have to accept being poorer because he wanted to upend the global trade system, they will punish the GOP in the midterms and vote a Democrat into office in 2028.

I look forward to the failure of this entire thing and a democrats Supermajority behind President AOC in 2028. Let's make it happen!

You don't travel to Canada much. I do.
Even before there was ALWAYS an undercurrent of "big ugly southern neighbor" syndrome up there. It always manifests itself in Canadian elections and "The US is trying to take us over" is a popular trope in the Labour party.

Dope, I've been to Canada a few times - how do you think we got "big ugly southern neighbor"? Because we are. "The Ugly American" is an old movie, but all you have to do is familiarize yourself with our history in Latin America, and it's apparent. Loo at it a neutrally as you can - see if there's any justification for the views.

how do you think we got "big ugly southern neighbor"? Because we are. "The Ugly American" is an old movie, but all you have to do is familiarize yourself with our history in Latin America, and it's apparent. Loo at it a neutrally as you can - see if there's any justification for the views.

You understand that...these feelings therefore precede Trump by many decades, right? Perhaps you should look at it through a more neutral lens.

You understand that...these feelings therefore precede Trump by many decades, right?

O think the point being made is that after working our way out of being the uglies, Trump threw it away in less than a 100 days because he has a 10 year old street kid's understanding of economics.

We've changed our policy, Dope. We're no longer the good guys to Canada, and we're not going to be the good guys to Canada any longer. We are now an adversary to them. - albaby

---------------------

So trade deficits should be allowed to continue into infinity because "fairness" guarantees permanent subsidies to all counties who have long depended on a reliable slice of US wealth as well as the protection of our military. That free ride is over at least until the dems can restore the slow bleed of the prior status quo.

So trade deficits should be allowed to continue into infinity because "fairness" guarantees permanent subsidies to all counties who have long depended on a reliable slice of US wealth as well as the protection of our military. That free ride is over at least until the dems can restore the slow bleed of the prior status quo.

You have to remember that we are the ones who built the current global financial and trading system, for the most part. And we built it to benefit us.

We set it up so that the U.S. would maintain the reserve currency, which would be used for the lion's share of the world's global financial transactions. Almost all of the major international commercial treaties (on intellectual property, on capital movements, on mail and postage, on air travel and shipping) were set up with us getting to have the dominant hand on the tiller, and to our benefit. Everyone agreed to use the dollar as the reserve currency. All of the rich countries of the world agreed to mostly (but not entirely) cooperate towards integrating their economies. Because we mostly cooperated and integrated our economies, everyone got richer than they would have - and the U.S. got the most rich of all. The Pax Americana.

Trump doesn't understand this. His business sense was formed in the dog-eat-dog world of NY real estate, where there are no "win-win" deals. If someone else is winning, it means you're losing. If they're happy with the deal, it means you've left money on the table. The idea of mutually cooperative transactions where both parties win over time, and where both parties are better off in the deal, is an alien concept to him. He thinks if he can hurt the counterparties, he can make us richer. So he's blowing it all up.

Now, that's phenomenally stupid, because that's not how the system works. We are all richer because we're (mostly) not using financial and trade policy to impoversh each other. By calling a ceasefire on trade barriers, we made all of the countries richer. Now we're just going to make ourselves poorer. And we're going to make everyone else poorer. Canada and Europe, who have spent decades integrating their economies into the global financial and trade system that we wanted, are going to get massively hurt. The cooperative partnership has been broken, and the U.S. is now going to act as an adversary to all the developed nations.

So Canada is taking steps to try to protect themselves and be less hurt by Trump deciding he doesn't want to stay in the global partnership that help make the U.S. the richest country in the world. To do that, they need a leader that will be motivated to aggressively fight for Canada's interests against those of the U.S., rather than the old way of mutual cooperation. Which is why they chose a Liberal, rather than the Conservative, government - they don't want their leadership to share a common ideology with that of Trump, so that the leadership will have maximum flexibility to fight with Trump without being crosswise with their electoral base.

"So trade deficits should be allowed to continue into infinity because "fairness" guarantees permanent subsidies to all counties who have long depended on a reliable slice of US wealth"

Thinking that a trade deficit with another country means we are subsidizing them demonstrates a clear ignorance of economics.

Are you subsidizing McDonald's because you have a trade deficit with them?

Stop letting the cult take advantage of your ignorance. Educate yourself. Stop playing the fool and destroying our country.

"So trade deficits should be allowed to continue into infinity because "fairness" guarantees permanent subsidies to all counties who have long depended on a reliable slice of US wealth"

Well one way to bring these trade deficits* down is make us a lot poorer, this seems to be what Trump is attempting...so far so good!

*Economists have repeatedly pointed out that Trump's trade deficit numbers ignored the services sector, grossly overstating these deficits.
(Services are a major area of U.S. comparative advantage and export strength.)

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/04/trumps-misleadin...

Our MAGA friends are facing a tough question: how much longer can they pretend that Trump isn't cratering the economy?

Trump made it so choosing the Liberal party was the smart move for Canada.

And not just Canada. Even in the US, it will be the smart choice in 2026 and 2028 (at the minimum).

"Our MAGA friends are facing a tough question: how much longer can they pretend that Trump isn't cratering the economy?"

shit, you watch the video's of Trump, in January 2025, claiming that the stock market performance was due to the fact that Trump was elected, and now he is on video saying that the poor stock market performance since then is Biden's fault ?

A person would have to be braindead to hear those conflicting statements and still be a Trump supporter. But MAGA is either too damn stupid to recognize that Trump plays them for total and complete fools, or MAGA is just willfully blind to Trump's BS. What a bunch of saps.

Except for the fact that just like here the liberals are terrible at actually governing. BTW Trump will run over Carney in any negotiation. Poilievre would have been a far more capable representative of Canada's interests. They blew it.

You are a joke.

You make foolish statements with nothing but your Dunning-Kruger gut to back them up with.

Even before there was ALWAYS an undercurrent of "big ugly southern neighbor" syndrome up there.

Odd. My travels in Canada, while not frequent, have been extensive and I have never felt that 'undercurrent'. Truly. Canadians have been very kind and welcoming for the most part and I can't think of one really negative encounter.

That may be different now. My last trip over the border was 3 years ago.

Dope, in this and some other areas, it could be that you are carrying around a chip on your shoulder.

Trump will run over Carney in any negotiation.

After the first meeting, Canada will own most of the US--omitting Florida, of course.

Our MAGA friends are facing a tough question: how much longer can they pretend that Trump isn't cratering the economy?

Many will never give up on this criminal POTUS no matter what. Bizarre.

But when the pressure to back off his idiotic 'economic' policies grows too great, he will back down and declare a huge victory. And MAGA will cheer.

Today In Canada:
"We’re expanding the Canadian Dental plan. Because of this plan, millions of people can now see a Dentist. Soon millions more will get that same care." ~Mark Carney

Today in America:
"Well, maybe the children will have 2 dolls instead of 30 dolls. And maybe the 2 dolls will cost more than they would normally." ~Trump

Why doesn’t Canada want to be our 51st state?

So all this time in paradise Canada with great "health care" millions couldn't see a Dentist?

Curious, that.

PS: In due time they'll turn on Carney. They'll turn on Trump. They'll sour on President Beshear, AOC, whatever.

Why?

Culture sucks. Traditions abandoned.

Socioeconomics as set by Club 401K, sucks for the majority.

And may these factors continue to compound and pay interest - sometimes peaceful. And hopefully most of the time not.

UN Peacekeepers as America's ballot boxes.

I'll accept nothing less.

in the meantime, all this other noise is fun and small wins here and there :)

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