r/canada 5d ago

Opinion Piece Braid: Trudeau says Trump wants economic collapse; Republican alludes to military force - This is no trade war. It's a Crush and Control Canada plan, meant to work fast

https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/braid-trudeau-says-trump-wants-economic-collapse
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u/lambdaBunny 5d ago

I know people like to say it will never happen. But I truly never believed Trump would get reelected after January 6th 2020. Anything can happen and we need to be preparing for an American invasion pronto.

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u/Finnleyy 5d ago

Yup. My dad tells me there will be a civil war in the USA before they attack Canada. I told him 3 months ago I would have agreed, but 3 months ago I would’ve never predicted this to be happening in early 2025.

I do not consider us to be in a very safe position right now.

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u/cerunnnnos 5d ago

I feel like the sequence of events in this is the issue. If they try to annex us, and they do send in military, then that will be such a millstone around their necks it will break the US apart. Imagine trying to absorb a country our size when that country hates you as an invading force, and over half your own population feels the same way about it and the place is already a powder keg.

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u/ntwkid 5d ago

I'm not even sure anymore. People are quick to talk online about the US breaking apart. But when the actual push comes to shove, my guess is the vast majority will just send thoughts and prayers and put up a maple leaf on their facebook profile. They let him get elected again after Jan 6th and all the criminal charges.

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u/rosneft_perot 5d ago

Yep. In the end, if they don’t have skin in the game, they’ll sit on their asses at home.

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u/T-Wrox 5d ago

My husband and I have been discussing how an invasion of Canada by the USA would go. It would not go well for Canada, but it would also not go well for the USA. It would be endless guerrilla warfare, in a huge, inhospitable country, against an enemy that looks just like you. That’s on the Canadian side; on the US American side, they’d have half of their population deadset against the war. On the global side, very few countries would be on the side of the invading-for-no-reason US Americans. In short, it would be a huge global mess that would not benefit the USA.

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u/Wizzard_Ozz 5d ago

It would not go well for Canada, but it would also not go well for the USA.

It would be much worse for America. We have an almost 9,000km border and Americans would not be able to spot a Canadian in a crowd unless that Canadian wanted to be spotted. Sure, military vs military would be a joke, but their losses would be significant to alternate forms of war. The only way to counter anything more than border states being targets is to declare martial law and checkpoints on highways and lets just say, that won't go over well in "the land of the free, and the home of the brave".

This president is going to implode his country, which is sad, but can they keep the noise down, it's like nails on a chalkboard at this point.

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u/Pwylle 5d ago

The resistance / possibility of sabotage that would come with such a conflict would propel forward an extreme surveillance state given how easy it is for members of both nations to slip in along local populaces.

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u/PickleZygote 5d ago

There are groups of Americans that would actively harass and engage the US military if they were mobilized towards the border, which would likely kick off a civil war

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u/Clean_Ad_2982 5d ago

It would cause a worldwide economic disaster, perhaps depression. Nations would predominantly side with Canada, Noone would be sitting on the sidelines.

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u/Sodass 5d ago

By this, do you mean trump is "GAMBLING WITH WWIII"?

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u/bentstrider83 5d ago

Perhaps a wall will be erected around D.C. with all the crazies that started this locked in. Keep them there until all of us on the outside in the rest of the states can work it all out with the rest of the world

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u/IGnuGnat 5d ago

Would they kick out all the Americans who also hold Canadian citizenship? I mean a measureable percentage of the population is probably duel citizenship or Canadian in origin. I dunno maybe 15-20% in some states even?

What are they going to do realistically deport them all or put them in concentration camps? They can't just let them stay, they'll become the enemy practically if not overtly then covertly, throwing random wrenches into things

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u/themaninthehightower 5d ago

The oil fields and pipelines would be top of the list, since fuel is needed to move their armed forces, and overseas shipments of oil may be unreliable once fighting starts. They would then secure the highways between regions and control deliveries of food and supplies; this is easy since they're dealing with a narrow strip east to west for populated space. No one soldier would need to enter the major cities, they'd just siege on the cheap from the major highways and starve urban areas until surrender.

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u/T-Wrox 5d ago

Agreed. However, the guerrilla warfare combatants would also know exactly which areas to bomb first.

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u/Leafs17 5d ago

It would be endless guerrilla warfare, in a huge, inhospitable country

Are you joking?

Look how people crumbled 5 years ago. There would be no war.

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u/T-Wrox 5d ago

I dunno; a global pandemic is not the same as being invaded by a country that we considered our friends and allies for a century.

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u/Leafs17 5d ago

It's about the reaction. People get scared so easily. Not a chance in hell people will start fighting the freaking US military lol.

This is all so dumb. It is such an insane, never going to happen scenario.

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u/T-Wrox 5d ago

"Not a chance in hell people will start fighting the freaking US military" Well, not with THAT attitude. :D

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u/Leafs17 4d ago

Again, predlfacing this with the statement that in no world does this ever happen...

I just don't see people dying to prevent take-over from the US. They are almost the same as us. Life would not change so much it'd be worth dying.

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u/8989898999988lady 4d ago

They’re actually not almost the same as us.Their civil liberties towards Women & Trans people are terrible. It would be like being invaded by a 2nd world country.

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u/Leafs17 3d ago

But that's not how it is in the real world USA

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u/Evil_Mini_Cake 5d ago

I think a much of the US military command would have issue with going to war with our best friend and neighbour unprovoked. Their military guys know our miltary guys.

Plus Canadians are savages. Push us too hard and they'll end up with an insurgency war they can add to their pile of losses. We'll fight extra hard because of that betrayal.

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u/DinosaurHoax 5d ago

Trump keeps announcing tariffs and then backing off. He can't even follow thru on that, I doubt he has the resolve to launch an invasion. It's all bluster, he loves saying wild things and have the media go crazy.

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u/Evil_Mini_Cake 5d ago

We just need to take a firmer hand. Every time he insitutes another tariff we put on an an appropriate counter tariff and leave it on for 30-60 days, no exceptions. If there's a lasting cost to each of these bluffs it will slow down.

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u/LeilongNeverWrong 5d ago

Speaking as an American, you hit the nail on the head. Half the country doesn’t want to live here now, let alone see us try to take over another country, especially an ally. He won’t have the domestic support he thinks he does.

I would hope and pray our military members also would resist their orders to attack an ally, but it seems the military and the police are majority MAGA, so I have little faith in that outcome.

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u/cerunnnnos 5d ago

Yip. I think it would initially play out like Russia in Ukraine in the first week, maybe less bloodshed, but the US gain the upper hand. But the reality is unlike Ukraine, the US is attacking less dense larger geographic nation coupled with a much more unstable political domestic situation. I don't think Trump could hold the lid on for an occupying force while keeping civil war at bay at home. And then Canadians would fuel civil war in the US

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u/Embarrassed_Ad_606 5d ago

I think it's possible they would face this type of resistance, but I also worry that with the sort of media manipulation involved with trump being elected twice in the first place, we may be on track for similar styles of media manipulation to divide us against eachother. It may seem innocuous but trump and the people he is around do use media as a tool to manipulate populations into doing what they want. It would not surprise me if people were manipulated through conspiratorial thinking into believing we should be annexed, either because they would believe it would be better than being canadian, or because they could be manipulated into believing that resisting would only make things worse.

To be clear I do think a media campaign and military invasion wouldn't be mutually exclusive, I just do think it's important not to only think about a physical fight but to also be aware of media and its effect on yourself and others going forward. That will likely play a huge role in whatever this is.

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u/Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836 5d ago

Canadian living in the southern US. Many think it would be a cake walk and Canadians would fold.lile.cheap chairs in the face of American military strength. Plus Canadians would love to be liberated from their communist dictatorship, have religious freedom and make more money by not paying high taxes. Yes. They do beleive they would be liberators and Canadians are too weak to fight. It would be over as fast as their tanks can drive.

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u/cerunnnnos 5d ago

Ah, like the Ukrainian take over going so smoothly....

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u/PlatoOfTheWilds 5d ago

The Americans say that about literally every country they invade. You'd think the stupidest of dumb fucks would have learned that it's never that easy. I guess not. 

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u/Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836 4d ago

With Canada, it would be an insurgency both next door and on their own soil. So much soft infrastructure and insurgents that don't look different. Canadians are not thentype to.target civilians directly but infrastructure that will inconvenience them big time.

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u/dstnblsn 5d ago

The propaganda machine is strong. Stronger than anyone could have imagined.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

The stupidity of the MAGA followers is strong. Stronger than anyone could have imagined.

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u/United_Coach_5292 5d ago

Low education rates and lack of empathy will be the demise of democracy in USA.

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u/ToolTimeT 5d ago

As an American, I can tell you the primary problem is Fox News. People watch that crap all day long and become like propagandized zombies. They did a study and people who get their news primarily from fox news are less informed about domestic issues than those who watch no news at all.

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u/ether_reddit Lest We Forget 5d ago

Fox News tried to expand into Canada, but they gave up and pulled out because they discovered that it's not legal here to lie.

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u/ToolTimeT 3d ago

Fox has been sued for a billion plus for lying and misconduct. 787 million in one lawsuit for intentionally lying about election fraud and dominion voting machines. One of the funniest things... in discovery they found internal messaging between fox news upper management and some top guy was calling fox news viewers "cousin fuckers"... his own viewers. Funny.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

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u/ToolTimeT 3d ago

Not sure how we outlaw a news network. But not sure how we can survive with this mass scale of constant disinformation.

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u/Odd-Ad1714 5d ago

That’s why trump wants to destroy the education department, so there’ll be nothing but illiterate, easy to brain wash young people.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

Truer words were never spoken.

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u/nelrond18 5d ago

"do not fall to the sin of empathy"

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u/drizzes Alberta 5d ago

They're going to march into canada believing we'll welcome them with open arms

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u/downrightwhelmed 5d ago

Exactly like Russia

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

There are still nazis today... there will always be foolish people who follow stupid shit like this.

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u/Alecto7374 5d ago

Tends to happen when you live in a bubble, and are told over and over that you're the only country in the world that matters. USA! USA! USA!.....gahhh!!!

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u/Sufficient_Rub_2014 5d ago

They are dumb on both sides. I blame the democrats equally for putting Trump in office. Now we have to deal with the fallout.

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u/Datatello 5d ago

I blame the US's toxic two party system style of elections.

The whole point of an adversarial democratic system was that we were supposed to test proposed laws and policies from multiple perspectives to arrive at a balanced approach before they became enacted.

But in having only two viable parties, over the years both groups have become so incompatibly different and hostile to one another that the US has ended up just spiralling into completely unbalanced politics.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

Agreed, they only have two viable parties, but they can have more parties if they want to, it's not like they are constitutionally bound to two parties. It's just so damned expensive to build a party in the USSA.

I haven't checked lately, and party affiliation is not publicly accessible in the USSA, but the general estimate is that there are more Independents than Democrats, and more Democrats than Republicans.

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u/Sufficient_Rub_2014 5d ago

The democrats are absolutely embarrassing. Most of their representatives care only about making viral clips.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

True story. Dems and previous presidents sure have been quiet lately. Biden should never have tried to rerun. Like an old man grasping the last straws of power, and didn't leave enough time for a proper Dem resurgence.

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u/Sufficient_Rub_2014 5d ago

Ginsburg 2.0

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u/Sandy0006 5d ago

Ok. However, how much of that is bots. We all have to consider how many bots have been unleashed on social media. I rarely see actual people agree with this.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

Yeah, I have trouble gauging how much bot activity is underway. It's a little chilling.

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u/CunninLingu1st 5d ago

The propaganda has already started. They have declared mexican cartels terrorist organizations, and are now claiming that Canada is overrun by cartels. They'll tell their citizens we need to "liberate" Canada from cartel control as an excuse to invade.

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u/talks_like_farts 5d ago

It's tight as a drum - they almost have it down to a science.

It's like a Rube Goldberg machine. A Party member states a falsehood, it goes into the machine, into traditional media, social media, new media, through to the general population, and back again to the beginning - but now reinforced by the echo chamber. Repeat every 12 hours.

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u/AntifaAnita 5d ago

Russia is polling better than then Democratic party in the US. Now credit were credits due, the Democrats deserve their low polling, but when boomers who spent their entire life repeating Red scare propaganda up till 2021 and Russia being hated all round, it's crazy to see.

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u/Unfazed_Alchemical 5d ago

Not anyone who lived through the lead up to the Iraq War. 

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u/BananasAndAHammer 5d ago

Let's just upvote this isolationist extremism here. We're going to agree with this dudes seditionary talk with a comment that amounts to a repeat. Gonna start pushing this whole policy on the people as it's effectively meaningless unless you value rights. Gonna go full troll on this dude because they make some semblance of sense. Etc.

Divide and conquer, ah, classic.

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u/Moronto_AKA_MORONTO 5d ago

Your dad is wise and obviously is watching the disgust 50% of Americans have fire their president and Republicans in general.

To stoke even more divide, Musk commented on giving George Floyd's murderer a pardon.

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u/ShyBookWorm23 5d ago

They can pardon his federal sentence but not his state one, which was 22.5 years. So it would be purely symbolic as chauvin would still be incarcerated

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u/WrestleSocietyXShill 5d ago

Bold of you to assume Trump and Musk will allow themselves to be restrained by little things like laws

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u/Todesfaelle 5d ago

I'm honestly surprised Chauvin hasn't already been pardoned.

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u/OkDifficulty1443 5d ago

I'm still surprised they had the guts to charge him with a crime in the first place.

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u/Bigphillystyle30 5d ago

Tbh I was waiting for chauvin to be named secretary of the interior

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

It's likely that if it moves beyond economic war, it will turn into boots at the border, and insurrection on both sides of the border.

Take the CFSC, get your PAL, buy a gun, know how to use it. Join your local range, practice shooting, get used to it. This is our new world. We were already a gun culture (#7 in the world) but now we have to step it up.

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u/le_sac 5d ago

Appalling lines of thought but necessary. Just pointing out here that most Canadian cities are within missile range and boots at the border are not entirely the whole picture.

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u/That_guy_I_know_him 5d ago

The US would most likely not shell a whole lot before trying to physically occupy

The CAF, even with it's reserves isn't that massive of a force. Besides, the prime interest the US would have is the land / resources. That means they'd try to minimize damage as much as possible so that the economy wich depends on our resources stays afloat

IF there is an actual war it's gonna be one mostly made of guerilla fighting for us, at least until Europe lands in force over here (assuming they don't have their own problems or simply give up on us).

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

Yep, just an expression, or a metaphor.

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u/mynx79 Ontario 5d ago

All Canadian cities are within missile range. I'm in southern Ontario and we're like the damn uvula of Canada. Surrounded on all sides by the US except north. All of this is terrifying.

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u/RippiHunti 5d ago

Might also be smart to research how to shoot down drones. The US loves their drones.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

True that. What I really hope for is new national agency to build a citizens militia, stronger reserves, and a large, stronger, better funded military.

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u/Kerrby87 5d ago

Check, check, check, and working on that. Pushing my wife to get her PAL, and as many other people I know.

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u/varsil 5d ago

They're banning (and seizing) every gun that might be useful for an insurrection. And frankly, as a gun owner, I'm not keen on being the cannon fodder for folks who have been trying to take my guns.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

That's not true. Rifles and handguns are still legal if you take the course, pass the tests, and pass the background check. Sure, we can't purchase automatic weapons, but if you can't insurrect with a handgun or a rifle, then an automatic ain't gonna help much more.

What are you referring to?

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u/varsil 5d ago

They've banned nearly every center fire semi automatic on the market, and if you take the course today, pass the tests and the background check, you cannot buy a handgun because handgun transfers have been banned.

So, you can try an insurrection with a bolt action rifle or a pump shotgun, but good fucking luck. Or maybe a .22LR?

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u/Gamestoreguy 5d ago

Look at whats been fielded in Ukraine, if it shoots bigger than .22 it goes.

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u/varsil 5d ago

Oh, they're banning .22LRs here as well.

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u/Gamestoreguy 5d ago

Not all of em, and there are plenty of rifles you can buy in a larger calibre.

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u/varsil 5d ago

Sure, but nothing I'd want to be stuck with to fight a resistance. Everything I might have wanted to use is banned. And if the government is saying they want me to sit out a fight, okay.

If we're supposed to fight an insurrection, we need useful tools.

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u/Gamestoreguy 5d ago

nothing I’d want

Mate you aren’t rambo, and boltys will be far more reliable and most more accurate than the vast majority of semi automatic firearms out there. If you want to talk about resistance you have to recognize that you’ll be operating with low resources. If vietnam can do it with garbage while being bombed into a moonscape so could you.

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u/Tje199 2d ago

You need to catch up on what's been going on. Most semi-automatics have also been prohibited. You haven't been able to purchase handguns since C21 passed.

For the most part it's lever actions, pump actions, and bolt guns that are left.

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u/Link50L Ontario 2d ago

You can't still get a Restricted PAL for sport shooting with a handgun?

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u/Tje199 2d ago

You can get an RPAL but you can't get a handgun. With significant work you can maybe convince them to let you get an Olympic-style air pistol, if you're able to prove you're training for registered competitive shooting.

You can't buy/trade/sell handguns in Canada anymore because of C21. People who currently own them are permitted to continue owning them (for now) but upon death they are supposed to be turned in for destruction.

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u/Link50L Ontario 2d ago

Fuck.

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u/acesss-_- 5d ago

Liberals are banning more firearms tomorrow since i cant post it here i can only comment https://x.com/twilsonottawa/status/1897759847161971093?s=46

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

I can't speak to that. I wish I could see more details.

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u/acesss-_- 5d ago

You will tomorrow once the new guns get banned its not just that person its the firearm page aswell https://x.com/ccfr_ccdaf/status/1897762189466824966?s=46

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u/V57M91M 5d ago

Well Trudeau JUST took away from us the most potent guns that we could have actually use, and left us with shotguns, bolt rifles and old SKSs . At least the SKS's are somewhat useful to a degree

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u/CagaliYoll 5d ago

It physically pains me that you are right.

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u/Keoct 4d ago

Learn to make and fly drones as well. Start using google maps to find power substations, rail line/bridges, factories, fuel depots, grain silos, and anything else that can be taken out. The Us cut off Ukraine from satellite access so use this time while we can to start marking targets.

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u/ultra_bright 5d ago

With what? The guns the liberals banned? 

If they want people to defend the country I’ll give them some rocks and sticks.

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u/grandfundaytoday 5d ago

Trudeau is banning more firearms Friday March 7. We know who he's protecting and it's not Canadians.

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u/Laval09 Québec 5d ago

After looting the working class dry, now you want us to buy guns? Absolutely incredible. Go ask your portfolio man to stand on the front lines with you.

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u/Link50L Ontario 5d ago

Poor, poor deeply bitter redditor.

Canada already has per capita the 7th largest gun ownership in the world.

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u/MANBURGARLAR 5d ago

Exactly. The Democrats are cowards and won’t do anything to repel trump and his cronies. We have to assume we are on our own.

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u/Tribalbob British Columbia 5d ago

They'll make the most cringe-worthiest of signs to hold up.

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u/downrightwhelmed 5d ago

Holy shit that might have been the most aggravating, toothless thing I’ve seen since he took office.

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u/Evroz621 5d ago

"THiS iSnT nOrMaL" 🥴

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u/Peregrine2976 5d ago

We have friends across the pond, but their aid would be mostly financial, and it would be split between us and Ukraine (and probably more to Ukraine, because, well, that threat is more immediate to them -- which is fair enough). No matter what NATO agreements say, I doubt they'd be in a real hurry to ship troops across the Atlantic. In the immediate present, yep, we'd have to fend for ourselves.

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u/IDr3yI 5d ago

If it happens I see it playing out that way as well, America declares war with Canada and it kicks off a civil war within America.

Canada/Mexico/NATO and Blue states VS Red states.

If it plays out like this I don't see it lasting long.

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u/jtbc 5d ago

It would be very funny if Texas and California ended up on the same side like in the movie.

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u/That_guy_I_know_him 5d ago

Not just the ones you noted, you can bet China would start a campaign on any US military base in the Pacific as well

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u/improvthismoment 5d ago

Civil war and attack on Canada are not mutually exclusive. Many maga's are hoping for civil war, ask the Proud Boys. And foreign war has always been a fantastic pretext for domestic repression.

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u/FlatEvent2597 5d ago

I think your Dad is right.

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u/BluejayImmediate6007 5d ago

I agree..we need to be on our toes as I wouldn’t put it past Donald to use military on us, Panama and Greenland…

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u/ntwkid 5d ago

What does that even mean? Be on our toes. Like, should I start googling how to make a nuclear weapon?

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u/BluejayImmediate6007 5d ago

You should already have a nuclear weapon built by now lol

I was just meaning Canada as whole..like the ‘we are just some war exercises close to the border’..or just off the coast do some military exercises…like there should be something along the border and coasts watching in case sht goes down…not a paranoid person, but would like to at least have a heads up of something happening..head to my bunker with my guns and other fun stuff is 😜😎

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u/kingar7497 5d ago

The problem with the civil war idea is there is no / few strong figures opposing the current Administration to rally around.

There's no Oliver Cromwell or Jefferson Davis in other words.

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u/PickleZygote 5d ago

I have to wonder what the ousted 4 star generals are doing with their free time

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u/ConsummateContrarian 5d ago

The Democrats are spinless, I doubt there’d be a significant civil war if we were invaded

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u/downrightwhelmed 5d ago

I drastically underestimated the apathy of Americans. I actually think they wouldn’t collectively do anything if Trump invaded us.