Canada’s future now on the line

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2025 (188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“The United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally. Their closest friend. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense.”

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

 

With those words spoken yesterday, Canada’s prime minister has brought the right focus upon America’s imposition of punishing tariffs on all goods, products and services exported from Canada into that country.

At a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is proclaiming his trust and respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin — and even his eagerness to have America partner with Russia in joint business ventures — Trump is determined to inflict economic harm upon Canadians.

The same Canadians who have been America’s most trusted friends, neighbours, customers and allies for more than a century. The same Canadians who have repeatedly come to the aid and defence of America in times of crisis — most recently in response to the devastating fires in Los Angeles.

The same Canadians who have fought and died alongside Americans in multiple military conflicts and, even today, are working to protect America from external threats.

None of that means anything to Donald Trump. To the contrary, Trudeau is correct to allege that the tariffs are the first salvo in the president’s strategy to cause, in the PM’s words, “a total collapse of the Canadian economy,” in order to “make it easier to annex us.”

Trump has often said he would use economic coercion to force Canada into agreeing to become America’s 51st state, and he’s betting that his hefty tariffs — higher than those currently imposed by the U.S. on many other nations — will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

He’s wrong. Trump has badly underestimated the strength, perseverance and pride of the Canadian people. As Trudeau said yesterday, “when it comes to defending our great nation, there is no price we all aren’t willing to pay … Canada will never be the 51st state.”

He’s right. Canadians stand together in their commitment to their nation, and firm in their resolve to do what is necessary to force Trump to abandon his tariffs and annexation ambitions.

That firm resolve is helpful, but we must also understand that this crisis will impact all of us in some way and is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. We must be prepared for a long and stressful fight, determined to withstand and eventually overcome the economic turmoil that Trump’s tariffs, and any other measures he may impose, will cause for our nation and its citizens.

How do we do that? How do we resist the immense power and ambition of America?

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says “Now is the time for us to unite as a province and a country.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford says “We also need to be ready to dig in for a long fight … We need to be ready to escalate using every tool in our tool kit.”

They are both correct. Canadians will withstand this challenge by supporting Canadian businesses and spending our dollars in Canada.

We will do it by fighting back with retaliatory measures that will help Americans understand that initiating a tariff war against Canada was a grave error, as it comes with costly consequences and will not be pain-free for them.

We will weather the storm by being good neighbours, friends and community members, helping those in need and protecting the weakest among us.

And, most of all, we will win this fight by never losing our love for Canada, and never forgetting that the future of our nation is very much on the line.