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HALIFAX—There is a lot that United States President Donald Trump doesn’t understand. Canada is close to the top of the list. Trump is accustomed to wielding the presidency as the ultimate big stick.
He gets his way by threatening, not persuading or charming, as past U.S. leaders have done. Can anyone picture Jimmy Carter threatening to annex the Great White North? So, it must be something of a surprise to this professional bully in the White House, that Prime Minister Mark Carney has opted for diversification of Canada’s trade interests, rather than Canada’s usual over-reliance on the United States.
SPONSORED CONTENT And it is even more galling for Trump that polling shows that 80 per cent of Canadians back the prime minister on his approach to the U.S. Bottom line? Canadians think that Trump is a stinker, and they don’t want any Canadian leader to bow down to him.
That doesn’t mean Canadians don’t get it. They fully understand the importance of a so-far elusive trade deal with the U.S. How can they not when Americans have a $27.3-billion trade deficit with this country?
Depending on which source you read, somewhere between 66 and 75 per cent of our exports go to the U.S. But Canadians are beginning to understand the dangers of such a lopsided dependency on the American market. Everyone now knows that as long as voters south of the border elected rational presidents—Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford—things were mostly okay with the relationship.
But all that changed when Americans put a bloviating bully in charge, whose idea of an ally is a doormat or a mere subsidiary. While Canadians have always been ready to be both ally and best friend to America, and still are, they will never accept becoming Trump’s vassal. That’s why Prime Minister Carney has wisely chosen this moment for Canada to diversify its economic and cultural interests, rather than continue with the North American status quo.
That’s why Carney has reacted positively to the European Union’s unprecedented offer to make Canada the EU’s first ever “associate member.” Carney, like many other world leaders, knows the world has changed. No one can depend on the U.S. the way they did before Trump. That is one of the reasons Carney’s speech to the European Union in Strasbourg, France, was so warmly received.
Although he never mentioned Trump explicitly, he didn’t have to. Everyone is looking for a work-around when it comes to Trump’s America. Trump likely gets the fact that he has become the skunk at the international garden party.
And in typical Trump fashion, his instinct has not been to mend his ways. It has so far been to threaten the very people who have been America’s best allies. Case in point.
When Trump learned of Europe’s outreach to PM Carney, he said he would impose punishing tariffs on the Europeans if their expanded relationship with Canada posed a threat to the U.S. Never mind that Canada and the EU have every right to form a closer economic, social, and political bond. That’s what every sovereign country is empowered to do.
But Trump has never been big on other people’s rights, especially when those rights collide with his own agenda. So, to the extent that Carney pursues the diversification of Canada’s trade and cultural affiliations, here’s what to expect from the Demander-in-Chief: squabbling, threats, and—if neither of those work—punishment. Trump’s instinct is to make everything personal when he squares off against his perceived opponents.
That’s what gave us “Sleepy Joe Biden” and “Governor Trudeau.” That’s why so many of Trump’s imagined adversaries are deemed to be “unintelligent” by the president. Canadians should be prepared for Trump’s schoolyard antics to be aimed at Carney. As soon as Trump fully realizes that Carney will not submit to his bombast and bullying, the president will start tightening the screws.
Part of that will be purely rhetorical. Expect industrial-scale name-calling from a man who specializes in ad hominem put-downs. But since money is Trump’s highest value, the real punishment will likely be economic.
There is a reason that Trump says that his favourite word is “tariffs.” Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter A round up of the past week’s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays. By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time.
See our privacy policy Besides the personal attacks on its leaders, Canadians should also expect a torrent of exaggerations, insults, and lies about this country from Trump. He has already made clear that he sees Canada as a fake nation; a backwoods, country cousin that couldn’t exist without the U.S. And that’s the part Trump misses.
Like a lot of egomaniacal bullies, he makes the mistake of imputing his own value system to others. In doing so, he gets Canadians profoundly wrong. It is true that the citizens of this country care about the realities of putting food on their tables and a roof over their heads.
Which is just to say that they understand the importance of economic matters. But they are not slaves to such matters. There is something even more important: Canadian sovereignty and love of country.
We were created out of an evolutionary process based on peace, order, and good government, rather than a revolutionary war. If there is a choice, Canadians prefer to settle their affairs with words, not guns. That said, some advice for Donald Trump.
You could set yourself an easier task than messing with the Beaver. Michael Harris is an award-winning author and journalist. The Hill Times
Source: The Hill Times
