Commentary,  Economic Literacy,  Globalization,  Trump Tariffs,  Wages

Three New Videos: Trump’s Trade War; Wages, Profits & Prices; and Defending Living Standards

February 25, 2025 /

President Donald Trump’s repeated threats against Canada’s economy have caused great alarm. Meanwhile, home-grown right-wing populist forces have been advancing similar arguments here at home: claiming all of Canada’s problems arise from big government, big unions, or high taxes.

To support trade unions and other progressive movements responding to these challenges, the Centre for Future Work has prepared three new educational videos, all posted on our YouTube channel. They are free for sharing or screening at local or community meetings, or in classrooms:

Trump’s Trade War: Debunking his Lies, Tallying the Cost, Building a Fightback: 30-minute video disproving Trump’s false claims about the Canada-US trade balance, highlighting the risks to Canada of his tariffs, and identifying the major elements needed in a strong economic response by Canada. This video draws on material in our recent report, Who’s Subsidizing Whom?

Wages, Prices, and Profits: Identifying the True Threats to Our Standard of Living: 15-minute video reviewing the rise and fall of inflation after the COVID pandemic, showing it was record-high corporate profits (not wages, not deficits, and not taxes) that caused this inflation. It identifies three key industries (energy, housing, and food) where companies took advantage of post-pandemic disruptions to jack up the prices of necessities. This video is an essential antidote against those arguing that all of Canada’s problems are due to ‘Justinflation’ and the carbon tax.
Fighting to Protect Our Living Standards: This is a longer 30-minute presentation providing more detail on the true causes of inflation after the COVID pandemic, and the record-high corporate profits that resulted from that inflation. It lists five key economic measures required to protect and enhance Canadians’ living standards after the last challenging years. It updates previous research on inflation, profits, and real wages published on our website.

These videos help inoculate against arguments that all of Canada’s problems stem from taxes, deficits, or ‘Justinflation’.

Jim Stanford is Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, based in Vancouver, Canada. Jim is one of Canada’s best-known economic commentators. He served for over 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union.