this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2026
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I saw someone saying recently that Canada has made a huge shift away from the US. As someone Canadian, I haven't noticed anything beyond relatively minor individual decisions (IE, not going to the US as a tourist). I'd like to be wrong, but from my understanding, this is effectively nothing. Has there actually been any sort of large scale move away from US dependence?

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[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Carney is in a tough spot... Canada heavily relies on the US and just giving them the middle finger is not an option.

I know instinctively it would feel great if he just told Trump to eat a bag of dicks, but that would be irresponsible and could spiral Canada into a depression.

People don't seem to understand that there are different forms of appeasement of lunatics.

The Conservatives wanted to enthusiastically gargle Trump's balls and move us closer to fascism.

The liberals understand they have to be still play politics to not crash the country but are working behind the scenes to reduce dependencies.

To the uneducated both positions look identical from the outside because neither is telling Trump to fuck off, but there are nuances here.

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The Conservatives wanted to enthusiastically gargle Trump’s balls and move us closer to fascism.

I agree with the rest of your comment but this sentence stood out.

The Conservatives want to move us closer to Trump, but the Liberals are still moving us closer to fascism. Look at bills C-2 and C-12, which bring our border and immigration policies much more in line with the US.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

That's a separate issue and yes I agree, liberals aren't saints and need to be checked, I'm just focusing on the whole Trump part.

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's a defensive posture. It's those things that are keeping us from random 1,000,000% tariffs that would take a decade to litigate. Nobody wants it, but we kind of need to play along while we figure out how to get out of this mess.

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Sure, just a little bit of fascism will be fine. Nothing could go wrong there.

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Well your realpolitik option is a supersized portion with Poilievre. Until we get proportional representation we are all hostage.

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Voting for fascism is never the right choice. Even in a two-party system, everyone still has the option to not vote for either Kang or Kodos. "Throw your vote away" is always a valid electoral choice, and perhaps in some cases, the only morally defensible one. We even happen to have a still marginally viable third party, and even if all your vote is doing is keeping that third choice barely alive on the margins, that has its own form of validity too.

Strategic voting is the opposite of strategic. It's a short-term, single-election tactic that will result in a strategic collapse in the long term. You do not ever have to vote for one party to prevent the other party from getting in. That is not your responsibility, and if you do that, it's not going to ever get better. You are sacrificing the future for the present, and the present is fleeting but the future is forever. We have to think longer term, or we will have absolutely no recourse when both of the top choices end up being unconscionable.

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If you think this is a Kang and Kodos situation you are legitimately insane. On one side you have a PhD level economist (Oxon) who is former Governor of the National Banks of both Canada and England, and on the other you have a convoy supporting career politician who has been playing partisan gadfly since he was an undergraduate at University of Calgary.

Your quickness to bring in " throw away your vote" as legitimate strategy screams of trolling.

[–] recursive_recursion@piefed.ca 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I get it and I fully agree; Carney giving Trump the bird is obviously not the play to make.


At the same time, clapping for the attack on Venezuela and capturing Maduro. Like what the fuck. Was that really needed?

Why comment at all, giving praise was even foolhardy as internationally Canada looks to be on the wrong side of history.

Feigning ignorance or saying something on the lines of "My staff and I are currently looking into the implications of this rapidly changing situation." would have honestly been better IMO.

Someone out there would have probably had better moves than Carney's missteps.


Again I don't disagree with your points, I just feel that Carney's been making mistakes intentionally or accidentally one after another.

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Carney didn't "clap for the attack on Venezuela." He called for international law to be followed, which should be an obvious rebuke to anyone who isn't at a Trump level of understanding of how diplomacy is done.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Carney's statement on Venezuela is equivalent to "We recognize the greatness of the extermination of domestic liberal terrorist in Mineapolis this week, and sympathize with the brave officer's tragedy of dealing with anti-American sentiment. However, we hope that America can be peaceful and cooperative, with due process, in the future.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ok buddy take it easy.

Let's not equivalate an innocent woman getting shot by thugs to a corrupt president getting arrested.

The Venezuela thing is fucked up for many reasons, but that corrupt president getting fucked isn't one of them.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

a corrupt president getting arrested.

You're just repeating US empire propaganda, just as its view on murdered driver. The actual only reason to leave the Venezuelan government in place is because they are more corrupt/bribeable than Maduro. The US is most corrupt country on earth and I can name 10 direct corruption acts from Trump alone. Can you name 1 corrupt act from Maduro?

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

Quick googling returned all of this. Again, it's similar to Sadam, W started an illegal war and should have been tried for war crimes, that does NOT mean I'm not happy Saddam is dead.

Two things can be true at the same time, and pretty much any oil rich country inevitably ends up enriching a few and oppressing its populace. There's been books written on the subject, sadly Venezuela is no different. I'm fairly certain the average Venezuela citizen gives no shits about Maduro if anything they are afraid things will get even worse since Trump is even a bigger piece of shit than him.

Crimes against humanity allegationsInternational bodies and human rights organizations describe a pattern of state policy involving widespread attacks on civilians, which can constitute crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.���� Key alleged acts include:Systematic persecution of political opponents and perceived critics, including arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance.����Extrajudicial killings by security forces and pro‑government armed groups (“colectivos”) during protests and security operations.�����The UN Independent International Fact‑Finding Mission on Venezuela and the ICC Prosecutor both state there is a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity (e.g., murder, imprisonment, torture, persecution, sexual violence) have been committed by state agents or groups acting with state authorization or support.�����Specific illegal acts reportedReports by NGOs, the UN, and foreign governments describe concrete categories of unlawful conduct attributed to Maduro‑aligned forces and institutions:�����Arbitrary or unlawful killings of protesters and bystanders during post‑election crackdowns and security operations.�����Mass arbitrary detentions, including of minors, often without warrants or due process, on vague “terrorism” or “national security” charges.����Enforced disappearances, where detainees’ whereabouts are concealed for days or longer from families and lawyers.����Torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees (beatings, asphyxiation, sexual violence, food and water deprivation).�����Politically motivated prosecutions in courts lacking independence, with prolonged pre‑trial detention and denial of fair trial guarantees.�����These acts violate Venezuela’s own constitution and criminal code, as well as international human rights treaties to which Venezuela is a party (e.g., ICCPR, Convention against Torture).����Electoral and political repressionInternational and regional organizations have described the electoral environment and repression of opposition as unlawful or unconstitutional in various respects.���� Reported acts include:Disqualification, arrest, or intimidation of opposition candidates and activists to prevent effective participation in elections.���Violent repression of post‑election protests, including lethal force against demonstrators and collective punishment in low‑income areas.�����Severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, including harassment, prosecution, and closure or seizure of independent media outlets.����Regional human rights bodies (like the Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights) characterize these practices as violations of the American Convention on Human Rights and other binding norms.��ICC investigation and international proceedingsThe International Criminal Court has opened a formal investigation (often called “Venezuela I”) into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela, focusing on repression of political opponents since at least 2014.��� Points to note:Multiple states referred Venezuela to the ICC in 2018; the Prosecutor concluded there is a reasonable basis to believe crimes against humanity occurred.���The ICC’s Pre‑Trial Chamber has authorized the continuation of the investigation, finding that domestic proceedings in Venezuela are insufficient.���Analysts now consider sealed arrest warrants against high‑level officials, potentially including Maduro, a real possibility, though any such warrants would not initially be public.���Separately, courts in other countries have pursued cases under universal jurisdiction principles, including an Argentine judge issuing warrants to secure testimony from Maduro and others regarding alleged crimes against humanity.�Narcotics trafficking conspiracy chargesIn addition to human‑rights‑related allegations, US prosecutors have charged Maduro and close associates with participating in a transnational cocaine‑trafficking conspiracy.� According to public indictments:Maduro, family members, and senior officials are accused of working with designated terrorist cartels to move large quantities of cocaine toward the United States.�The charges claim they used state power and public office to protect and facilitate trafficking, corrupting Venezuelan institutions for these purposes.�These are criminal indictments in US courts; Maduro denies the accusations and characterizes them as politically motivated, and the cases have not yet resulted in a US conviction of Maduro personally as of early 2026.���

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yep totally fair. Again, I don't know if behind the scenes people are just like "he's done this shit already, nothing we can do about it, so just appease the child with some comments"

A lot of leaders seem to be taking this route publicly while they work behind the scenes to shed themselves of Trump