The Day of the Rake

[The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]

In response to the tightening restrictions on American-based businesses operating in Canada, several major industry leaders in various industries have begun scaling back their operations in Canada or outright canceling plans to open large plants/offices in Canada.

Major manufacturing plants belonging to Ford and General Motors have already begun the process of relocating their operations back to the United States, with the Ford plant moving to Phoenix, Arizona and the GM plant moving to Carson City, Nevada. IBM announced the cancellation of its new office and production plants in Ottawa. Imperial Oil, owned in majority by ExxonMobil, announced the redirection of its oil production efforts to Alaska in order to overcome the growing export tariffs between Canada and the United States.

General Electric has entered talks with the Canadian government to sell GE Canada, and United Technologies has begun pulling its funding from Pratt & Whitney Canada.

In the largest news regarding this financial turn, Lockheed Martin has cancelled all existent and future contracts with Canada and outright announced the ceasing of operations in Canada. All American-owned defense contractor operations (including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GM Defense, etc.) across Canada have begun relocating back to the United States under the provisions of the Defense Production Act of 1950.

All existing Canadian employees of companies that have begun relocating their operations to the United States are offered green card sponsorship should they wish to maintain their current employment, with some of the larger companies such as Ford and GM offering financial assistance for any employees in Canada that wish to move to the United States.

[Kingdom of Sweden]

Prime Minister Luis Echeverría condemns the retaliatory and extreme actions of American considerations in Canada. Stating: "The actions of these American companies fly in the face of what I thought were the shared values of free trade and the open market."

The Prime Minister reaches out to the government of Canada, in the hopes that Mexican companies can begin to ease the burden in the Canadian economy created by the departing Americans. Furthermore, the governments of Canada and @Republic of China are invited to Manila in order to discuss the potential creation of a Pacific free trade organization.

[Kingdom of Ireland]

Foreign Minister Shen Chang-huan will attend the meeting in Manila on behalf of the ROC. It is made known publicly that the ROC is supportive of this idea and hopes to create a strong trading bloc among the members invited.

[Alanston]

After the announcement of America's withdrawal from Canada, the Conservative party, who are the opposition currently, demand an inquiry into Trudeau's actions and begin hinting about demanding his removal from office. However, as a minority in parliament, they are unable to do much about it. Trudeau's government, on the other hand, has used the situation to justify his bills, stating that the American withdrawal is proof of why Canada and the US needs to be separate. He also refers to historic American instability, and paints Canada as a much more sober and controlled nation. His party would begin immediate plans to switch providers for key operations and plants that the US had pulled out of, and starts investigations into local options and other foreign options.

Meanwhile, Canadian citizens grumble about predicted rising prices, especially on already expensive flights across the country. Some French Canadians in Montreal begin investigating in potential opportunities and look into starting new businesses to fill in the gaps left by the fleeing American companies. Trudeau's government has threatened to invoke the War Measures Act if protests become unruly. This, combined with the memory of the October Crisis still fresh in peoples minds, is enough to prevent any protests for the time being. Though the Conservatives strongly question the actions of the government, even though they can't do anything about it due to them having a minority of the seats in parliament.

Many Canadian employees offered financial compensation would leave for America, while some of the single employees would leave regardless. Mostly the single employees would only take the offered green cards and continued employment for one of two reasons: the city/town where the company is based in the US is cheaper than Canada, or the city is noticeably warmer than Canada, especially in the winters. Others would try to negotiate better deals if they were to move to the US. Around 90% of employees with families who were offered financial compensation would leave for the US, regardless of location.

---

When the offer for the meeting in Manila comes up, Prime Minister Trudeau accepts wholeheartedly, and heads to Manila with Finance Minister Edgar Benson to discuss future relations. Though he makes it clear at the outset that he is not interested in anything that could potentially erase Canadian culture or impose further Americanism on Canadian citizens.

[The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]

A few days after the announcements from various US firms operating in Canada, Secretary of State George Shultz reaches out to the Canadian Government in Ottawa, laying out the framework for a codified free trade agreement that would extend to the entire North American continent. This agreement would virtually erase all tariffs on imported and exported goods between the nations of Canada, the United States, and Mexico while also providing a far greater ease of travel between the three nations for work and visitation.

An identical proposal is also provided to the government of Mexico in Mexico City via the US Embassy @Mexican Empire.

Shultz explains in his phone call to Ottawa that while the United States cannot control the actions of its private businesses, this agreement might be enough to encourage these businesses to continue operating in Canada, and Canada's membership to this free trade agreement would also permit defense contractors such as Lockheed and Boeing to continue operations in Canada.

[Tokugawa Empire]

The People's Holy Tai Empire would send an envoy to Canada in an attempt to not only seek to fill the void left by the US but to support Canadian laborers and Christians.

[The British Commonwealth]

The British Cmmonwealth would assemble a delegation, with the intent on discussing investment into the nation, namely to build closer ties with the Canadian nation, to reforge the cultural ties and heritage long neglected by the Commonwealth.

Alongside favourable deals with British companies to fill the void left by America, they also looked to integrate multiple defence contracts as d resource rights towards ship & Aircraft construction.

All with the intent of potentially inducting the nation into the commonwealth, uniting another part of the anglosphere with the home isles once more.

[Alanston]

With neither Mexico nor China showing up for their meeting in the Pacific, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invites @The United States of America, Tai, and British representatives to meet in Montreal to discuss their respective proposals. Though he has several qualms about working with either communists or Americans.

If either the @Republic of China or @Mexican Empire still wish to meet, Prime Minister Trudeau invites them to Montreal as well.

[feel free to skip to the meeting]

[The British Commonwealth]

Foreign Minister Juliana Aspen lead the British delegation to Montreal, alongside the ambassador to Canada, Micheal Candi.

Meetings like this were always important, but the chance to capitalise on the USA’s rather sudden move towards isolationism, or at least protectionism could only open more opportunities, and not to mention the common historical and cultural histories of the two nations made this meeting worth every expense.

[Kingdom of Ireland]

With neither Mexico nor China showing up for their meeting in the Pacific, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invites The United States of America, Tai, and British representatives to meet in Montreal to discuss their respective proposals. Though he has several qualms about working with either communists or Americans.

If either the Republic of China or Mexican Empire still wish to meet, Prime Minister Trudeau invites them to Montreal as well.

[feel free to skip to the meeting]

With Foreign Minister Shen set to attend the meeting in Manilla, Chinese ambassador to Canada Wang Dong will attend the meeting on behalf of the ROC.