'Trade wars are good, and easy to win,' Trump tweets

[robkelk]

CBC Analysis/Opinion: Trade disruption would likely spell the end of North American jobs surge

Don Pitts, again.

Canada and the U.S. both export and import about the same amount of steel. Suddenly with a 25 per cent tariff, importers could be forced to try to ship goods east and west across the country instead of north and south across the border. The inefficiencies would be absurd.

The inevitable effect is that the price of U.S. steel and aluminum would rise. The price of products made with that steel and aluminum would also rise, making U.S. products less competitive at home and in foreign markets.

In the case of aluminum, the U.S. produces a fraction of its needs, meaning a trade war could leave it short of the metal for making all kinds of goods, including civilian and military aircraft.

And all that ignores the risk to U.S. exports if countries decide to retaliate. Forget Europe's threat to Kentucky corn whisky, if Mexico were to decide to stop buying actual U.S. corn and milk products, the effect on Midwest farmers would be devastating.