B******t & Borders

Whatever Trump says, I believe the opposite is true. So, when Trump says we don’t need anything that Canada has, that’s b******t. If Canada ever decided to close its doors, the whole world would feel it within weeks. Let’s start with food. Potash is one of the main ingredients in fertilizer. Without it, crop yields around the world would collapse. Canada holds the largest potash reserves in the world. It controls about one third of the world’s potash supply. If Canada stopped digging potash tomorrow, the price of food everywhere would go up within weeks.Then there’s uranium. The world is racing to expand nuclear energy to fight climate change, and nuclear plants run on uranium. Canada ranks second among uranium producers in the world and has some of the richest deposits ever discovered, with grades that are dozens of times higher than those found anywhere else. So, many of the reactors that are lighting up cities around the world are running on Canadian fuel.Then there’s water, the one resource no one can live without. As the planet heats up and rivers dry up, fresh water is becoming one of the most valuable substances. Canada holds around 20% of all the fresh water in the world. Canada is known as the land of lakes. While countries are heading toward a future of drought and water wars, Canada is sitting on an ocean of the one thing everyone will be desperate for in the future.Canada’s oil reserves are also the third largest in the world, at around 170 billion barrels, behind only Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. It is also one of the largest producers of gold, nickel, and the rare metals that go into your phone, your laptop and the batteries of electric cars. Then there’s timber. Nearly 40% of the planet’s forests that are certified as sustainable are Canadian. That means that when Canada cuts down trees for timber, paper, or fuel, it is ensuring that the forests will remain ecologically diverse for future generations. Canada also produces wheat and canola.And let’s talk about aluminum. The U.S. relies on Quebec for its aluminum. This means Quebec has an irreplaceable role in keeping U.S. manufacturing going. America relies on Quebec because aluminum production requires massive amounts of electricity. Quebec uses cheap hydroelectric power. Electricity in the U.S. is expensive, and it keeps going up. The U.S. simply lacks the infrastructure to fulfill its own demand, and it has learned that it cannot get it anywhere else. For example, a new project that would make 50,000 tonnes per year has been proposed in the U.S. Quebec produces that same 50,000 tonnes in just one week.Major automotive manufacturing relies on Quebec’s lightweight metal. Ford’s iconic pickup trucks depend on Quebec aluminum. U.S. aerospace and defense contractors rely on aluminum alloys of a high grade for commercial aircraft and military hardware. Consumer goods like beverage cans and structural beams used in American infrastructure are deeply tied to Canadian supply lines.Americans are telling Quebec they’ll give them tariff relief if they move operations to the U.S., but that’s not going to happen because the U.S. doesn’t have the energy. What Quebec produces and ships to the U.S. is 2.7 million tonnes of metal a year. It takes 40 million megawatt hours of energy to produce that amount. The U.S. doesn’t have the energy. It doesn’t have the hydropower. That energy is equivalent to the output of 5 Hoover Dams. Canada isn’t going to move assets that are competitive worldwide, and now Quebec can arbitrage between the European market and the U.S. market. When the return is better in Europe, Quebec producers ship to Europe. This is what has happened over the past 3 months, leading to the accelerated depletion of U.S. inventory.All Trump’s tariffs have done is make aluminum cost U.S. consumers $2,000 more per tonne than Europe is paying.So Canada has food, fuel, water, metals, timber, and power. Canada isn’t just rich in one thing. It’s rich in nearly everything the modern world can’t survive without. In terms of resources, Canada is one of the most powerful nations that has ever existed. So, when Trump says we don’t need anything Canada has, why does the idiot continue to wish we were the 51st state? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit quietcanines.substack.com/subscribe