Hi There!
Hi There! SocialCanada.org has been dormant for a couple of years, but we are back!
First, we could not resist putting out a few suggestions for responding to the US trade war launched by Trump. We can’t promise that they are all practical, but Canada’s economic future is under threat, so let’s be creative. Maybe you will have some other suggestions. Let us know!
And Soon, we will announce a super new project on the social and economic impact of the baby boom generation!
Back to tariffs:
Tariffs are painful, so Canada must prepare for pain. Short term and long term, as the US plutocracy is moving towards imperialism, even if Trump gets dumped. Last night the Liberal leadership candidates debated how they all support a standard approach to tariff threats – impose “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs on US products.
But, are there other options, maybe outside the box?
For example, we could:
1. Place an immediate 25% pre-emptive export tax on Canadian energy products and rare minerals. The US needs those products, and Trump might hesitate to lump another 25% on top as Americans would not like a 50% jump in their energy costs. Revenues from that could be shared with Alberta, and also invested in a “Build Free Canada (BFC)” program of infrastructure, housing, energy and industrial transformation scaled to the new age.
2. Place an embargo on any bulk water shipments or diversion flowing to the US.
3. Scale up the national boycott of US products and services, including travel. Re-enforce local action with the Build Free Canada (BFC) campaign.
4. Eliminate US companies from procurement by all governments, including defence spending.
5. Float a Build Free Canada (BFC) bond issue – require pension funds to divest a percentage of US interests and incentivize them and RRSP’s for BFC investments – eg high speed rail Toronto- Quebec City, electrify the national rail system, new urban transit.
6. A massive development of public mixed-income rent-to-own housing for households below the median income. Life-lease and equity options for seniors will encourage them to put their existing houses on the market. Incorporate team-based “health homes.”
7. Drop interest rates to 1% with price controls on existing private housing.
8. Implement a major natural resource partnership with indigenous communities to expand northern development.
9. Implement an immediate progressive wealth tax on financial assets, including estates, as well as property owned by US nationals or businesses, and implement a graduated “Affordability Transfer” to households below the average income.
10. Negotiate with China to drop tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, in exchange for purchases of Canadian auto parts (batteries?), oil and gas, or other quid pro quo. A cheap electric vehicle would be nice, even if it is like the old Russian Lada.
11. Expand NATO military spending by expanding the role and deployment of Canadian military on the US border, in the north, and emergency and environmental protection services.
12. Scale up nuclear energy capacity for Eastern Canada.
Note: If we put 25% tariffs on all US products, we need to guard against Canadian producers marking their product up by 20% and telling us we are getting a bargain. (Remember how the embargo on Russion oil led to an increase in the price of oil globally?) Maybe we could establish limited price controls. (P.E. Trudeau did this in the early ’80’s to fight inflation.) We would need to recognize where cost increases are not discretionary (factor inputs). But we could resist practices like the Loblaws method of increasing their profits by maintaining their percentage profit margin on escalating prices.
What else?
.
Social Canada Social 
Rightly so we are boycotting American products and services but we cannot boycott American Big Tech because we have nothing else to turn too. We are very dependent on American Big Tech. Canada needs to be more self sufficient. Lets make our own online public service that is open source, fair safe and clean.
Free for Canadians and Canadian residents. Costs plus 1% for foreign patrons
The Canadian National Online Public Library [ a national open source ]:
• Arguably a considerably less expensive social program than Public Universal Health Care.• Probably a bigger step forward to making life more fair for everyone, than the advent of Public Universal Health Care.• Likely to be hated by those who are or aspire to be Oligarchs.We could be spending a lot less money, time and energy trying to tax, regulate and break up the American Big Tech firms presently dominating the online media content access industry. We could also be spending a lot less time, energy and money, fact checking and scam detecting.
Online fact checking and scam detecting,is that how we are supposed to spend our lives?
As is being witnessed in 2025, there is no insurance that an exceptionally rogue government can come to power and ravage the established order of the day. That is no reason to take no action for something better. That potential for regression has to be actively guarded against. We should move ahead with better systems and ways of living and at the same time guard against forces that would hold us back and push us back.
*the online media content access industry — is the industry that gives patrons access to online content. It only provides access. It does not produce the majority of the content. In the current state of the internet this industry is dominated by a few very large firms including; Google, YouTube, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, TicToc, Twitter (now X), Telegram, Spotify, Netflix, Apple, MicroSoft, Substack, and Amazon.
Observing the behaviour of the firms above and their oligarch owners, evidence is mounting to show the need for a public service option.
Before the internet, public libraries for print media were the open source for print media.
The online media content access industry should be and could be a public service.
If you have friends in Canada ask them to read about and Please sign the Petition for a Canadian National Online Public Library
The website [ https://no-ads.ca ] will never ask you for money or advertise for a third party.
Its purpose is to change minds and move legislation.
NO ADS CANADA — No paid staffNo requests for donationsGrateful to 312 Canadians who have added their names to the proposal petition Grateful for endorsements from firms and organizationsGrateful for volunteer outreach telling someone else about this idea
LikeLike
Yeah! David Newman dnewman@rogers.com 613-836-6039 or 613-795-1739
LikeLike
I had a manufacturing company in the 80’s and when free trade came in I entered the American market but I was told I could not make sales calls in the USA without a Green Card yet Americans could come to Canada and work anytime they wanted. As a result I had to hire Manufacturer’s Representatives at 15% to sell my products. They even sent immigration agent to trade show to see if I we were working in our own booths at trade shows. Is time to require US companies to provide visa’s or work permits to ply their trades here in Canada.. It was never FAIR TRADE!
LikeLike
LikeLike