'Scars' to be left by tariffs

Apparently the fair trade agreement between Canada and the U.S. was unfair to the U.S. That's U.S. President Donald Trump's argument.

How can that be? Canada did not hold a gun to the head of U.S. consumers to make them buy our natural resources. The purchases were a fair exchange, until Trump said they were not, and wrongly labelled the price of the imports a subsidy to Canada.

It's an undeniable fact that the U.S.A. with a population at least 8.35% larger than Canada's would import more from Canada than Canada would from the U.S. It's clear the U.S. needs Canada's natural resources, but is unhappy that need adds to the U.S. trade deficit.

It looks to me like Trump would like Canada to subsidize the U.S. economy by giving its

natural resources and other exports to the U.S. free of any charge. That's why making Canada the 51st state makes sense to him. Unsavoury truths are often told in jest.

I will do what I can by buying locally and buying Canadian. Canada needs to eliminate provincial trade barriers. It also needs to establish new and safer trade partnerships.

Donald Trump's irrational tariffs have created a rift between Canada and the U.S. that is unlikely to heal without leaving deep scars in Canada.

Helen Schiele, Kelowna