The trade war between the United States and Canada – more precisely between the US government and the Canadian government (s) – illustrate the opposition between two regimes: free trade between individuals or private organizations, which creates mutual profit and has peaceful relationships; Trade between governments or by them, that is, mercantilism, which generates conflicts and hatred.
After US President Donald Trump had announced 10% rates for the import of Canadian “energy products” and 25% import tariffs for all other goods, the federal Canada government for retribution rates for US exports announced. The Prime Minister of the Ontario province, Doug Ford, has just announced a provincial tax of 25% on Ontariateal Export from electricity to New York, Michigan and Minnesota. He explained (“Ontario touches the export of power to us with a 25% allowance while the trade war accelerates” Financial timesMarch 10, 2020):
If necessary, if the United States escalate, I will not hesitate to completely close the electricity. ‘
He had said before (“Canada to cut electricity to the US states: “Must feel the pain,” “” NewsweekMarch 4, 2025):
If they want to try to destroy Ontario, I will do everything – including cutting their energy with a smile on my face, and I encourage every other province to do the same.
They rely on our energy. They must feel the pain.
Individuals and their private parties act together with a smile on their faces. Governments intervene in trade and put pain with a smile on their collective face if we can use that analogy. The fact that the Government of Ontario possesses or controls a large part of the production and distribution of electricity in Ontario (“our energy”) directly does not help the governments of the importing US states to depolitate to a lesser extent. In addition to weak constitutional restrictions, governments can in any case impose rates, taxes and prohibitions on whom they decide, and the result is not universal love.
That Mr. Ford himself is one conservative with a populist linewho once spoken to Mr. Trump must remind us of paying attention to the ‘will of the people. “
In a recent message I quoted Henry Adamswho wrote that
Politics, as a practice, regardless of the professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatred.
From a moral point of view in contrast to a limited economic point of view that the ruler starts, the conflict is not irrelevant.
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Two mercantilistic kings