Posted originally on CTH on July 2, 2026 | Sundance
I’ve said it before, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra is the most underpaid U.S. emissary sent to a hostile nation and constantly surrounded by threats, bitterness, anger and hatred.
It would be easier to be U.S. ambassador to North Korea.
There is so much nuance inside this interview, it is remarkable.
Ambassador Hoekstra tries in his best diplomatic form to tell the two Canadians Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois about the underlying nature of the U.S-Canada trade conflicts. However, in typical Canadian fashion both indoctrinated interviewers are curiously stumped by the points Hoekstra presents. I am prompting this one because you also need to see the body/facial language. WATCH:
[SIDENOTE: The Canadians needed to turn off the comments on YouTube because Canadians are angry, bitter, abusive, vulgar and nasty in every comment section on the subject of U.S-Canada relations.]
Canada’s greatest strategic weakness is what Canadians call their greatest strength, pride.
There is a big difference between being proud and being prideful. The Canadian worldview is based on the latter.
♦ The U.S. and Mexico pick up trade agreement discussions on July 20, 2026. Not long after July 20th, sometime within the first two weeks of August there is a high probability the next shock to the Canadian system will come from Trump. However, it depends on how far out on the ledge cult leader Mark Carney is willing to take his believers.
On/around the end of August we will enter the ‘Trump playing with them‘ phase, just like Trump played with them in Jan, Feb, March ’25 over the 51st state stuff. President Trump will create turmoil because he holds all the cards for when he triggers the next sequence of events.
Essentially, the landscape is already set up. The bleachers are already built. The venue is already selected. The prideful Canadians have no concept of it.
At a point determined by Trump he will invite them into the gauntlet. There is no escape and only one way in.
Carney sits down at the table, Trump announces his demands, Carney balks, Trump glances to Greer, Greer hands Carney the formal exit paperwork and then suddenly everyone around Carney realizes what just happened. Trump set up a CUSMA trap.
A six-month countdown clock now ticks loudly. Trump repeats his demands. Carney looks around at his trade delegation, then asks for a few moments. They leave to huddle….
In the Canadian conference room, someone tells the group a six-month exit is now active. The walls are slowly closing.
If no terms are accepted, in six months all U.S. trade with Canada is immediately laissez-faire, no trade agreement backstops anything, meaning every trade is subject to the sectoral whims of the USA commerce department to outline the terms.
Carney asks his team what is happening. Trump tells them to take all the time in the world to think about it, and to give Jamieson or Howard a call if they have questions.
Trump and Greer then hold a press conference, telling the world the formal exit paperwork has now been issued. However, the U.S and Mexico already have a bilateral deal outlined and ready to begin, so U.S-Mexico trade is seamless. The only issue is Canada.
The following day analysts, economists, banking and finance experts begin running the numbers for Canada…… A slow and unstable Canadian economy collapse begins first with a run on the banks by Canadian dollar holders. Everyone needs to buy USD.
Europe and the U.K try to step in to assist by buying Canadian treasuries, but the risk is astronomical.
75% of Canada’s economy is based on trade that is now uncertain.
Suddenly the team around Carney look at things differently. They realize Canada doesn’t sell 75% of their output to the USA; the USA buys 75% of Canadian output.
In every economic relationship, the seller has no leverage. All leverage belongs to the buyer.
The seller can sell anything, but without buyers they are nothing. In a laissez-faire system suddenly U.S. buyers start to dictate terms and prices. The seller has no option. Life inside Canada is FUBAR.
The Chinese move quickly, buying up Canadian holdings for pennies on the ever-diminishing CAD.
The ‘shoe drops’ sometime after July 20th.
Canada cannot see the gauntlet.
♦ Canadians will willingly want China to buy their assets instead of Americans.
Why? Because the Canadian identity is defined by their main focus on ‘not being American.’ It’s all they know.
I can tell you specifically how it will materialize if you want, because I have already gamed this out. You might even make some money if you pay attention.
Toyota and Honda will do exactly what they have said they will do; they will exit Canadian manufacturing.
With full approval by Carney and the Canadian government, BYD and Geely will step in, purchase and take over those manufacturing plants to create vehicles in Canada (pennies on the CAD).
Canada will cheer because they will believe they just saved all those auto sector jobs. However, a few reality months later and suddenly it is all Chinese industrial operations bringing in Chinese workers to retool the factories.
Canada will end up paying unemployment benefits to Canadian workers, while Chinese factory workers prepare the facilities to manufacture BYD and Geely autos. The Canadian people will grit their teeth, yet do nothing because they accept their provincial government has already been corrupted by Chinese money.
