Canadian protesters call for unity against US tariff pressures

Canadian workers held a demonstration as the country marked its Labor Day on Monday, urging action to protect jobs and address the uncertainties created by the United States amid the ongoing tariff war and the threat of higher duties on Canadian auto imports.

Trade tensions have been rising between the two North American neighbors in recent weeks after the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on about 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian goods effective Aug. 22, while Canada responded with matching tariffs on an equivalent value of U.S. imports, effective Tuesday.

Workers growing concerned about the wider impact of the dispute gathered for the Labor Day rally in the Canadian city of Windsor in Ontario, which sits directly across the river from the U.S. city of Detroit, known as America's auto powerhouse.

Participants in Monday's demonstration said they back the Canadian government's approach of counter-tariffs amid the U.S. pressure, saying it is necessary to fight back and defend the country's interests.

"[We are] fighting back. Making things equally. And the tariffs, they're violation to the tradesmanship deal that was signed and put into law years ago. And they're hurting Americans. They are hurting American farmers and auto workers especially. And unfortunately, sometimes the only way to get even is to fight back," said one attendee named Zachary.

The tariffs tensions are having a particularly disruptive effect on the automotive industry as the supply chains of the U.S. and Canada auto sector are highly integrated, with auto parts often crossing the border.

Despite the Trump administration remaining defiant in its continued tariff strategy, one local official in Windsor stated that the additional costs caused by U.S. levies will eventually be passed on to U.S. consumers and ultimately have a damaging impact on the American markets.

"I think more and more Americans are coming to realize that they're the ones paying more for the tariffs. So tariffs [are] paid by the people that buy the products. Canada doesn't want this trade war, but we have to defend ourselves," said Fred Francis, a city councilor.

Canadian protesters call for unity against US tariff pressures

More than six decades of U.S. trade embargo have cost Cuba billions in economic losses, with Cubans saying their life have been crippled by the restrictions.

Washington's stepped-up trade embargo against Cuba caused the island a record economic loss of 8.083 billion U.S. dollars from March 2025 to February 2026, 7 percent higher than the previous year's figure, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Monday, denouncing the embargo's devastating impact on all aspects of Cuban life.

The Cuban government said the cumulative economic damage has exceeded 178.7 billion dollars at current prices, up 4.7 percent from the previous period.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up the embargo by effectively banning fuel supplies to Cuba through executive orders that threaten sanctions against companies operating tankers or shipping lines, leading to an acute energy crisis.

"We can't get financing and we can't make investments. So essentially, it's a form of economic suffocation, isn't it? It's the Cuban people who have to bear all this suffering. The sanctions keep piling up and the pressure keeps growing," said Publio Rodriguez, a local resident.

In addition, the U.S. embargo has also resulted in a lack of resources in the public health system and difficulties providing medical care and services.

"I really need these medicines urgently, but they just can't get into the country. Why? Because that's exactly what the U.S. embargo is designed to do," said Gilberto Garcia, another resident.

US embargo costs Cuba billions in economic losses, cripples people's life