When Donald Trump first ordered tariffs on Canadian goods in February 2025, he said they were needed to force Canada to stop drugs and migrants crossing America’s northern border. He soon dropped that justification only to spew out(大量喷出，滔滔不绝地说) a litany(冗长乏味的列举) of other grievances: the trade deficit, national security, Canada’s dairy industry, a Canadian tax, a television advertisement, Canada’s trade with China, wildfire smoke. He repeatedly muse(沉思，若有所思地说)d, with a mob boss’s ambiguity(黑帮老大式的含糊其辞), about annex(吞并，兼并)ing Canada and making it America’s “cherished” 51st state(第51个州，指美国吞并加拿大的说法).
2025年2月，唐纳德·特朗普首次对加拿大商品加征关税时，称此举是为了迫使加拿大阻止毒品和移民穿越美国北部边境。他很快放弃了这一理由，转而抛出一连串其他不满：贸易逆差、国家安全、加拿大乳制品业、一项加拿大税收、一则电视广告、加拿大与中国的贸易、野火烟雾。他反复以黑帮老大般的暧昧口吻，琢磨着吞并加拿大，使其成为美国“珍视”的第51个州。
The caprice(任性，反复无常) of the world’s most powerful man has now taken Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, to the brink of(到……的边缘) a disastrous trade war. On August 25th Canada announced $20bn-worth of dollar-for-dollar(以美元对美元，对等的) retaliatory(报复性的) tariffs on American goods. The trouble is that America’s economy is 13 times larger than Canada’s and far better equipped to cope. The new tariffs are due to go into effect on September 8th. Mr Carney has until then to find a way to defuse(化解，缓和) a grave threat to his country’s economy. It will take all his guile(狡诈，智谋).
这位世界上最有权势之人的任性妄为，如今已将加拿大总理马克·卡尼推到了灾难性贸易战的边缘。8月25日，加拿大宣布对美国商品实施价值200亿美元的对等报复性关税。问题在于，美国经济规模是加拿大的13倍，且应对能力远强于加拿大。新关税定于9月8日生效。卡尼先生在此之前必须找到办法，化解对其国家经济的严重威胁。这需要他使出全部智谋。
The trigger for the latest hostilities(敌对行动，战争状态) was Mr Carney’s decision on August 21st to walk away from(放弃，退出) a trade deal that seemed on the verge of(即将，濒于) being seal(敲定，使成定局)ed. The prime minister thinks Canada had little choice—though the Americans blame the Canadians. The Americans, he says, added late demands that Canadian truck factories remain subject to high tariffs, and that Canada curb its trade deals with other countries and weaken its protections for French culture and language—a red rag(激怒人的东西，斗牛红布) to separatists in Quebec.
最新对抗的导火索是卡尼先生8月21日决定退出一项看似即将达成的贸易协议。总理认为加拿大别无选择——尽管美国人指责加拿大。他说，美国在最后关头提出额外要求：加拿大卡车工厂须继续面临高关税，加拿大须限制与其他国家的贸易协定，并削弱对法语文化和语言的保护——这对魁北克的分离主义者来说无异于一块红布。