🇨🇦 Afternoon front page: Canada’s counter-tariffs revealed; Trump accuses Carney of lying about French language in trade talks; and more

Ottawa’s big answer to U.S. tariffs is the usual genius move: punish Canadians and call it leadership. Dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs of 15, 25 and 50 per cent on everyday goods, plus $7.5 billion more in state cushioning, means the same old Trudeau-era formula with Carney branding on top: government helps create the pain, then bills taxpayers for the relief. Dishwashers, refrigerators, clothing, paper products, even fish and cheese get dragged into the ritual. That is not sovereign strength. That is managerial theatre, as reported.

Then comes the Quebec-language drama. Trump says Carney lied about French being treated as an irritant in talks, and Carney does not respond while Mélanie Joly steps in. Convenient. When a government is weak on leverage, it reaches for symbolism, identity management, and regional emotional blackmail. Canadians are getting tariffs, subsidies, and another round of political spin dressed up as strategy. The end result is less free trade, more bureaucracy, and one more lesson in how fragile this country looks when its ruling class mistakes narrative control for competence.

🍁 Maple Chronicles