分类： politics

WASHINGTON — Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Canada on Saturday, threatening to impose 100% tariffs on all Canadian imports if the nation proceeds with a trade agreement with China. The declaration, made via his Truth Social platform, escalates already tense relations between the two North American neighbors.

Trump’s comments directly targeted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom he mockingly referred to as ‘Governor’—a derogatory reference to his persistent suggestion that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. ‘If Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,’ Trump wrote. He further claimed that China would ‘eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life.’

The threat comes in response to Carney’s recent visit to Beijing, where he celebrated a ‘new strategic partnership’ with China resulting in a preliminary trade agreement aimed at reducing tariffs. This development has been viewed as a significant shift in Canada’s trade policy amid deteriorating relations with the United States since Trump’s return to the White House a year ago.

The diplomatic friction intensified recently when Carney, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, received a standing ovation for his candid critique of a ‘rupture’ in the U.S.-led global order—a remark widely interpreted as a veiled criticism of Trump’s disruptive foreign policy. In retaliation, Trump rescinded an invitation for Carney to join his ‘Board of Peace,’ an initiative initially conceived to address postwar Gaza but now apparently expanding into a broader international conflict resolution body that some observers fear could rival the United Nations.

Canada’s economy remains heavily dependent on trade with the United States, which receives over 75% of Canadian exports. Key industries such as automotive, aluminum, and steel have already been impacted by Trump’s global sectoral tariffs, though these effects have been somewhat mitigated by continued adherence to the existing North American free trade agreement. With negotiations to revise this agreement scheduled for early this year, Trump’s latest threats introduce renewed uncertainty for Canada’s trade-dependent economy.

Prime Minister Carney responded to Trump’s provocations by asserting Canada’s independent identity: ‘Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.’ However, he acknowledged the ‘remarkable partnership’ between the two nations, highlighting the complex interdependence that defines their relationship.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has publicly addressed growing concerns over his administration’s decision to exclude Haitian nationals from a recently established US relocation agreement for third-country refugees. The memorandum of understanding, signed by several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations, establishes a cooperative framework for orderly refugee transfers when the United States cannot repatriate individuals to their countries of origin.

While emphasizing that the agreement is non-binding and executed at each government’s discretion, Prime Minister Drew explained that St Kitts and Nevis’ exclusion of Haitians stems from substantial capacity limitations and national security considerations. The twin-island federation already hosts one of the Caribbean’s largest Haitian populations per capita, creating significant strain on its limited resources.

Drew defended his administration’s humanitarian record, contrasting it with previous governments by highlighting policies that prioritize vulnerable populations. His administration has provided Haitian migrants with comprehensive access to education, healthcare, and social support systems despite the considerable financial burden on the small nation.

The Prime Minister clarified that the exclusion should not be interpreted as rejection of Haitian people, but rather as a practical decision based on current capabilities. He reaffirmed St Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to supporting Haiti through regional and international mechanisms for long-term stability, noting that his government has never engaged in dehumanizing treatment of Haitian nationals.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Haiti’s escalating political crisis has prompted urgent intervention appeals to the Caribbean Community (Caricom), with the National Conference of Actors for New Governance (NCANG) formally requesting the immediate establishment of a mediation committee. In a January 23 communiqué addressed to Caricom Secretary General Dr. Carla Barnett, the coalition of Haitian civil society organizations warned of rapidly deteriorating socio-political conditions ahead of the February 7, 2026 expiration of the Presidential Transitional Council’s (CPT) mandate.

The correspondence, obtained by Caribbean Media Corporation, emphasizes the critical need for an impartial negotiation framework to facilitate consensus among Haiti’s fractured stakeholders. This development coincides with intensified efforts to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime within 30 days—a move that has drawn concern from international observers.

Caricom’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG), comprising former prime ministers from St. Lucia, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, had previously underscored the vital importance of achieving stakeholder consensus before the February deadline. The EPG cautioned that failure could trigger severe repercussions for the nation, which has been without elected leadership since President Jovenel Moise’s July 2021 assassination.

The power vacuum has enabled criminal gangs to seize control over significant portions of the capital, Port-au-Prince, while political infighting paralyzes governance. Recent days witnessed dramatic political maneuvering as a dismissal resolution against PM Fils-Aime initially gained support from five CPT members before advisor Smith Augustin withdrew his endorsement.

CPT Coordinator Laurent Saint-Cyr expressed opposition to any measures threatening governmental stability before February 7. However, council members Leslie Voltaire and Edgard Leblanc Fils announced at a Friday press conference their determination to proceed with the prime minister’s removal through established procedures, despite warnings from the United States regarding potential consequences.

Voltaire asserted the council’s authority, stating: ‘We appointed Didier Fils-Aime in November 2024. We worked with him for a year, and it falls to us to issue a new decree appointing a new prime minister, government, and presidency.’

The CPT was originally established in 2024 to shepherd Haiti toward its first elections in a decade, but security collapse amid gang warfare has repeatedly delayed democratic processes. At a police event in Port-au-Prince, Fils-Aime vowed that neither ‘criminals wearing ties nor criminals wearing flip flops’ would dictate law, promising firm responses against state opponents.

US Charge d’Affaires Henry Wooster, present at the event, emphasized the necessity of maintaining Fils-Aime’s leadership to preserve continuity in anti-gang operations, highlighting the international dimension of Haiti’s governance crisis.

MINNEAPOLIS — A massive wave of civil dissent swept through Minneapolis on Friday as thousands of demonstrators defied freezing temperatures to condemn a federal immigration operation. The coordinated public outcry, which prompted numerous local businesses to temporarily close, was ignited by the controversial detention of a five-year-old migrant child, Liam Conejo Ramos.

The operation, led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has drawn intense scrutiny following revelations about the tactics employed during the arrest of Ramos and his Ecuadorian father, Adrian Conejo Arias. According to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, both asylum seekers were intercepted in their driveway upon returning home Tuesday. Stenvik further alleged that the young child was utilized as ‘bait’ by officers to lure other individuals from their residence.

This incident has amplified existing tensions surrounding the weeks-long federal operation in Minnesota, which had already faced criticism after an ICE agent fatally shot a US citizen during the crackdown. The circulation of images depicting a visibly terrified Ramos in custody has become a potent symbol for protesters, many of whom carried signs referencing the child’s age.

While Vice President JD Vance, during a Thursday visit to Minneapolis, confirmed Ramos’s detention, he defended federal agents’ actions, suggesting they were protecting the child after his father attempted to flee. ‘What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?’ Vance stated.

The operation has attracted international attention, with UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urging US authorities to cease what he described as ‘harmful treatment of migrants and refugees.’ Current ICE records indicate Arias is being held at a Texas detention facility, though the database does not disclose the location of minors in custody.