Is Free Trade Dead? On Howard Lutnick's Comments and Trump's 35% Tariffs on Canada

Is free trade between Canada and the United States dead? That stark question reverberated on Face the Nation when Margaret O’Brien challenged Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce—and Bill has some things to say about it.In Episode 181, Bill dissects President Trump’s recent announcement of a sweeping 35% tariff on Canadian imports, set to take effect August 1, 2025—while steel, aluminum, automobiles, and auto parts already carry significant levies. With long-standing agreements like CUSMA/USMCA being undermined, Canada’s dairy and auto sectors are under siege, political dynamics are playing out on a continental stage, and what was once a predictable negotiation process now resembles a high-stakes showdown.(PS: The Bill Kelly Podcast team apologizes for the typos in this episode’s captions. Our video editing software was glitching and would not save the edited captions, but we wanted to get this information out to you ASAP. Thank you for your understanding and continued engagement in Canada’s civil discourse!)Don’t forget to like, follow and subscribe across our channels! Thank you.This episode was recorded on: July 22, 2025Become a YouTube channel member or paid SubStack subscriber to hear Bill’s stories and life lessons from 50+ years as a broadcast journalist in his members-only series, MORAL OF THE STORY: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUbzckOLocFzNeY1D72iCA/joinListen to The Bill Kelly Podcast everywhere: https://kite.link/the-bill-kelly-podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBillKellyPodcast/featuredBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisbillkelly.bsky.socialFacebook: https://facebook.com/TheBillKellyPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisbillkelly/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisbillkelly/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebillkellypodcastSubStack: billkelly.substack.com/*Comment ‘likes’ on behalf of this channel are an acknowledgment of your comment, not necessarily an endorsement of its contents. Thanks for joining these critical discussions in critical times!CHAPTERS00:00 The State of Canada-US Trade Negotiations02:56 Understanding Tariffs and Their Implications06:02 Canada's Sovereignty and Industry Concerns08:44 Political Dynamics and Future StrategiesFURTHER READINGU.S. commerce secretary dismisses question that free trade with Canada is deadhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-commerce-secretary-dismisses-question-that-free-trade-with-canada-is-dead-1.7589616Carney says he'll only sign a U.S. trade deal 'in the best interest of Canadians'https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-attends-first-ministers-meeting-1.7590547Leaders’ summit in Ontario cottage country dials into internal trade amid U.S. tariffshttps://globalnews.ca/news/11297426/ontario-summit-carney-premiers-day-2/Federal government, Ontario agree on $3.3B auto bailout package (2008)https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/federal-government-ontario-agree-on-3-3b-auto-bailout-package-1.766418Donald Trump’s Tariff Dealmaker-in-Chief (Howard Lutnick)https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/07/28/donald-trumps-tariff-dealmaker-in-chiefHASHTAGS#News#Politics#BreakingNews#PoliticalNews#PoliticalCommentary#NewsToday#NewsUpdates#NewsCommentary#PoliticalCommentary#CanadaNews#TodayNews#Tariffs#TrumpTariffs This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit billkelly.substack.com/subscribe