Hello,
The federal government says it will retaliate for new U.S. tariffs with tit-for-tat measures of its own.
The U.S. Trump administration said yesterday it was once again imposing tariffs on Canadian-made aluminium. The Canadian government has released a list of possible trade targets, including washing machines, which will go into effect in 30 days.
Canadian politicians were quick to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump for instigating another trade conflict.
“This administration is the most protectionist administration in U.S. history,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters today.
“Who does this? In times like these, who tries to go after your closest ally, your closest trading partner, your No. 1 customer in the entire world?” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said.
Mr. Trump said yesterday that Canadian manufacturers were flooding the U.S. market, even though the United States does not produce enough aluminum domestically to meet its own production demands.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Canada added another 419,000 jobs in July, according to Statistics Canada’s monthly employment report, but the unemployment rate for racialized groups is almost twice as high as for white Canadians.
The federal government is in talks with Lebanon to supply grain on an emergency basis, as the port explosion destroyed Beirut’s main silos.
A 72-year-old Canadian in the U.S. who was awaiting deportation has died while staying at a detention centre with a COVID-19 outbreak.
Toronto Public Health is warning that Ontario’s back-to-school plan will hasten the spread of the coronavirus unless class sizes are reduced.
China has sentenced a four Canadian to death over drug charges.
And nearly three years into her five-year term as Governor-General, Julie Payette has not moved into her official residence in Rideau Hall, despite the office spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to address her privacy concerns.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on whether the time is right for a national daycare plan: “As it happens, Mr. Trudeau is, in a sense, shopping for policies. His government rushed out emergency-response programs and is now starting to ponder the longer-term rebuilding plan. They are said to be contemplating big things – and a national child-care program fits that bill.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how Canada and the U.S. are doing in the pandemic: “This is less a statement of how well Canada has handled the pandemic than how poorly the United States has. While our death rate, per capita, now ranks among the best in the world, it was among the very worst earlier. Our infection rate is distinctly middle-of-the-pack. Compared with top crush-the-curvers such as South Korea, Taiwan or New Zealand, Canada and the U.S. appear more similar than different.”
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail) on what will happen when there’s a novel coronavirus vaccine: “But unless the vast majority of Canadians are willing to line up to receive those vaccines (should they be approved for use) those agreements won’t be worth all that much. The COVID-19 vaccine challenge is one part developing and distributing the thing, one part actually persuading people to get it.”
Danielle Smith (Edmonton Journal) on what’s next for the Canada Student Service Grant: “There’s an easy way to salvage the program: the Canada Revenue Agency should establish a portal so students can apply for up to $5,000 in scholarships based on simple criteria such as grades or family income or both. CRA has already successfully developed programs for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and the Canada Emergency Wage Benefit. Do we honestly believe the CRA, after administering more than $100-billion so far during COVID, has lost the capability to administer an additional billion dollars?”
Sean Speer (National Post) on how supporters of Trump can broaden their policies: “The key is to develop a serious and thoughtful working-class agenda that’s infused with conservative insights and principles. This isn’t just about cheap beer or tax credits for their service club memberships. It must address their fundamental concerns, including the future of manufacturing, working-class opportunity and place-based inequality.”
Doug Saunders (The Globe and Mail) on the infestation of neo-Nazis in Germany’s military and police ranks: “Germans are now asking the question that has long alarmed Ms. Baydar and other targets: How, in a country where even the slightest hint of Nazi-era racial politics is highly illegal and unconstitutional, were they permitted to thrive for so long, when they did very little to conceal themselves?”
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Chris Hannay