Canada must move on from unreliable partner

In the world of psychology, the term “projection” describes a subconscious defence mechanism by which an individual attributes their own unflattering thoughts, feelings or impulses to another person. It’s an unconscious process that enables the person doing the projecting to avoid acknowledging their unfavourable traits by “projecting” them onto someone else.

A real-life example of projection is U.S. President Donald Trump’s over-the-top reaction to a television advertisement paid for by the Ontario government, which is currently being broadcast to Americans via several TV networks.

In a post to his Truth Social platform late Thursday night, Trump called the ad “FAKE” and accused Canada of publishing it as part of an effort to “interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”

“Based on their egregious behavior,” he wrote, “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

A few hours later, Trump posted another message via social media, saying that “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”

He ranted that “Canada has long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400 (per cent). Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the U.S. any longer.”

That’s not merely rich; it’s projection — and it’s coming from a man who has a well-deserved reputation for failing to tell the truth.

There is nothing false, fake or fraudulent about the ad. It contains ethically edited portions of a short speech delivered by the late U.S. president Ronald Reagan in 1987. In that discussion, Reagan was crystal-clear regarding his opinion of tariffs and the harm they cause.

He said that they “hurt every American worker and consumer. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.”

He was right then and, much to Trump’s obvious agitation, the late president’s words remain just as true today.

Reagan continues to be revered by many Americans — Republicans in particular — as an icon and one of America’s greatest presidents. The strength of his vision and leadership, combined with the power of his voice in the ad, represent stark evidence that Trump is no Ronald Reagan, and never will be.

It is often said that the truth hurts, and this is a stellar example of the validity of that saying. The ad has gotten deeply under Trump’s skin, and that is why it has provoked such a visceral response.

That being the case, how does Canada react to Trump’s reaction? What do we do now? The answer is simple: we keep our elbows up. We don’t back down to the thug in the White House. We confront and expose his incessant lies by continuing to tell Americans the truth.

We agree with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who — despite agreeing to pull the ad effective Monday — says the ad will continue to run on U.S. networks through the weekend despite Trump’s anger. And we agree with our own premier, Wab Kinew, who says that “it’s clear that these ads are working,” and adds, “to my good friend Doug Ford — keep the ads on TV. They’re effective, and this country is behind you.”

We also agree with Prime Minister Mark Carney who, when asked by reporters yesterday before leaving for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, said that “A lot of progress has been made, and we stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have those discussions, because it will be for the benefit of workers in the United States, workers in Canada and families in both of our countries.”

That’s the responsible and mature thing for our PM to say under the circumstances — patiently waiting for Trump to cool down — but we also welcome Carney’s statement that Canada “can’t control the trade policy of the United States … What we can control is developing new partnerships and opportunities, including with the economic giants of Asia.”

Under the current circumstances, in which Trump has repeatedly revealed himself to be an unreliable and volatile trading partner, it is entirely appropriate — indeed, necessary — for Carney to shift his focus to important markets such as China and India.

After all, measures to strengthen and protect the Canadian economy cannot be put on hold, yet again. We can’t afford to sit idly on the sidelines, waiting for the latest Trump tantrum to subside.