Where we stand: economy, culture, integration and dying

We are entering a period of knuckle-down trade negotiations with our closest trading partner, The United States. This whole year has been a whitewater ride of trying to keep an economy going, while random and arbitrary trade sanctions have been placed in the way of the cross border streams. Here in Canada, many people are outright refusing to buy made in US goods. Sectoral tariffs have hit industries like steel making very hard, whose operations are vulnerable becasue they are tied into long-term market obligations with US buyers. Likewise the forest industry who is finally pivoting to asking for help with value added operations instead of just exp[orting raw logs and basic milled lumber. That’s not a bad thing. Today, the CCPA published a kind of benchmark report on where we stand after six months of Presidentially induced tariffs (implemented under the completely phone guise of a “national emergency” it should not be forgotten). This is where we are beginning from as we see whether or not the mercurial admonition to the south is able to negotiate and commit to a comprehensive trade deal for economic stability, or whether they are really invested in playing the chaos game long term.

More benchmarking articles from the feed: Mowles on where we are with AI, Gioia on where we now stand with the culture wars

An amazing story of a group of Liberian refugees who settled in the US in 2003 and where they are now. No one works harder than refugees in making a new life for themselves in countries which provide them the safety and security they lacked at home. Here’s another article about the deep history of that region and it’s interlacing with slavery, civil war, colonization and the geography of exploitation.

And finally an update to my tribute to Rob Paterson. He died yesterday at 4pm. His daughter Hope has posted a beautiful account of his final moments and what dignity in dying is all about.