The CUSMA Negotiation Will Be a Disaster for Canada | Canadian Bitcoiners Podcast

— Bitcoin crashed below $60,000 to a 20-month low with the Fear & Greed Index at 18 (Extreme Fear); first half marked by rare back-to-back losing quarters (~22% in Q1, ~12% in Q2) driven by spot-ETF outflows, hawkish Fed, and strong dollar.

— An 86-year-old Canadian was defrauded of $900,000 via an AI-deepfake of Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, highlighting emerging scam risks.

— MicroStrategy (MSTR) faced a securities probe as its preferred shares (STRC) hit record lows; contrast with Strive's bullish accumulation of 759 BTC into the panic.

— Bull Bitcoin secured regulatory approval under France's MiCA framework while maintaining self-custody; Binance exited the EU under same rules.

— CUSMA (Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement) expires July 1 with renegotiation risk; uncertainty threatens capital investment and GDP, with 16% of Canadian GDP tied to cross-border trade.

— Domestic policy failures: carjacker Jaden Robinson received reduced sentence (1.7 years vs. agreed 5 years) after 809 days pretrial; door-kicking TikTok challenge epidemic in Nanaimo causing property damage and violence.

— Self-custody and unleveraged holdings are the only positions not being forced to sell in crashes. Leverage and custodial arrangements break; the protocol does not. Extreme Fear historically marks conviction buying opportunities for long-term holders.

— Trade policy uncertainty (CUSMA renegotiation) poses material macro risk to Canadian assets and real estate investment. Monitor July 2025 outcome closely; capital flight and GDP contraction are realistic near-term scenarios if deal collapses.