This Week's Round-Up: September 7, 2026

• How to stand up to Trump

• The other threats to Lake Ontario

• How do we act on sex trafficking data?

• Investigating the death of Jane Doe #59

• EVENT: North of Now

This trade war is “a war with no winners, only losers,” as Fen Osler Hampson put it in The Walrus.

But some will be bigger losers than others. Already, US border communities have bled thousands of jobs.

Tomorrow, $27.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs take effect, on everything from paddling pools to track suits. And some of those items, per federal industry minister Mélanie Joly, were chosen with the intent to hit key Trump-supporting states especially hard.

This attempt to make the US president’s allies into one of his favourite pejoratives—losers—isn’t new.

BC’s US-liquor ban was initially for “red states” specifically, and last month, Doug Ford wrote a letter to Mark Carney pitching eight US states that should get “the full force of Canada’s response” if talks broke down.

But what’s new for this fall is the pressure point of the US midterms.

Several states have both substantive trade relationships with Canada and Republican senators at risk of losing a seat. In this window, the hope is that targeted tariffs can make these Republicans either lose power or oppose Trump’s trade policies to keep it.

The Walrus broke down why these five states—Maine, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Texas—could be the hardest hit.

Maine

• Export value: $1.3 billion (US) to Canada

• Key goods exposed to tariffs: Lumber, pulp, steel, electronics, forestry equipment, agriculture, energy, lobsters, blueberries

• Election factor: Incumbent Susan Collins (R) has come out against Trump’s tariffs, approaching him “from the same ground” as challenger Chellie Pingree (D). She cited the effects on lobsters, blueberries, and lumber. 

Iowa

• Export value: $4.9 billion (US) to Canada (20–30% of total state exports)

• Key goods: Agriculture, agricultural machinery (e.g. the world’s largest John Deere manufacturing complex)

• Election factor: Representative Ashley Hinson (R) and Josh Turek (D) are polling even in the Senate race.

Michigan

• Import value: $43.5 billion from Canada (66% of total)

• Key goods: Canadian vehicles and auto parts, Alberta oil 

• Election factor: Recent primary winner Abdul El-Sayed (D) has slammed Senator Mike Rogers (R) over rising costs and his silence on tariffs.

Ohio

• Export value: $17.5 billion to Canada (31% of total)

• Key goods: Computers, electronics, electrical equipment, fabricated and primary metals, including steel and aluminum

• Election factor: Former senator Sherrod Brown (D) has criticized successor and competitor Senator Jon Husted (R) on the basis that tariffing a major partner will cost Ohioans. Husted signed a bipartisan letter urging the administration to be cautious in CUSMA negotiations but has tended to support its “America First” economic policies.

Texas

• Export value: $34.6 billion to Canada (Texas trade is proportionately less tied to Canada than the others but could take the largest hit in raw dollars)

• Key goods: Plenty, from crude petroleum to plastics to computers to trucks to smartphones

• Election factor: Senate challenger James Talarico (D)—who ties rising costs to “crazy tariffs”—holds a slight lead over Ken Paxton (R). Paxton’s primary run already divided Republicans somewhat, when Trump endorsed him over longtime incumbent John Cornyn.

This fall’s political races offer a chance to make Canada’s impact felt in a way that tariffs in general may not be able to accomplish.

As Carlo Dade wrote, we’re the top export market for 27 states, and a top two-way partner for many others, but even tariffs on billions will only translate to several dollars a month for the average household.

Senate hopefuls, however, are dealing not only with the feelings of the general public but also managing relations with the state’s major industries.

In the states above, key industry figures have spoken out about trade war damage. And not all of that damage has been from official tariffs. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills (D) wrote against tariffs and cited not only that tariffs on Canadian lumber hurt Maine's forestry products but also that a Canadian road salt distributor had cancelled shipments that some Maine municipalities depend on.

And in Michigan, the CEO of a major auto-parts maker says the dispute has gotten a $50 million plant project cancelled.

That doesn’t exactly look great on a campaign ad—but “Look at how Trump is costing you money and jobs” might. 

The Walrus Talks North of Now brings together seven community leaders, researchers, policy makers, and industry professionals to explore bold, northern-led visions for economic growth, sustainability, and reconciliation. From advancing infrastructure and economic diversification to strengthening environmental stewardship alongside Indigenous Nations and communities, the conversations will examine both the challenges and emerging opportunities impacting the region’s future.

Land Grab

I found Brett Popplewell’s cover story “Cold War” (June), about how Greenland was preparing for an American invasion, absolutely absorbing. We are in a chilling place with President Donald Trump: Greenland—I just want it. Canada—fifty-first state. Venezuela—invaded. It’s just a matter of time before Trump focuses on us again, after his war crimes in Iran. You can bet that the fifty-first-state promise is misleading: we would never become a state. No, we would become the north’s equivalent of Puerto Rico—an unincorporated territory without the right to vote. I am heartened to witness the coming together of other NATO members to the defence of Greenland. Pathetic as those forces were compared to the overwhelming might of the American military, it is so very important to speak truth to power, to challenge it, even if it means our own destruction. We cannot allow Trump or Vladimir Putin to simply roll over the world, stealing and destroying what has been built since the end of the Second World War.

Eric Hebert
Edmonton, AB