Time for the Shawinigan handshake

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/02/2025 (242 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While millions of Canadians celebrate the 60th anniversary of the adoption of our flag, I am also remembering another anniversary.

Twenty-nine years ago today, then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was in Hull, QC to celebrate Flag Day. After the event was over, he was confronted by an angry protestor, who came within inches of the PM. In response, Chrétien grabbed the protestor by the chin and back of the neck, forcing him to the ground and breaking one of his teeth.

The entire encounter was caught on video and will forever be known as the “Shawinigan Handshake.” It is a stellar example of the “no-BS” attitude and overall toughness of Chrétien.

Canada needs that brand of toughness right now.

Day after day, Canadians are being subjected to threats and insults from U.S. President Donald Trump. He is deadly serious when he threatens to use “economic force” to compel Canada to become America’s 51st state, and the centrepiece of his strategy is the threat of staggering tariffs on Canadian exports into the U.S. Such a measure would cause a deep recession in this country, along with hundreds of thousands of job losses.

Canadian politicians have attempted to use charm and logic to persuade Trump and his associates that the threatened tariffs are a bad idea, arguing they should be abandoned because they would cause significant economic harm and job losses in both Canada and America. The strategy hasn’t worked, however. Trump and his people clearly perceive the Canadian approach as a sign of weakness and desperation, and that perception appears to have increased their contempt for us.

This past Wednesday was a perfect example: All 13 of Canada’s premiers attended a meeting at the White House to try to make their case regarding the tariffs. All they got was a few minutes with the White House deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs and the White House director of personnel — a pair of nobodies who have zero influence on U.S. trade policy.

It was a sad sight to see the premiers trudge out of the White after the “meeting,” knowing it had been a demeaning waste of time. The meeting did not change Trump’s position on the proposed tariffs, nor his desire to make Canada part of America, by one iota.

Let’s face the facts: the charm offensive isn’t working. Trump and his people regard us as wimpy whiners who are too timid to fight for our nation’s future – 98-pound weaklings they have no reason to fear. That perception only fortifies their determination to stick it to us.

We need a new strategy. The U.S. imports a huge range of essential products from Canada that are integral to various sectors of its economy. Americans must be reminded of that fact, and what would happen to them and their economy if those products were no longer available.

Canada is America’s top supplier of crude oil and other petroleum products, representing nearly half of all U.S. imports. That supply is vital for America to meet its energy needs. Cutting it off would cause gasoline shortages and skyrocketing prices at the pumps.

Canada also supplies a significant portion of U.S. natural gas needs, which is crucial for both industrial use and residential heating. Turning off that tap would shut down U.S. factories, furnaces and restaurants. The same is true for electricity. Many areas of the U.S. rely on our power to keep the lights on and heat their homes.

We are also a major supplier of minerals and metals such as steel, aluminum, nickel and iron ore, all of which are essential for manufacturing and construction industries in the U.S. The same is true for our lumber. We are the top lumber exporter into the U.S. and American officials admit their country can’t go without our wood products.

Canada is also a critical component of the U.S. food supply. We export of a wide range of agricultural products, including wheat, barley, oats, beef, pork and various produce items such as potatoes, mushrooms, and peppers. Without all those items, America would have a serious food supply problem, causing grocery prices to jump and potential shortages.

Those are just some of our exports that are vital to the U.S. Others include, vehicles and auto parts, fertilizers, chemicals and machinery and equipment. Viewed in their entirety, it is obvious that Trump is lying when he says America can function without Canada’s exports.

It can’t. Without our exports, America would be in deep, deep trouble.

With all of those facts in mind, our leaders should stop the nice guy routine and start behaving as if we are the ones with the leverage in this transaction, because we are.

The carrot isn’t working; it’s time for us to show Trump the stick. It’s time for the Shawinigan Handshake.