Is Free Trade Dead? On Howard Lutnick's Comments and Trump's 35% Tariffs on Canada

The Bill Kelly Podcast

0:00

-12:56

Is Free Trade Dead? On Howard Lutnick's Comments and Trump's 35% Tariffs on Canada

Be the first to hear Episode 181 of The Bill Kelly Podcast now!

Bill Kelly

Jul 22, 2025

Transcript

Is free trade between Canada and the United States dead? That stark question reverberated on Face the Nation when Margaret O’Brien challenged Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce—and Bill has some things to say about it.

In Episode 181, Bill dissects President Trump’s recent announcement of a sweeping 35% tariff on Canadian imports, set to take effect August 1, 2025—while steel, aluminum, automobiles, and auto parts already carry significant levies. With long-standing agreements like CUSMA/USMCA being undermined, Canada’s dairy and auto sectors are under siege, political dynamics are playing out on a continental stage, and what was once a predictable negotiation process now resembles a high-stakes showdown.

(PS: The Bill Kelly Podcast team apologizes for the typos in this episode’s captions. Our video editing software was glitching and would not save the edited captions, but we wanted to get this information out to you ASAP. Thank you for your understanding and continued engagement in Canada’s civil discourse!)

Don’t forget to like, follow and subscribe across our channels! Thank you.

This episode was recorded on: July 22, 2025

Become a YouTube channel member or paid SubStack subscriber to hear Bill’s stories and life lessons from 50+ years as a broadcast journalist in his members-only series, MORAL OF THE STORY: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUbzckOLocFzNeY1D72iCA/join

Listen to The Bill Kelly Podcast everywhere: https://kite.link/the-bill-kelly-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBillKellyPodcast/featured

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisbillkelly.bsky.social

Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheBillKellyPodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisbillkelly/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisbillkelly/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebillkellypodcast

SubStack: billkelly.substack.com/

*Comment ‘likes’ on behalf of this channel are an acknowledgment of your comment, not necessarily an endorsement of its contents. Thanks for joining these critical discussions in critical times!

CHAPTERS

00:00 The State of Canada-US Trade Negotiations

02:56 Understanding Tariffs and Their Implications

06:02 Canada's Sovereignty and Industry Concerns

08:44 Political Dynamics and Future Strategies

FURTHER READING

U.S. commerce secretary dismisses question that free trade with Canada is dead

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-commerce-secretary-dismisses-question-that-free-trade-with-canada-is-dead-1.7589616

Carney says he'll only sign a U.S. trade deal 'in the best interest of Canadians'

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-attends-first-ministers-meeting-1.7590547

Leaders’ summit in Ontario cottage country dials into internal trade amid U.S. tariffs

https://globalnews.ca/news/11297426/ontario-summit-carney-premiers-day-2/