The first shots of the trade war between the United States and Canada have been fired. Whether it escalates beyond the planned 25 per cent tariff into a wider economic war depends upon how genuinely serious President Donald Trump is about annexation,

Asked by reporters on Saturday afternoon if there was anything that Canada and Mexico could do to avoid the 25 percent tariffs the White House was threatening to impose on their exports to the United States,

There’s a trade war a-brewin’ — and we’re not talking about the on-again, off-again one between the U.S. and Mexico, Canada and China. We’re talking about the one happening inside President DONALD TRUMP’s mind.

After Trump took Mexico and Canada to the brink of trade wars, both nations have managed to defuse his tariff bombs. (At least, for now . . . ) Trump halted sweeping tariffs on the US’s two biggest trading partners after separate bilateral phone calls with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

President Donald Trump agreed to delay 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a month after both US neighbors agreed to take tougher measures to combat migration and drug trafficking at the border, warding off a continental trade war for now.