Our Approach So Far
I have a VERY queasy feeling in my stomach as things roll on with Trump and Musk.
For starters, I can’t help feeling we’re going through some weird real-time version of Die Hard, with Trump as Hans Gruber making outrageous demands like freeing the FLQ members (or insurrectionists) and throwing around curve balls to distract everyone in the world while the true story is Musk is the techno guy drilling away at the federal reserve and other government coffers, ready to walk off with hundreds of billions in bearer bonds.
The whole scenario begs the question ‘Where is John McClane to save the day?’
I have this dreadful feeling that it won’t happen.
Was It A Win?
Trudeau certainly handles himself with Trump and I think the latter has a mild level of respect for our leader BUT … was our response to Trump’s threats a ‘win’?
There were a LOT of Canadians who felt like Trudeau’s first visit to Trump was clearly a ‘win’.
I’m not so sure and for the love of Christ, please don’t gloat. Nothing would piss POTUS off more.
Also, it’s not a win when we all have this feeling that it’s not going to end any time soon and that the targets will continue to move all over the place.
It started as something straightforward: we’re not spending enough on our borders and we’re not spending enough on the military.
Fine.
We can commit to both of those things in our uniquely Canadian way. I don’t mind filtering criminal activities a little more closely, particularly if they result in stemming the flow of illegal guns into Canada, but also if they truly help prevent even a few deaths related to fentanyl.
If you read this blog, you know where I’m at with military spending: it’s a waste. We have many needs that are much more important, but part of the military spending criteria clearly relates to how close Trump still is with Putin. We know there’s a relationship there and we know it’s … unique.
Pulling Product May Do More Harm Than Good
As our various liquor boards across the country pull American products from their shelves, two things are happening:
- It feels like we’ve walked into a trap. Trump will now say that we started the trade war while he did nothing but make a few threats.
- A lot of the inventory has already been purchased and it’ll actually cost our governments more to absorb it.
The liquor action is related to an industry I’m familiar with because many of these products are parts of the portfolio of international conglomerates.
If we’re going to take realistic actions that might hurt American suppliers, it’ll be best to identify the conglomerates that wield so much control over our liquor boards and distribution to convenience stores and block them from being able to supply from this point on.
Furthermore, the boards across Canada favour importing agencies that focus on international products and fail to create a level playing field for Canadian brands, especially those produced by small craft producers that have been clamouring for shelf space for years.
To top it all off, a LOT of the wine on Canadian shelves come from three BLUE STATES: California, Oregon and Washington. We need them on our side and yanking their product may do more harm than good.
Reacting against our supporters may lead to our eventual defeat. We need to garner as many allies as possible, be they in Canada, the US or abroad.
This is consistent with other goods and services across Canada affecting many different industries:
- Food
- Cars
- Health care
- Home construction
- Landlords
- Mining and resource development
- Big box stores
- And so on …
Our biggest expenses are deeply intertwined with American suppliers. I’m sure it’s happening, but we need to do everything we can to ensure that this VERY vital story winds up on Trump’s desk everyday.
We have to find ways to increase Canadian opportunities without completely hacking off the external influencers.
Next Steps …
For the record, I love the United States and I love Americans.
Like many other Canadians I think people south of the border are barely beginning to grasp the harsh reality of this new world.
They are going through many hardships now that well exceed anything we in Canada have experienced to date. It’s important for all of us to understand what’s happening in the US: a coup is underway and Musk is taking over everything. The Democrats have pretty much vaporized and there isn’t a lot of opposition to what we’ve all witnessed in the last ten days or so. Protests to ICE actions concerning immigrants may wind up with Trump calling for martial law. When that happens, we should all be afraid because that is a carbon-copy repeat of what happened in Germany in the 1930s.
In the coming weeks and hopefully months, I think it would be very prudent to make our case that Canada is not for sale while also working closely with any and all decision makers south of the border, emphasizing that we’re the best allies that America has ever had.
It’s true and it’s an easy argument and we’ll work very hard to sustain that relationship.
However, Canadian politicians need to consider a vast diversification plan that relates to security and trade:
- Improved inter-provincial trade requirements.
- Integration with the EU.
- Organizing a partnership with all of our Commonwealth countries, including England and others that is similar-ish to NATO.
- Filling the gap with NATO. This statement is hard for me, but we have to find ways to appease the defense spending demands. BUT … let’s put a Canadian spin on it. Let’s try to create national bodies that are Canadian-owned manufacturers of not just weapons and armaments, but that we can somehow tie in with other needs such as infrastructure, water programs, resource development (ie. of strategic reserves), climate response and more.
- Impose an export tax on energy products of at least 15 per cent.
- Implement export quotas and bans for strategic resources.
- Repatriate U.S.-owned assets, especially in the resource industry.
- Curtail U.S. patents and copyrights.
- Target U.S. oligarchs and Trump enablers.
- Enact “Buy Canadian” procurement rules and consumer programs.
- Review and tax new foreign investments in Canada.
- Deepen economic ties with non-U.S. trading partners.
- Make the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) permanent.
- Enact price controls on essentials.
- Strengthen domestic media and cultural industries.
- Develop and implement an aggressive green industrial strategy.
That said, the obvious string of companies we have to ban in Canada is Tesla / X / Starlink. The latter two products are being used to destabilize all western countries and I find myself wanting to spit when I see what Charlie Angus calls ‘Douche Panzers’.
We need allies.
Many of tactics need an air of subtlety to them, such as limiting American companies from bidding on Canadian contracts. The blowback has to be calculated because when we get into an ‘eye for an eye’ fight, we’ll lose out on the much bigger market to the south.
I would also recommend that we Canadians take a long look at how companies like Loblaws and other oligopolies have treated over the last few years, especially during COVID and in response to the Ukraine/Russia war. They engaged in profiteering unlike anything seen before in Canada and I would certainly welcome a wave of competition from different American retailers, so long as we had a basic array of ‘Buy Canada’ procurement requirements in place.
Potential allies?
- The United Nations – in fact, we should invite the UN to set up a satellite office in Canada just in case things really go off the rails. What location? Ottawa seems like an obvious choice, but Quebec City, Montreal and Victoria would all make lovely locations for new offices.
- The European Union (should we ‘join’ as a trade partner?)
- NATO
- International organizations like the WTO (sanctions against the US?), the International Labour Organization (ILO)
- Mexico
- Commonwealth Countries (there are 56 after all, especially the England, Ireland & Scotland)
- Central & South America and Africa
- India – so long as their government doesn’t try to buy off too many more candidates
- China – great things can be gained with engaging in direct trade, although I wouldn’t recommend expanding trade in goods that the US might consider ‘national security’ (which, with Trump could mean anything)
Well, pretty much anyone other than the United States and Russia.
Wrapping Up Week Two …
What’s your take on how the world community needs to respond to what’s happening in the US? Do we just sit idly by and hope we don’t get steamrolled or do we act together decisively to protect the peace around the globe?