The U.S. hit 4.1% GDP growth in July 2018—a record—thanks to Trump’s $1.5T tax cuts, Apple repatriating $250B, and Arctic drilling reversals cutting OPEC dependence, while Canada’s carbon tax and anti-industrial policies kept growth under 2%. Manny Montenegrino accused Canada of NAFTA sabotage, citing delays by Gerald Butts and Chrystia Hajdu to undermine Trump politically. Provinces like Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta rebelled against the carbon tax, calling it a regressive "tax on necessities," with legal challenges mounting. Ezra Levant linked this to broader free-speech battles, like Tommy Robinson’s appeal in London, warning Canada’s policies risk alienating voters amid rising public distrust of "5P professionals" and globalist agendas. [Automatically generated summary]
Tonight, the United States just clocked in with GDP growth of 4.1%.
Something economists said was impossible.
So how did it happen?
It's July 27th, and you're watching The Ezra LeVant Show.
Why should others go to jail when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?
There's 8,500 customers here and you won't give them an answer.
You come here once a year with a sign and you feel morally superior.
The only thing I have to say to the government about why I publish it is because it's my bloody right to do so.
The United States just recorded a stunning GDP growth rate, 4.1%.
The economy is roaring, record employment, wages climbing, unemployment at or near record lows, especially for blacks and Hispanics.
I normally hate it when politicians say, I'm going to create jobs or I have a plan to create jobs because politicians don't create jobs other than government jobs, which they only create by taxing other real jobs.
But I think that maybe, for the first time ever, it's fair to say that the president of the United States can actually take some credit for creating jobs, not just for getting out of the way of job creators.
That's normally what conservatives promise in campaigns.
I'll create jobs by cutting red tape or by cutting taxes.
That's what Ronald Reagan did.
Paradoxically, when both Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy cut tax rates, did you know they actually received more tax revenues?
Because the economy did so well.
They were taking a smaller slice of the pie, but the pie itself was so much larger.
But I think Donald Trump goes further because he isn't just cutting taxes, which he did, the biggest tax cut in U.S. history.
A tax cut that many companies immediately passed on to their workers, by the way, in the form of bonuses or raises, which is incredible and a sign of confidence in the future, don't you think?
But to me, the symbolic moment was when Apple, the huge tech company, decided for the first time in years that it made sense to bring home all of the cash that they had squirreled away in low-tax jurisdictions because now America was a low-tax jurisdiction.
They brought home a quarter of a trillion dollars, huge, or as Trump would say, huge.
Trump also cut red tape, of course, yeah.
I mean, anyone who campaigns on digging coal, you can imagine he's for everything else in industry too, like oil and gas and steel.
So he did cut red tape, but more importantly, he signaled to every industry in America and around the world that he's not going to hurt them.
So the opposite of the message Canada is sending by blocking pipelines and blocking mines and bringing in a carbon tax.
Every industrialist would be thinking in Canada, am I going to be hit next?
Am I going to be hit next?
But in America, it's the reverse.
There's a certainty that things will at least stay as good as they are now, but they can only get better and they might.
So that's the taxes and the regulations that Trump did.
And that's as far as almost any other conservative would ever go.
But Trump did something different, something unorthodox, something that scared traditional libertarian free market economists.
Trump threatened a trade war with countries that are blocking American exports and that are dumping cheap products in the American market at below cost to drive American industries out of business, steel being a key example.
Now you might think cheap steel, that's great.
That makes everything cheaper from cars to skyscrapers, sure.
But when all of your American steel companies are driven out of business by subsidized Chinese government steel, and then when they close up shop, well then you're at the mercy of the Chinese steel companies, aren't you?
Not just the mercy of their prices then, but whether or not they'll actually sell to you at all.
And China is an enemy, or at least a potential enemy, just as much as Russia is, probably more.
And the same thing goes with oil, by the way.
Trump has green-lit so many oil and gas deals, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Same thing.
It's great for American jobs, but it also removes the national security threat of America having to buy so much of its oil from OPEC.
Again, think about that.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, you would have thought that it would be politically impossible to ever drill there again after the ban.
It was banned throughout Obama's term, banned throughout Bush's term, ban, ban, banned.
Trump just undid the ban.
It's done.
So America is booming because of tax cuts and cutting red tape.
And his big promise to the auto industry was this.
Bring back your factories from Mexico, and Trump will cut that insane leftist regulation called CAFE standards.
That's corporate average fuel efficiency.
That's what CAFE standards are.
It basically makes it impossible to build an affordable car bigger than a sardine can.
It's basically an eco-tax on family-sized vehicles like SUVs and small trucks.
So it's anti-American.
It pretends that Americans love those tiny little Euro cards, Mimi, or Priuses, but note again, his promise to the auto sector was not a bailout like Obama did and like Canada did too.
Trump's promise is the opposite.
He'll remove what really hurts these companies, these cafe fuel standards, and he'll take on countries that ban American-made cars with high tariffs by saying, well, then you can't sell your foreign cars in America.
And he did that with steel, and he's doing that with agriculture, which is why he's getting into a fight with Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau will protect Quebec's dairy cartel.
That puts a massive tax on, a tariff on U.S. dairy exports to Canada.
Trump's first offer to Trudeau, by the way, was let's have full Milton Freeman-style, pure free trade both ways.
Remember this?
Justin has agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers between Canada and the United States.
Lots of laughs there, but why laughs?
That's Hong Kong-style, Singapore-style trade.
That's amazing.
Could you imagine if we actually got completely free access to the U.S. market?
But Trudeau laughed.
Why?
By the way, this week the European Union, I told you yesterday, basically agreed to those exact same terms.
And Europe was so happy their socialist EU president literally kissed Trump.
Look at that kiss.
Isn't that funny?
And now Trump is racing to get a deal with Mexico.
But let me get back to how he's doing this, how he's opening up markets around the world for Americans that have been closed for decades.
He's threatening.
He's being the bully Trump.
He's threatening tariffs.
And just in case you don't take him seriously, he has slapped enormous tariffs on China.
Hard, huge, tough.
So everyone knows Trump means it.
If you're going to put tariffs on China, you'll put tariffs on anyone.
Now, Europe saw that and said, well, we don't want to fight with the crazy guy.
Do a deal, get a deal.
Yeah, and they got one.
Mexico will probably do the same.
They got this new hard left-wing president.
He sees China.
He doesn't want that treatment.
Only Justin Trudeau thinks that maybe Trump's bluffing.
Or maybe Trudeau actually wants a trade war for Trudeau's own domestic reelection purposes.
But let me get back to steel.
Because it's my favorite story.
You remember this ad?
I've shown it about three times.
It's an ad made by the U.S., the United Steelworkers of America, in the last presidential election against Trump.
There's a steel worker who's the star of this ad.
He's from Indiana.
His name is Jack Tipple.
He's actually a Facebook friend of mine, if you can believe it.
Take a look at this ad.
My name's Jack Tippold, and I've been a steel worker for 24 years.
This election is a little bit different.
And Donald Trump does talk a good game when it comes to China and Mexico.
But let me tell you a little something about Donald Trump.
The Chinese have been illegally dumping steel and aluminum into this country.
The problem is that Donald Trump is buying this steel and aluminum.
And he's using it in his projects.
Now, Trump says he's going to rebuild the steel industry.
That steel could have been made here in Indiana, Pennsylvania, or Ohio.
Another thing, Donald Trump says our wages are too high.
Let's see him go into one of our plants with his soft hands and work for a day and then tell us our wages are too high.
Donald Trump says he uses bankruptcy as a tool.
I've seen what bankruptcy does to our brothers and sisters.
I've seen them losing their houses and their cars, unable to provide food to put on their tables, can't pay their bills.
We don't have a father that can give us a million dollars and bail us out.
Look, Donald Trump is nothing more than a boss.
And when you go to pull that lever on November 8, think if that's who you want as your boss.
That's tough stuff, isn't it?
But Donald Trump actually did something about all that.
No more cheap steel dumping.
Trump got so tough with China, the whole world was shocked and scared.
And now look at what's happening in America.
Listen to this.
Now this goes to my first point.
Normally politicians, when they say they create jobs, they're taking credit for someone else's work, right?
Sort of like an economic version of stolen valor, you know, where you falsely wear military medals.
But listen to this steel worker talk about what he's been through, like Jack Tipple did.
And then talk about Trump some 550 days after Trump was inaugurated.
Take a listen to this.
On behalf of my work family here at Grand City Works, I thank you, Mr. President.
It truly is a family here.
I see the familiar faces of the people I've known for years and every day.
As I grew up with most of you, went to school with most of you, or your parents.
As plant manager, it was difficult laying off people and getting the calls.
After the layoff, hearing about the struggles, hearing about their personal lives, hearing about the community, how it was suffering.
However, the plant was able to come back thanks to all the hard work from every one of you and the dedication from every one of you.
your support, Mr. President.
I look around here today and I see the smiling faces.
We owe that to you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
That's real.
That's real life.
That's not just a tax cut.
That's not just removing regulations.
That's saying that China, no more rigged rules, no more blocking American exports to China while dumping subsidized killer goods into America to shut down American industry.
Jack Tipple, my Facebook buddy, he's not really my buddies, we're friends on Facebook.
He won't answer my questions about whether or not he'll vote Trump next time.
It doesn't matter.
Every other steel worker in his factory will.
I guarantee you that.
That's what's happening.
For the first time in memory, America actually has a builder, a businessman, entrepreneur, dealmaker as president.
What a contrast from this guy.
Somebody else made that happen.
He goes on.
You didn't build that.
You didn't build that.
You didn't build that, really?
What's he ever built, that community organizer?
No wonder growth was stagnant under Obama.
Say, up here in Canada, have you ever heard someone say, dear Justin Trudeau, thanks for creating jobs?
I've never heard it.
I'm paying attention.
You hear thanks for the handout or thanks for the bailout or thanks for the subsidy.
You hear Bombardier say thanks for the money.
You even have weirdness like Trudeau overpaying by $1 billion for a 70-year-old Kinder Morgan existing Trans Mountain pipeline.
Weird because we're overpaying by $1 billion for the pipeline that's already there, but that doesn't get the expansion done.
But no one ever says thanks for creating jobs because he's not creating jobs, is he?
Instead, he's got this bizarre obsession with carbon taxes that most Canadians are against, according to polls, that the premiers are against, that the world, other countries are against.
But you have economic illiterates like global warming minister Catherine McKenna actually saying that paying a carbon tax will create jobs or something.
Carbon pricing works.
Why?
Because it reduces emissions at the lowest cost while also growing the economy.
Yeah, no, no.
That's scary dumb.
But there are no grown-ups around to stop her.
Even some Ottawa journalists think she's just so wrong.
Not many journalists do, but some do.
Here's Evan Solomon.
Remember this from earlier this year?
There's a line between being optimistic and being out of touch with the reality of what this administration is doing.
They want to renegotiate NAFTA.
They're going to start that 90-day process.
They've already rolled back environmental rules from the Obama administration.
Again, it just sounds like no matter what they do, you're just saying, we'll make our case.
Our train has left the station.
We're not budging for Trump.
So let's not say it's our train.
It's the global train.
I'm sorry, that was from last year, excuse me.
That train, I don't know where she's train spotting this global train for global warming, but the European Union, as I mentioned, they just got on the Trump train.
And Mexico is about to get on the Trump train, too.
And pretty much anyone who wants to do business.
You have to be a builder, a tax cutter, a regulation cutter, but he's actually reshaping the entire world, blasting down barriers.
He's all those things that consumers are traditionally, but he's doing something more.
He's actually more effective at getting Milton Friedman-style, Fraser Institute-style, free trade between nations than true libertarians ever have been because he's not afraid to threaten tariffs to get the free trade.
Isn't that interesting?
Isn't that the Trumpy way?
Threaten economic disaster like a bully to get the other side so scared they'll liberalize the markets to get an economic benefit.
Trump's Global Economic Boom00:06:16
It is working far better than the unilateral declarations of free trade of the past, isn't it?
So you've got booming industry at home.
You've got booming exports.
And most of all, you have confidence in America that for the first time in memory, someone loves the idea of economic growth and industrial growth.
GDP.
GDP stands for gross domestic product.
It's another way of saying how much everyone in the whole country made economically, goods and services.
So it's an important number because it shows if factories are busy, if stores are busy, if construction is happening.
It's another way of saying, is your country working?
In recent years, in recent decades, really, GDP growth, sometimes just called economic growth, it's been just a couple of percent a year.
And conventional wisdom is being, well, you know, we're really as rich as you can get.
The only countries that see high growth, you know, 5%, 6%, 7%, occasionally you see countries around the 10% mark.
Well, those are rapidly modernizing, industrializing countries that are starting so low.
Like, for example, China, because when you're really poor and you're industrializing as fast as possible, you know, building coal-fired power plants and building highways and building airports and building modern housing for the first time, those things are happening in a crash kind of way.
What we in the West industrialized over decades or even centuries, China and India are trying to do in a fraction of the time.
So you'll see high growth.
So as you can see in this article, China posted GDP growth of 6.7%.
But in a country that already has modern housing and highways and power plants, how could you possibly see growth that fast, right?
That's conventional wisdom.
America had double-digit growth really briefly shortly after the Second World War.
1950 was their fastest growth as the wasteful Second World War economy was replaced with a modern capitalist industrial economy.
They built the interstate highways and stuff like that.
Here's the GDP growth.
Here's a graph of it.
Can you see that?
I don't know if you can see that.
It's a growth over the decades.
You can see back in 1950 when it was the absolute highest there.
But for the last, you know, I don't know, 10, 15 years, it's really never poked above 5%.
It's rarely been higher than 3%.
Now, economists mocked Donald Trump when he said, no, no, he'll beat 3%.
Here's a Republican ad that they put together of all the smart people saying, no, you can't do that, Donald Trump.
It's my opinion that within the next two years, I think we'll get 4% growth.
You and your magic beanstock beans are not being realistic.
There's just no way to see how you can get that kind of growth unless you really, you know, it just doesn't make sense.
He just says, well, I'm going to negotiate a better deal.
How exactly are you going to negotiate that?
What magic wand do you have?
In the event Donald wins, I have no doubt in my mind the market tanks.
Trump's policies would throw us into a recession.
The last thing we need.
Breaking news.
Okay, on a morning of breaking news, it just continues.
The Commerce Department has just released the latest quarterly economic numbers, and they are big.
President Trump predicted a terrific GDP report.
Now we know it is 4.1%.
Most liberal economists said it would be impossible for Trump to get the 3% or 4% growth, and we're there now.
Well, in fairness to the president, he came in and said the reason he needed to be president is to get growth going again.
And he predicted he was going to have really substantial growth.
People were really skeptical about it.
He's delivered, in fairness to him.
They said, they said this day would never come.
Let the man take a victory lap.
He's just created trillions of dollars of wealth.
He did it.
4.1% GDP growth.
That's China numbers.
They're getting rich down there in America.
Maybe he really is making America great again.
And our guy?
Well, he's taking another personal day today.
More than 20 holidays so far in 2018.
We don't have our NAFTA deal.
We don't have the European Union deal.
We have an immigration border control crisis.
We just had a terrorist attack in Toronto, but our man-child prime minister, he's still on holidays.
Well, here's the Canadian version of that GDP chart.
Can you see it?
It hasn't been above 2% growth since the 1980s.
Look at this.
Just look at this here so far.
Show the next graph.
Look at that.
We had 0.3% GDP growth last quarter, down from 0.4% growth before that.
Could you imagine what will happen to us if Trump actually does proceed with his tariff on our cars?
0.3, 0.4% growth rate.
Of course.
We've banned fracking.
We've banned pipelines.
We've banned oil sands expansion.
We've attacked mines and quarries and marine terminals.
We've taxed everything that moves and most things that don't.
Our childish leaders are blathering on about how carbon taxes create jobs.
I don't know if America's growth rate will continue at 4.1%.
Looks like his deals with places like Europe may actually create a worldwide economic boom.
Maybe we'll get some of the benefits of that indirectly, both just by the luck of being right next to the U.S. and being in the middle of a global economic renaissance brought about by Trump bringing down the price of energy through more production and bringing down worldwide tariffs through his tough negotiations.
Maybe a rising global tide will lift our little Canadian boat too, but the opposite might happen too.
Maybe our foolish carbon tax and our foolish anti-industrial agenda will continue to dampen any investment here.
Global Economic Renaissance00:15:14
And maybe foreign companies will say, well, you know, we used to look at Canada as a place we could do business and also have access to the U.S. economy, but now that's not so certain with NAFTA being ripped up.
Let's move our factory from Canada to the U.S. We'll have access to the U.S. market for sure that way, and we'll also have lower taxes and we'll also have a business-friendly president to boot.
And Canada, well, we'll always have all those jobs that come from our carbon tax, won't we?
Stay with us for more.
Welcome back.
Well, one of the interesting things about being an online news company is the statistics you get.
On YouTube, we get down to the minute how many people are watching what video.
And I should tell you that our second most popular video of the hundreds and hundreds of videos that we produced last month was a lengthy and detailed discussion about trade negotiations.
You wouldn't think that that would rocket to the number two viral position on YouTube for our channel, but it was actually a riveting conversation with our next guest.
His name is Manny Montenegrino, and he returns for our third conversation about trade.
Manny, welcome back.
Well, thank you for having me, Ezra.
I mean, I'm not putting down the conversation about trade.
I find it fascinating, but that's sort of a technical, obscure issue.
It's not a sexy issue, but that video, you've done two videos with us about the Canada-U.S.-NAFTA negotiations.
Both of them have had an enormous viewership, especially in the United States.
It's quite something.
And I think my theory is you're giving an analysis that we don't see elsewhere.
So let me stop talking now.
Manny, give us an update on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations.
Thank you, Ezra.
And I will.
I have been studying this issue for about two years.
Even before Donald Trump became president, I was part of an international legal association that was predominantly with American law firms and American PR firms.
And I was saying what Trump is saying today.
I was questioning.
So I have been on this issue for years, and it's come into fruition with what Trump is doing.
And here, let me give you an update.
Since my last video, our last video, We now have Mexico with a new president who's working, and it appears they're very close to a deal.
You might recall that Prime Minister Trudeau said that he was not interested in a bilateral deal.
He needs to have Mexico in with him.
And that was, to me, a complete and utter either a staged event, a lie, or he had a different purpose.
If you're acting in Canada's interest, you act for Canada.
And that is do a trade deal as quickly as possible.
And here's why.
Trade is not a right.
I mean, people got to understand that no one has a right to trade with any other country.
It's done by way of agreement.
We don't have the right to put a McDonald's in North Korea.
We don't have a right to.
So we need an agreement.
And that's what we have.
And it's worked very well for Canada.
How well?
Canada has, in its trade, its GDP is 26%.
We create 26% of our gross national product through trade.
And 20% of it is with the United States of America.
That's a huge deal.
Our prosperity is linked to that great GDP number.
Whereas in the United States, they only have about 8% of their GDPs to trade.
That supports what Trump is saying.
We export a lot less than we import.
And only 2% of their GDP is with Canada.
So they see it differently than we do.
I look at both sides.
And when I look at both sides, I see where Trump is coming from.
And if you look at, you know, what would you do if you're an investor?
You'd say, well, I could set up anywhere in Canada or anywhere in the United States, and I can access both markets.
That's what has been the position.
So Canada has benefited because we do have some advantages over the United States on setting up businesses.
Well, we're losing that.
You've seen that we've lost those advantages, certainly in the oil, in the pipelines, and this government is making money flee away from Canada.
Now, this trade discussion is in a uncertainty.
Every month that goes by, as billions of dollars leave Canada because it's uncertain.
Are we going to do a deal?
Why is the prime minister not interested?
Why is he always on vacation, not cementing this deal?
Why is he not working for the interests of Canada?
And this deal could have been done months ago, but it's not.
And I know why it's not.
My theory, and it's becoming fact, is that there is a reason why the deal is not done.
It is to promote this liberal government strategy to create a war with Trump and unify under the flag and have people support Justin Trudeau and Canada.
That's what's going on.
And it's very clear.
And I have, if you go through my Twitter account, I've pinned, and there are now 14 factual examples under that pin.
So there's a thread that shows evidentiary fact of why it was done.
This trade is done to delay intentionally for political purposes.
Well, we'll put underneath this video a link to help people find your Twitter account.
And by the way, I know exactly what you mean about the liberals wanting to fight with Trump for their political benefit.
Both Gerald Butts, the principal secretary to Justin Trudeau, and more recently, Minister Hajdu, I believe she's the labor minister, have made public statements to that effect.
We'll put their tweets on the screen right now.
Gerald Butts saying, remember this when we're in election, whose team, who's for, I mean, basically demonizing anyone who would affiliate with Trump, and Minister Hajdu saying the same thing.
I think they actually want a fight so they can run against Donald Trump, who they think domestically is unpopular.
They're willing to sack the deal to have Trump as an enemy.
I think that's very reckless.
I read that tweet from Gerald Butts, and I was so alarmed.
And to me, it was a smoking gun of an admission that they want this trade.
The day that, and that's also, and you're going to show it, that's wonderful.
But the day that he tweeted that was when the NAFTA negotiations were at the worst.
And I ask you and I ask every viewer, who spikes the ball as Gerald Butts did when the NAFTA negotiations were at its absolute worst.
He basically said, look at us.
We wouldn't fool like a cheat camp like the Conservatives.
And then he says, remember this in 2019.
I mean, if I had Butts on the stand, that would be a clear admission that the purpose of delaying NAFTA and trade and putting Canada in possible recession is for political advantage.
Now, I'm not the prime minister and the prime minister, sorry, Prime Minister Harper, who may have said it sotto voce or may have said it subtly.
I will say clearly, it is my clear opinion that it's done intentionally.
Right.
Yeah, that's what Stephen Harper said, and I think he's right.
Now, let me talk about an interesting development.
You mentioned, and we all know that Justin Trudeau was insistent that NAFTA be a three-way deal, and he was sort of trying to triangulate against Trump by allying with his buddy, the former president of Mexico.
But as you mentioned, Mexico is a new leader, and that new leader is quite hard-left-wing, according to media reports.
He's not quite Hugo Chavez left-wing, but he's very rambunctious, left-wing.
And Trump for decades has been railing against Mexico and trade.
So you would think that between a hard left-wing Mexican president and Trump and his history of poking back at Mexico, that those two guys would be a disaster together.
But if press reports are to be believed, and actually I think Trump tweeted this himself, he's actually closer to a deal with this new Mexican president than he is with Canada.
And he's never had a quarrel with Canada before.
But Canada wants a quarrel with him.
Wouldn't it be shocking, wouldn't it be terrifying, Nanny, if NAFTA evaporated, but Trump actually did an art of the deal move with this Mexican leftist?
Trump does deals with anyone and everyone.
He's trying to do a deal with Kim Jong-un in Korea.
He's trying to do deals with countries around the world.
Wouldn't it be something if he got a deal with Mexico on his own and Trudeau and Canada were left hanging outside the tent?
We got a window into that, Ezra.
There was a brief report, and again, I tweeted it in part of my 14 tweet thread.
But I think Leiskner, the trade negotiator for USA, he actually said he was dumbfounded.
He was shocked because he thought he would have Canada at his side to demand that Mexico in the three-way trade deal have a minimum wage because they wanted to raise the minimum wage in Mexico in order to make a trade deal more equitable.
Canada was not at his side.
He couldn't understand.
He couldn't understand why is Canada not asking that Mexico have a minimum wage, yet they're demanding United States to have unionized workers.
It didn't make sense to him.
It makes sense to me.
And that is to delay trade, to put monkey wrenches in every part of the negotiations in order to get the Trump hate votes in Canada.
I mean, like, how can Canada not stand? for a higher minimum wage in Mexico.
That's who we are.
America is advancing that and Trudeau is not.
And there's a simple answer to that.
And that is more evidence, in my view, as to what this government's intent is with respect to trade deal.
And it's a very frightening proposition.
And as I said before, we have a lot more to lose than America.
And Trudeau, and I would think the Prime Minister Trudeau and others are taking advantage of that for political reasons.
We're talking with Manny Montenegrino.
He's the president and CEO of ThinkSharp and a longtime lawyer.
As you can tell, he's got the cross-examination skills.
Manny, I want to ask you one last question.
I see a flicker of hope.
I saw a report that Canada is trying to get back into the negotiations, so they say, because they're concerned about Trump's public threat of tariffs on our auto sector.
20% tariff.
Apparently we sell, I think, a million cars more into the states than they sell to us.
You slap a 20% tariff on a Canadian car, no American's going to buy it.
That's just going to kill the auto industry right there.
Do you think that the liberal members of parliament that represent those ridings in Ontario, and I think there's a couple in Quebec, that rely on the auto industry, do you think those panicking local MPs who've got to be hearing from their auto worker constituencies, do you think that's enough to push Gerald Butts away from the cliff to make Elma and Louise car veer off course?
Or are they going to take us right off the cliff?
Auto workers be damned?
Sure, absolutely.
Auto workers be damned.
And everything I've examined of this government, as I can list it, it all has to do with optics.
There is nothing of substance.
Our government is walking into the NAFTA negotiations, protecting seven industries.
We talked about the Milk Marketing Board and the agriculture industry.
And let's put that aside.
There are two other industries that I want to identify.
Telecom.
Now, the telecom industry, that's your cell phone.
Canada's cell phone bills are twice what they are in America.
And we're protecting that industry.
Why?
And if you circle around, part of the telecom industry are the people that feed you the news.
It's in their financial interest to make Trump look bad.
It's in your financial interest.
It's in their financial interest, never to mention that telecom is protected.
Why is it protected?
And so Trump sees seven industries.
Trump sees Canadian banks in America.
Royal Bank.
I mean, the Royal Bank of Canada is sponsoring many golf tournaments.
The Royal Bank of Canada is in America.
All our banks are in America.
There are no banks in American banks in Canada.
Trump sees this.
Good point.
I mean, I traveled to Florida and I'm actually very proud to see our Canadian banks doing business there.
TD, Scotiabank, they're out there grabbing the consumers and grabbing the market share.
American banks are not allowed to do that.
Trump sees that and says, wait a minute, why are telecoms?
Why are your agriculture industries, your banks, why are they allowed to be protected?
And he truly wants a free deal, but we're not telling the story.
And that's the frustrating part.
Wow.
You know what?
You're so right about that.
We don't think about that in Canada that we don't have access to American banks.
And it would be good to have the competition.
I mean, I'm sure there's some patriotic loyalty Canadians have, but if we can get our better deal, cheaper mortgages, whatever, better service, why not?
You know, Manny, you're always ahead of the curve here.
It's great to have an update with you.
I just hope, I mean, you're rarely wrong, Manny, but I hope you're wrong on Gerald.
I hope that Canadian interests will prevail because anyone who wants a trade war with America.
I'm sorry they're reckless.
And I think that's Gerald Butts.
And I think he's running the show.
I don't even think Trudeau's running the show.
I think it's Butts.
Last week with you, Manny.
Yeah, well, I agree.
I am fearful that they will not.
And why I say that?
When this trade war was, when we retaliated, when Canada retaliated, we retaliated with tariffs on Canada Day.
I mean, that was such a, again, if I was cross-examining these people, again, why would you put tariffs two months late on Canada Day?
Because it's for patriotic reasons.
And then what happened?
There's a couple of polls that came out that Trudeau got a bump.
He's got a bump in polls because of our patriotism for Canada and these, we call the Canadian Canada Day tariffs.
Provinces Standing Firm Against Carbon Tax00:12:47
It's working for them.
And because it's working for them, they will not do what's in the best interest of Canada.
So, Ezra, sadly, although I wish and pray and hope that they would wake up and smell the coffee and save Canada, they've now got enough enabling messages to continue to go on this path of economic destruction.
Amazing.
Well, Manny, it's a pleasure to talk with you.
Underneath this video, we're going to have links not only to your Twitter account where people can follow your arguments about trade, but also to your two previous videos, which have been so well received.
And I think it's because you provide arguments and even mentioning telecom and banking today.
That's a very thoughtful thing to say.
I hope the government sees the light.
And I know that they're watching your videos because so many opinion leaders are.
Manny Montegrino, President of Think Sharp, great to see you.
Keep in touch, my friend.
Take care, Ezra.
Thank you.
Stay with us.
More ahead on The Rebel.
Well, good news seems to be spreading like dominoes pushing over the next one.
I'm talking about the grassroots revolt against the carbon tax.
Well, first it was just Saskatchewan by itself, Brad Wall, and then his successor, Scott Moe.
Then Jason Kenney promised that it would be the first thing he cuts if he becomes Premier next year in Alberta, which is pretty much a sure thing.
But the real breakthrough was the Premier of the largest province of Canada, Ontario, Doug Ford, who made opposition to the carbon tax a centerpiece of his campaign and was rewarded with a strong majority.
Well, now the rebellion has spread even to liberal jurisdictions, including perhaps the most liberal province of them all, Prince Edward Island, a little province of just 150,000 people, so small that it's, you know, it's like a liberal fiefdom.
But now that liberal government is saying we don't want a carbon tax.
We don't need a carbon tax.
They've actually reduced their carbon dioxide emissions, if that's something you care about, without one.
And now the governing liberals and the opposition conservatives have made that a key promise.
Joining us now via Skype is the new Atlantic director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, our friend Paige McPherson.
Paige, it's great to see you again.
Thanks for having me on.
Well, you're back in your home region of the Atlantic, and it's a delight to see the rebellion against the carbon tax take root out there.
I have to tell you, I'm a little bit surprised, Paige, because to go against their federal liberal cousins, that takes a little bit of political courage.
It does.
It takes political courage, though, as well, to go up to the voters in your province and tell them that you're just going to sort of lie down and take a carbon tax when you know that your province doesn't need it.
See, the thing is that, as you mentioned, Prince Edward Island has been reducing its emissions.
It's actually ahead of six other provinces in this regard.
They've already got those policies in place that are helping to do that.
They're also reducing their gas consumption, which is another thing that the federal government said that the carbon tax is going to do.
So it really begs the question, I think, for anybody with common sense, regardless of which party they vote for, why have a carbon tax?
If it's not about reducing emissions, which we're already doing, if it's not about reducing gas consumptions that we're already doing, then what is it really about?
And I think the obvious answer is that it's just about yet another tax.
You know, I think you're right.
You raised the good point that it's tough.
I mean, I guess the politicians, the government of Prince Edward Island is between a rock and a hard place because Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts, Catherine McKenna, they are adamant about the carbon tax.
It really is the most important thing to them other than perhaps marijuana legalization and feminism.
It really is the thing they harp on the most.
So the carbon tax is dear to them.
But on the other hand, try telling that to someone who has to, what is it, it's going to add another 11 cents a liter at the pump or something.
So it's tough.
I guess, Paige, my point is because province after province is standing up, maybe there's a courage now.
When it seemed inevitable, when every single province other than Saskatchewan seemed to be going along, when even so-called conservatives like Patrick Brown were for it, it looked tough to speak out.
But now I think politicians are finding their courage in numbers.
That's just my pundit's assessment.
Whatever the reason is, I'm thrilled.
Yeah, I think that's a good point.
It might have been the case that perhaps some politicians were waiting out at the federal government to see if they were really serious about this.
But either way, I mean, it's one of these things where initially carbon tax advocates were saying there's absolutely no way that you can get elected in most of the country without being in favor of a carbon tax.
This is happening and there's nothing that you can do about it.
And ordinary common sense people started standing up and saying, well, wait a second.
It doesn't even matter in even the provinces that do emit the most carbon dioxide.
If we have a carbon tax, you know, you could wipe Canada off the face of the earth.
We're still not going to have a large impact on global warming, which we know is a global problem if you're concerned about that as an issue.
So even if Canada implements these policies across the board, it's not going to have an impact.
But especially for provinces that are the size of Prince Edward Island, a carbon tax on Prince Edward Islanders is definitely not going to have an impact on global climate change.
And so I think that they're standing up and saying that.
But on top of that, they're already reducing their emissions.
It's not necessary for them to have that carbon tax to even have that in place.
So I think that it's a really excellent thing that you're seeing provinces out in Atlantic Canada stand up against this.
In Ontario, I mean, for a long time, people were saying this was a no-go in eastern Canada.
They're going to accept the carbon tax.
They're just going to take it.
And now you're seeing a little bit of an uprising.
I mean, Nova Scotia has pushed back.
Prince Edward Island is pushing back.
And I think it's good to know for every province fighting this tax that they're certainly not alone in this fight.
Yeah.
Now, I want to ask you what you think the reason is that any given Canadian is against this tax, because there's so many links in the chain, the chain, the logical syllogism that you have to support to believe in a carbon tax.
You've got to think that global warming is a problem, that it's created in a meaningful way by man-made activities, that this tax will somehow change the emissions of man-made carbon dioxide.
And that the tax is the best.
There's a lot of links in that chain, and any one of them can be broken for someone to oppose.
Someone might say, I believe in the theory of man-made global warming, but I think this is just a tax.
Or someone might say, I believe in the theory of man-made global warming, but I know that Prince Edward Island is such a drop in the bucket compared to China.
Or someone might say, I don't even care or know, I'm just sick of taxes.
Like, there's about 10 reasons to be against a carbon tax, but to be for it, you've got to be for every link in the chain.
Do you get my meaning there, Paige?
What do you think the broken link of the chain is for any given Prince Edward Islander?
Well, I think that people know, especially in a place like Prince Edward Island, that driving your car to work or heating your home in the winter is not a luxury.
It's a necessity, especially in a rural area of Canada.
We don't have fancy transit systems that are going to pick up the slack.
You're not going to be riding your bike in the dead of winter across PEI to get to where you need to go.
So this is a tax on the necessities of life.
So I think that there's that side of it.
People know that we live in a country that experiences winter and it's just not fair when people are already scraping by to ask them to pay more, cough up more for the necessities of life.
But I think that they also know that a carbon tax is really mostly about the tax.
It's not going to have an impact on global climate change.
Even if you accept everything about global climate change and you say, okay, you know, yes, this needs to change and the countries that are the big emitters need to do their part.
You probably know that Canada is not one of those countries.
People know that Canadians were not the biggest contributors to global warming if that's your logical acceptance that this is an issue.
So I think that when you put those pieces together, people say, look, we don't really trust the government when they say that, okay, this is actually going to save the world.
We are more skeptical that perhaps like other temporary taxes that have come up to solve problems, this is really just a tax.
The government's looking for more revenue and it's going to make our life more expensive.
I mean, the PEI, PEI, provincial gas taxes alone are 24 cents a liter.
When you combine that with federal gas taxes, it comes to $25 every time you fill up a mid-sized family car.
That's before the carbon tax even comes into effect if it's going to.
So that's already a lot of dough that they're having to cough up on a necessity of life.
Like I said, there's not fancy transit systems in place.
So when you talk about a carbon tax, I think they're skeptical that it's going to work, but also they say, look, I'm already taxed enough.
Yeah.
Well, you know, it's become such a symbol for this government.
I mean, when I say marijuana, global warming, and feminism, I'm not joking.
I'm not trying to paint a caricature.
I'm just trying to think of what are the issues that they seem so adamant about.
I can't think of other policies that they're so branded with the core value.
I mean, if there's one I'm missing, just chime in.
But so I'm not making fun when I say feminism, and I think that's why the groping allegations have hurt him so much, because that blunts one of his key issues.
Marijuana, let's put that aside.
And the carbon tax.
I think those are the three legs of the stool, policy-wise, for Justin Trudeau, which makes me think, Paige, he's not going to want to give that one up easily.
Do you think, and I know I'm asking you to look into your pundit's crystal ball, and that's not really your job.
You guys are non-partisan taxpayers' advocates.
But are you, do you think he's going to blink?
Do you think more provinces are going to go against it?
How's this one going to end?
Well, I hope that more provinces come out against it.
There are other provinces like Nova Scotia, where I am right now, that have said, look, we're already meeting our emissions reductions targets without a carbon tax.
We're already accomplishing the policy goals that, Prime Minister, you're saying we need to accomplish without implementing this policy that you say that we need to implement, which is just another tax on people who feel that they're taxed enough.
So I do think that we're going to see more provinces start standing up.
I think that as you mentioned, this sort of the domino effect, I think that it's falling out of favor with most Canadians and most Canadian governments who are going to have to stand next to other provinces that are standing up to the carbon tax and not imposing a carbon tax on their citizens and have voters in their province say, well, why aren't you doing that as well?
I think we're going to see that.
And I think that if it happens to go to court, like the Saskatchewan government, you know, as you've covered, has said that they would take the federal government to court if it came down to it.
Ontario, I think, has insinuated that they would join that if it came down to that and it needed to.
In Manitoba, which is actually a pro-carbon tax province, in terms of their government, government different than the voters, of course, but they've said that if you push the carbon tax too high, Prime Minister, then we will take you to court as well.
And legal analysis out of Manitoba has said that if a province can demonstrate that they are reducing emissions or achieving that policy goal without the carbon taxes, they would have a very valid case in court.
So I think the federal government's got to be looking at that, looking at now the numbers and numbers are growing in terms of the people standing up against the carbon tax.
And I think they've got to be feeling a little bit worried.
Remember, you know, the government works for us.
We don't work for them.
So they need to be responsive to what I think people are saying.
Yeah.
Well, I don't like the idea of putting tax policy in the hands of a few unelected judges.
That does not make me optimistic at all.
But I think that the people will speak.
You know, I'm old enough, Paige.
You're just a young pup, but I'm old enough to remember the 1993 federal election where the GST was a big issue.
It was brought in a couple of years earlier, extremely unpopular.
And even though he didn't keep the promise, Jean-Cretchem said he would kill scrap and abolish the GST.
People Will Speak00:05:00
It was a big moment for your organization, the Taxpayers Federation.
I think that if Trudeau barrels ahead out of ideological stubbornness, he could face an electorate that is saying over our dead bodies.
And that, you know, it certainly penalized the, I guess that was Kim Campbell in 1993 who was running on behalf of Mulroney's tax.
Very interesting times.
I'm so glad that you're fighting hard and you're back in Atlanta, Canada, where you're from originally.
The taxpayers need all the help they can get out there, Paige, and I'm glad you're doing it.
Thanks so much for having me, Ezra.
All right, there you go.
Our friend Paige McPherson.
We love the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
They're one of the few truly nonpartisan independent groups fighting for taxpayers because, like us here at the Rebel, they don't take a dime from the government.
And it shows, I think it shows that their loyalty remains with citizens.
And Paige, of course, is just a wonderful person, as you know.
All right, that's it for that segment.
Stay with us.
more ahead on the Ramble.
Welcome back.
On my monologue yesterday about Trump and the European Union getting a trade deal done.
While Trudeau is using the issue as a re-election tactic, John writes, We could have a great deal with Trump and the U.S., but Justin is willing to sink our economy just despite him and get the I hate Trump vote.
Unfortunately, it's Justin first and not Canada first.
You're so right now, I don't know if you saw yesterday's show, I think you did.
Sorry, what am I saying?
You're responding to it.
That Jean-Claude Junker, he is the most European of the Europeans.
He's a bureaucrat.
He's a meddler.
He's a globalist.
But he was afraid of Trump more than he hated Trump.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Of course he hates Trump.
Of course that kiss was the kiss of relief, not of affection, because Trump was threatening to wreck the European economy if they didn't pull down the tariffs.
That's what's amazing about Trump.
He knows free trade is right.
He doesn't love tariffs.
He realizes that tariffs are a weapon.
If you listen to Trump carefully, and very few journalists do, he's saying, I don't want a trade war.
He's saying, we've been in a trade war for decades.
Now let's fight back.
We've already lost the trade war.
Maybe we should fight it.
And the first time he tries to fight it, with the European Union, with Mexico, with China, it goes well for America.
In the case of the European Union, they agree to lower tariffs.
In the case of NATO countries, they agree to spend more.
I wish we could have a leader who would understand Trump and make that work to Canada's advantage.
We have so much stuff we could sell them.
We're going to be wound up shut out of that country.
Keith writes, Trudeau does not realize that if Trump were to put tariffs on the auto sector, he would be shooting himself in the foot.
My oldest son, who is a tool and die maker for General Motors in Oshawa, tells me that roughly 70% of the unskilled labor in the plant are Muslim.
Okay, I didn't know that, and I'm not sure exactly the connection.
But I know that if I was General Motors or Ford or Chrysler or any of these companies, and if I had to choose which side of the border I was on, I would not want to choose.
I would want a borderless world like they have right now under the Auto Pact and NAFTA.
But if I was forced to choose because NAFTA was ending and Trump was putting on tariffs, I would choose America.
And how many votes does Ontario have in the U.S. presidential elections of 2020?
It has none.
So if Ontario liberals and Quebec liberals and Canadian liberals raise their fists and shake him at Trump, oh you, but all those factories move back to Detroit and Ohio and Illinois and Michigan and Wisconsin, has that not a win for Donald Trump?
On my interview with Andrew Mann, who went up to Camp Cloud, it's on Burnaby Mountain, Paul writes, I wonder if Prime Minister Groeper will speak about the attack on that woman.
I'm guessing no.
Oh, listen, Justin Trudeau has not spoken about the terrorist murder of two women, a girl and a woman, in Toronto.
He had some staffer in Ottawa send out a tweet.
If Justin Trudeau will not talk about a murder, he's not going to talk about a common assault.
I think Justin Trudeau has revealed himself to more and more Canadians as being nothing but a shallow, selfie, loving Kardashian, except the thing is Kim Kardashian never sold herself as more.
Ironically, she's achieved more, lobbying Donald Trump to pardon a woman and successfully.
Justin Trudeau's Shallow Image00:02:39
Kim Kardashian never said she was more than she is.
Justin Trudeau is proving that he's not more than he appears to be.
Well, folks, that's the end of the show today, and that's the end of this week.
I want to tell you that earlier this morning I received a message from Tommy Robinson's family, and I spoke with Tommy Robinson's lawyer.
And the verdict in his appeal will be revealed in London on Tuesday or Wednesday.
And I know that's very strange, and I pressed to clarify it, but the lawyer could not.
He said the judges indicate it will be Tuesday or Wednesday, and those are the two days.
So I have to go to London, assuming it's going to be on the first day, the Tuesday.
And because of when the planes land at Heathrow and it takes about an hour and a half to get through customs and into the city, that means I have to go in the day before.
I have to go to London to land there on Monday.
So I regret I will be away on Monday, but we will have a guest host, probably my friend David Menzies.
I'm not sure yet.
But I will be in London on Tuesday.
And if the appeal is on Wednesday, I'll be there Wednesday.
And I am hopeful that Tommy will be released on whichever of those days it is.
And then I'll be back in Canada after that.
But I will be in the UK.
And as I was a couple of weeks ago for the appeal itself, my goal is to produce as much content from there as I can.
And I know it's just on one narrow subject, Tommy Robinson, but please understand, at least in my mind, Tommy Robinson is not about the man.
He's about freedom of speech, the rule of law, the Islamification of the West, open borders, globalism, the 5P professionals, police, politicians, the press, professors and prosecutors betraying the public interest out of fear of being called racist.
It's about all of these issues, which we're seeing in Canada today.
If you look at how the 5P professionals are trying to engineer the narrative about the Toronto terrorist attack last week, you can see that what's happening in the UK is coming to Canada.
And the way Tommy was arrested in Leeds two months ago, maybe that's coming to Canada too.
So I believe it's important to study what's going wrong in the UK, to help the one guy who's fighting back in the UK, and to bring news to Canada of warning, news of warning, so perhaps we can correct our own course.
So that's what I'll be doing when I'm not here.
But I think hopefully you'll be able to see me on YouTube.
And perhaps on the shows where I'm away, we can have little clips of what I'm doing in London inserted in the show.