Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Canada’s automotive sector is cruising for a bruising or perhaps, steaming toward an automotive iceberg. Beyond the immediate threat of a 100% tariff on automobile exports, Canada’s automotive manufacturing sector suffers from declining production and a near total dependence on the United States. Between 2014 and 2023, Canada’s automotive production fell from 2.4 million to 1.5 million units, while imports increased from $57 billion to $82 billion. Of the 1.5 million automobiles Canada produced in 2023, 88 per cent were exported to the US, leaving the industry highly vulnerable to a shift in American policy. And American policies are shifting so sharply as to pose a serious, iceberg-level threat to Canada’s already weakened auto sector ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Think of last week’s BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) conference in Prince George as a swift kick in the Carhartts for our forestry sector ... ... for decades, the U.S. has been Canada’s top trading partner for forest products, but that’s rapidly shifting. Despite lumber producers having to deal with ever present softwood countervailing duties and anti-dumping fees, the US remained our top partner. With the US imposing new tariffs and making trade more difficult, the relationship is no longer as reliable as it once was. The odds are against this situation reversing anytime soon. This harsh reality means Canada needs to find new markets and adjust its approach to forestry. Relying solely on the US is no longer an option ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday after speaking with Trump that the tariff threat has been paused for 30 days while Canada and the United States work together on plans to increase border safety and target organized crime. Eby said after the delay was announced that the uncertainty is especially hard on the forest industry. He said forestry companies aren’t sure how they should invest or if they should put money into their companies at all. Forest companies are left not knowing what to put their money in or how to invest, he said ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Image Government of BC I think we all realize that the threat of Trump’s 25% tariff is like other provocative statements he’s made in the past. That said, we should have reason to be concerned. Tariffs don’t benefit anyone. A tariff of that magnitude – included on our own softwood lumber exports, will make things more expensive for Americans, and cause friction in the supply chain. If imposed, a twenty-five percent tariff will be equally detrimental to the citizens and economy of the United States, as well as the people of BC. There are two things, however, of equal concern to the threat of punitive tariffs by incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. One is our antiquated stumpage fees. It is a legacy from decades ago, and one incapable of responding to changing market conditions. We need to revamp our stumpage system to better reflect market conditions, and our economic costs. Instead, a value-added tax system will be instantly responsive to current market conditions and will encou...

Using Statistics Canada population estimates for the third quarter 2019 and Elections Canada preliminary election results by province, it appears that 10.5 million Canadian residents (28%) were not eligible to vote in the 2019 election. Of the 27 million eligible voters, 9.2 million (24.6%) chose not to cast a ballot. Ultimately 17.9 million votes were cast; the election was decided by 47.6% of the population. The political talking heads, academic pundits and media screaming about the unfairness of our first past the post system are spouting drivel. When less than 50% of the population is casting ballots, tinkering with the selection process is adding a fresh coat of paint on a broken system. There is something wrong when 28% of our population is not registered with Election Canada as eligible to vote. Immigrants cannot vote until they become citizens, but if we have 10.5 million residents who are not citizens our immigration system is failing us, and our se...

G20 leaders meet as world order is rocked by a clash between giants ... trade and diplomatic friction between China and the US is forcing nations to choose sides - Canada included Evan Dyer ~~ CBC News ~~ Jun 26, 2019 At the end of the week, the world's 20 most powerful nations are coming together in Japan at a time when the international system that binds them together is under heavy pressure from its two biggest players. The world's largest trade dispute, between its two biggest economies, is affecting people who are neither Chinese nor American — like Canadian canola farmers. "The whole world of trade has been turned upside-down," said Brian Innes of the Canola Council of Canada. "We were functioning in a rules-based system, where if we had problems we would try to work them out without escalating things and taking impulsive measures against other countries." CLICK HERE to read the full CBC story : Thi...

Alan Forseth ~~ Kamloops, BC ~~ May 3 rd , 2019 WHAT IS PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU ... and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland doing to protect Canadian products from blockades to China and the US? Not much it seems. While China has imposed a ban on Canadian pork, canola, peas and soy beans, all we hear from Canadian officials are that ‘ talks continue ’ or that ‘ there is hope the issue will be resolved soon ’.   Meantime the People (communist) Republic of China, continues to hold and detain Canadian citizens on trumped up charges – basically as we all know in retaliation for the arrest of  Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou  – this due to an extradition request from the United States . And if that wasn’t bad enough, to see this communist regime basically kicking our a$$, for far too many years they have been flooding our economy with products produced by cheap labour – all the while Canadian factories continue to close. In loo...