Canada shows how to counter Trump’s trade threats

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended Canada-U.S. trade talks on Aug. 22, citing unfair last-minute American demands, hours before new Section 338 tariffs on $28 billion in Canadian goods took effect, potentially costing 90,000 Canadian jobs. Carney vowed dollar-for-dollar retaliation, a sharp pivot from his earlier conciliatory stance, as Canadian leaders face U.S. insults and sovereignty-eroding conditions like curbs on French-language protection. Polls show 62 percent of Canadians already supported retaliation before this escalation. Analysts say Canada can target politically vulnerable Republican districts ahead of U.S. midterm elections, using vital exports like oil and lumber to make the trade war costly, despite America's larger economy.