Canada's Bold Moves in the Trade War

North AmericaTue Mar 18 2025
The trade tension between Canada and the U. S. is heating up. Two fresh ideas have surfaced to give Canada an advantage. One is about breaking U. S. intellectual property rules. The other is about blocking PornHub. Both ideas have sparked debate and could escalate the conflict. The U. S. is set to impose reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which could harm both countries' economies. Recently, Ontario Premier Doug Ford proposed a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the U. S. This move was later suspended for negotiations. The outcome of these trade disputes is uncertain, and the impact on people is hard to predict. A Canadian tech journalist proposed an interesting strategy. What if Canada stopped enforcing U. S. tech companies' intellectual property laws? This could put significant pressure on the U. S. Big tech companies often charge high fees. For example, app stores run by Amazon, Apple, or Google take a 30% cut from every transaction. John Deere farming equipment requires expensive software unlocks for repairs. Car companies, especially Tesla, lock features behind electronic paywalls. The idea is for Canada to create its own app stores. These stores would charge lower fees, around 5%, instead of the usual 30%. This would benefit both Canadian and international software authors. Additionally, Canada could provide jailbreaking kits. These kits would allow device owners worldwide to install Canadian app stores, avoiding high fees from U. S. tech giants. This strategy could extend to other devices. Canada could produce software to jailbreak John Deere tractors, Teslas, and other American cars. Farmers could pay a one-time fee for software updates instead of recurring charges. Car owners could unlock all software features permanently with a single payment. Another suggestion, more lighthearted, is to ban PornHub. The pornography giant is based in Montreal and attracts millions of American visitors monthly. A Canadian comedian's Instagram skit proposed this idea, suggesting it could win the trade war. However, this idea is more of a joke than a serious strategy. PornHub is already banned in 17 U. S. states due to new laws requiring ID verification for adult websites. PornHub has chosen to block access in these states rather than comply with the invasive laws. In these uncertain times, creative and unconventional ideas are floating around. The trade war between Canada and the U. S. is far from over, and both countries are exploring various tactics to gain the upper hand.
https://localnews.ai/article/canadas-bold-moves-in-the-trade-war-576494f0

questions

    How might the U.S. respond to Canada's potential flouting of U.S. intellectual property laws?
    Could there be hidden agendas behind Canada's suggestions to counter U.S. trade policies?
    What are the potential economic impacts on Canada if it were to ban PornHub?

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