No matter what the president says, the U.S. is hugely dependent on our oil, electricity and other energy exports
New day, same question: what will put an end to our drawn-out, panic-inducing, totally unnecessary trade war with the U.S.? Believe it or not, Canada’s trump card isn’t booing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” targeting steel, hoarding our potash or yanking Kentucky bourbon from liquor store shelves. As Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University, argues in this essay for Maclean’s, the way to hit America where it hurts most is to heavily tax—or altogether shut off—our power exports, whether in the form of oil, gas or any of the other Canadian energy it enjoys.
No matter what Trump says, Canada’s power contributions aren’t easily replaceable. “In 2023, Canada supplied 60 per cent of the crude oil, nearly 100 per cent of the natural gas and 85 per cent of the electrical energy imported by the U.S.,” Lander says. On its own, a hefty electricity surcharge—this week’s newsiest, now-rescinded threat, courtesy of Ontario’s Doug Ford—would lead to rolling outages and severe power restrictions that would affect tens of millions of Americans. There’s just one problem with the nuclear option: it’ll backfire, big-time. “Canada rolling back its energy exports wouldn’t just be an inconvenience for Americans; it would be an economic and logistical nightmare for us all.” Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Visit macleans.ca for more coverage of everything that matters in Canada, and subscribe to the magazine here. —Katie Underwood, managing editor, Maclean’s |
Before Trump started threatening tariffs, Canada already had a housing shortage. Now, with steel, aluminum and lumber caught up in the trade war, builders are taking a pause—which will only squeeze housing supply further. “We’ll see fewer housing starts, ongoing projects slow to a halt and completed projects struggle to close,” writes Scott Andison, CEO of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, in this essay for Maclean’s. “No element of the home-building market is safe.” |
The president wants supply chains to move to the U.S. It’s not that simple, says automotive engineering professor Peter Frise. We spoke with Frise about how Trump’s tariffs could affect the automotive industry, why it’s a particularly vulnerable sector and how automakers and consumers can fight back. “If these tariffs were in place for maybe 10 years, then the industry’s supply chains will begin to adjust,” Frise told us. “It will take that long because every material in every step of the chain will have to be reconsidered.” |
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The cracks in Wayne Gretzky’s patriotism have been showing for years. James Jackson, who grew up idolizing hockey’s top scorer, finds that his feelings toward Gretzky have grown complicated—and he’s not alone. “Canadians expect our hockey stars to be ambassadors of all that it means to be Canadian: courteous, caring, empathetic and morally upstanding,” Jackson writes in this essay for Maclean’s. “With every passing day, it seems those qualities no longer align with the current American administration—or anyone who aligns themselves with it.” |
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