Washington -

 

The gloves came off in the soap-opera long trade war between the Trump administration and Canada this week, when the U.S. President decided to kick Canada - “Right in it’s cultural nuts!” As one American trade rep put it, between gulps of raw hamburger. “Maybe those ice-heads will get the picture now!” After blaming Canada for blanketing northern US. States with a fine layer of soot produced by wild fires burning in Northern Ontario, some of which actually stared in Minnesota, Trump saw an opportunity to pass along the price of goods and ring a little more cash out of the people who were stupid enough to vote for him. Along with a 50% tariff on hockey sticks, albeit, relatively few hockey sticks are made in Canada, and a tariff on cement and some winter clothing, in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record, the U.S. is trying to weaken Canadian resolve and betting we’ll drop our elbows. The next time you need our water-bombers to fight wildfires? You can bet they’ll be dropping gallons of Jack Daniels.