My
Canadian Experience Report for
January - February 2025
Our Prime Minister. Justine Trudeau, has
resigned. However it might be May until we have elections as first
the Liberal party has to pick a new leader and then we need to organise
new elections.
With President Elect Donald Trump
threatening 25% tariff on Canadian goods and his claim we would be
better off as the 51st State of the USA things are in a bit of a mess.
Canada needs the Conservative leader to
be the new Prime Minister and that will happen but not for some months
yet it appears.
Canada is in a bit of a mess right now.
The Problem with
Canada’s Economy
Why living in Canada has
become Impossible
Is Trump right about the U.S. 'subsidizing' Canada?
Then looking at the Trump Presidency...
Danielle Smith pushes Trudeau aside, takes the lead in negotiating with
Trump
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith flew down to Florida over the weekend for
two private meetings with President-elect Donald Trump at his personal
residence, Mar-a-Lago. Smith made the case for Alberta oil and gas and
said the meetings were friendly and constructive, but told Canadians to
prepare for crippling across-the-board tariffs on January 20th. Smith
made it clear that there will be no exemptions, and she firmly opposed
calls for retaliatory tariffs or a possible oil embargo, while Trudeau
minister Melanie Joly left the door open to a possible embargo.
Pierre Poilievre responds to Trump threats
with HUGE strength
The World is Laughing at Canada
Then I watched a video
about the Los Angeles fire in the US...
Beyond
the Flames: The Devastation of Los Angeles Fires
Listen to the Friday news roundup with Victor Davis Hanson and cohost
Sami Winc as they discuss the Palisades fire in LA and the issues of
water, insurance, DEI, Newsom, Mayor Bass, fire Chief Kristin Crowley,
and other news from the week
Most of January has seen us with snow on
the ground. A few inches but it is so cold that it's not melting.
Reporting -8 F. My car battery died so had to give it a boost from a
battery pack. Worked twice but then wouldn't charge up so needed
to get a new battery. However as it warmed up a bit I found the car did
start so now holding off on the new battery.
On Friday 24th I called in Postma to check
a leak in my plumbing as I found the wall was wet going down to the
basement. They charged me $110 for the visit. They advised I
should not use the upstairs bathroom until the situation has been
resolved. On Tuesday 28th I was still waiting for them to get back to me
with a quote to fix the issue. I thus called Plumb Tech,
to give me a quote and they came out
within an hour and I'm now expecting them to provide a quote and
hopefully later today.
As we moved into February I made progress
with my plumbing issue in that I got my quote from Postma, around $1,600
but that would only cover fixing the issue and not bringing the house
back to what it needs to be with new woodwork, panting and drywall. I am
still to get a quote from Plumb Tech but he wanted to tear out a lot
more of my wall up so if anything I think this is going to be more
expensive. Note: they didn't get back to me.
Then I had the bright idea of calling
my Insurance company and low and behold it looks like I might get all
this done for lower cost but of course that still needs to be confirmed.
I have since been told that they will
cover the cost of the repair. They have advised that I might
consider doing a replacement of the cast iron piping while the wall is
opened up. I am getting a quote for that but it might well be
another $2,000 or more so will have to see what they come up with.
Trump has imposed 25% increase in tariffs
on all goods sold into the USA except for energy which is at 10%. It
boggles the mind that he can be so daft. This is likely to hit
Americans harder than it will Canadians. Canada has responded with a
likewise tariff.
In fact see the next video below to see
how this could help Canada...
Canada needs a new trading market
Common sense Conservatives will bring home Canada's promise
The tariff was postponed
for 1 month so we'll have to see what happens.
During February up to the 12th we've had cold weather with snow on the
ground although not more than 2 inches of snow on any day. The
forecast for the 12th is for more snow but from what I hear it won't
affect us here in Chatham but London and Toronto are looking at up to 10
inches of snow through to the weekend.
I recognise that Donald
Trump was given a really bad time in the US and he deserves to be
vindicated. See some of the discussions going on in the US with
this video below...
Congress Completely SILENT Trump Lawyer EXPOSE Adam Schiff and the
Entire Dems with Hard Evidence
However, while I am more
than happy to see him deal with the administration in the US I believe
his tariff strategy is poor judgment on his part. He's turned a great
friend in Canada into a country looking to distance themselves from the
US. Canada is a friend to the US and has colossal reserves of energy and
rare earth minerals that the US needs to expand their manufacturing
base. It risks this friendship to their own detriment.
In Canada we have a power
vacuum with the Prime Minister resigning but not putting in place the
proceedings needed to get a quick election done so we as a country can
deal with the US in a timely manner.
Case Plumbing visited me on 14th February
to provide a quote for the plumbing work. They will get back to me
by Monday. Also Belfore came by the other day to take samples of the
ceiling to check for asbestos and am happy to report they found none.
I got the quote from
Case Plumbing which was $2446.45.
This was against the quote from Postma
which was $3,123.77 so went with Case for the repair.
So My Maple Insurance will cover the cost
of opening up and repairing the damage done but I need to pay for the
actual plumbing. It is classed as "wear and tear" which is normal in
Canada.
Continued debate on the Trump tariff
threats all over the news and many videos on YouTube.
One I picked up on was...
"Battle Hymn of Canada" - Canadian
Anti-Trump Song
This song was written in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s
tariffs against Canada and the threats of annexation as the so-called
"51st state." Set to the iconic tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic,
this song takes a defiant stance against American political pressure,
emphasizing Canada’s sovereignty, resilience, and commitment to justice.
The lyrics celebrate Canada’s
independence, rejecting the influence of leaders driven by greed and
fear—specifically calling out Trump’s aggressive policies. With imagery
of the maple leaf flying free and a proud declaration of "True North
strong and free forever," the song reaffirms Canadian identity in the
face of external threats.
By repurposing a famous American Civil War song, once used to rally for
justice and freedom, this version turns the song into a bold rejection
of U.S. interference while maintaining a spirit of unity and national
pride. It is both a patriotic statement and a musical act of resistance,
reminding the world that Canada stands firm against tyranny and refuses
to be absorbed into another nation’s ambitions.
Lyrics:
We shall stand as true Canadians, maple
leaves are flying free,
From the mountains to the prairies, to the shores of every sea.
We will never bow to tyrants, nor let hatred shape our creed,
Our truth is marching on!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our truth is marching on.
We will not be ruled by leaders built on greed and fear and lies,
We reject the call to follow where the stars and stripes have flown.
With our voices joined together, we will let our spirits rise,
Our truth is marching on!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our truth is marching on.
We are not the fifty-first, nor will we kneel to Trump's command,
True north strong and free forever, standing proud in our own name.
With a heart that beats for justice, we will keep our nation's flame,
Our truth is marching on!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our truth is marching on.
Trump TROLLED by Canada AFTER he JINXES
USA
I note American's are paying up to $10.00
for a dozen eggs whereas here in Canada I am paying for 1 doz. Great
Value Large Eggs CAN$3.93.
Mind you groceries are certainly well up
these days and I note the local press is saying some 25% of our local
population has food security issues.
Labelling - How to Identify Canadian Food
Case Plumbing came on Wednesday 26th Feb
to install my new plumbing and spend most of the day with 2 persons
working on it. They did get a quick visit from one of the Belfor
guys. So now I'm expecting Belfor to come back on Thursday to
finish up the work and to restore it like it was before they tore it
apart which means a new ceiling for the kitchen.
In fact it took them until Friday to come
back and clean things up. Belfor told me it will likely be another
week until they can come back to do the repair work and that will likely
take a few days to complete as they need to install dry wall and do
painting so that normally takes at least 3 days.
Also found that my bathroom sink wasn't
draining too well so need to get them to look at this. I was told by one
of the plumbers that they had some issues with the toilet and he'd have
preferred to have installed a new part as I may get a leak. I've
been told that if there is a leak it will be repaired at no extra cost.
In other news Trump decided to back Russia
in the UN against Ukraine. Quite a shock really and looks like
NATO might be next to go down the tubes. So Germany is now calling
for a new European force that doesn't depend on the USA. Seems
Trump is turning the old world order on its head. Serious stuff
these days. However it looks like you can no longer trust the US
on anything and so the world will now move on to a new world order.
Trump sows confusion as tariff message
evolves
Good explanation on the Auto industry between the US and Canada
;
Doug Ford won the Ontario election and his
Conservative party has an overall majority and an historic third term.
45% turnout.
I found this next video quite
disturbing...
Trump CANCELS Ukraine Peace Talks after
HIS MELTDOWN
To counter this see the next link which
goes to a CNN Interview...
Even U.S. SHOCKED How Canada Plans to
SCREW Russia
Trump WAKES UP In PANIC after AWFUL NEWS
I think this will finish this two monthly
report as there is so much going on that it's difficult to report it
all. I am trying to use videos from channels that have lots of
subscribers with the one above having over 4 million as it's more like
main stream news. However the channel is pro Democrat it has to be
said.
Should just add that the last day of this
month HandyBros did their 6 monthly inspection on my furnace and AC and
Candace did the worl and teaked my setup to try and reduce my electricty
bill a bit.
