The trade war begins to become personal for Elon Musk. At the same time as he Called the best commercial advisor to President Donald Trump “Dumber that a brick bag”, Musk should lose hundreds of millions of dollars in Canadian grants for his satellite internet service, Starlink.
It was a turbulent month for Starlink and Canada. On March 4, Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford snatched a Starlink contract worth $ 100 million. Quebec, which has spent $ 130 million to provide Starlink service at a reduced price in the past three years, told Financial Times that it will not renew the contract at the end in June. And on April 3, the Prime Minister of Yukon, Ranj Pillai, said that he would follow suit, canceling as many Starlink contracts as possible.
“Mr. Musk is part of a threat to our sovereignty as long as he helps and encourages President Trump”, ” Geoff WhiteThe executive director of the Center for the Defense of Public Interests, told CNET. “I think we have to seriously examine whether or not we want this company to provide a service.”
The documents examined by the Financial Times show that Bell Canada – the country’s largest telecommunications company by income – and its Northwestel subsidiary is pressure on the Canadian government to prevent the star from obtaining subsidies to serve the country’s remote northern regions. According to Starlink, the company had on 400,000 subscribers in Canada In June 2024.
The situation recalls the Starlink offer for 900 million dollars in large American strip subsidies Three years ago. This offer was finally refused because Starlink could not show that it could meet the speed requirements of the FCC. Since then, the company’s chance has visited the United States. After Musk spent $ 132 million to elect Republican candidates in 2024, Starlink is now ready to receive up to $ 20 billion in large rural band subsidies.
While Trump announced a 90 -day break in the prices on Wednesday, it is not clear if Canada is withdrawing from its disinvestment in starred connection. Starlink was a huge advantage for Canadians in distant regions without any other reliable internet option, but it was also criticized for its high price. Starlink costs $ 140 a month in Canadian dollars (currently US $ 99), compared to $ 120 per month in the United States.
A Starlink representative did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Other countries adopt a more conciliatory approach
The prices were not a conviction to death guilt to the association for the star bond elsewhere in the world. Before Trump’s “Liberation Day” on April 2, Vietnam granted Approval to Starlink to operate in this country on a test base until 2030 – A decision Some analysts see As an effect on the country to avoid being struck by American prices because of its large bilateral trade surplus.
Bangladesh also made link on the green light just days before its imports were affected by 37%tariffs. And on April 8, Brazil allowed Starlink to launch 7,500 additional satellites in the country – more than double of 4,408 Starlink satellites currently authorized to operate there.
