Last week, I wrote a Listen Up article centered around United States President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter for felony convictions relating to tax fraud and gun legislation. I said, given all the circumstances, including incoming President Donald Trump’s consistent insistence that he will use his office to seek revenge on his perceived enemies, I would have done the same thing in a heartbeat.
I enjoy reading the comments on my articles and appreciate differing points of view. Following last week’s article, I read one from a reader, which was short and sweet but particularly caught my eye, in part because it expressed a viewpoint that I believe is now shared by many Canadians.
Here is what this individual wrote: “When will we ever stop obsessing over American politics and start giving a care about this country?” How I wish we could separate these two priorities, but in my view, we cannot. For at least the next four years, American politics will have a direct effect on the lives of Canadians.
I know that many people are sick and tired of hearing about Donald Trump every day on almost every newscast and other media. I would be one of those if it were not so important to recognize and be reminded of the existential threat that a Trump administration in the United States is to Canada.
Some of my friends are “Trumped” out. Others, including some politicians and decision-makers, do not take him seriously enough. Some of those people unwisely interpret Trump’s remarks about Canada as good-humoured or jokes and his threats to our economy as little more than bargaining chips. What they urgently need to recognize is that Trump does not joke; he baits.
I believe that Donald Trump is likely, at this point in time, the biggest threat that Canada faces, between his threats of tariffs and muttering about Canada’s future independence. Those who dismiss Trump as a lightweight who does not follow through on his agenda, who doesn’t usually mean what he says, should take their collective heads out of the sand.
In an opinion piece in the Toronto Star, journalist Andrew Phillips says, “When it comes to the exercise of raw political power, he’s (Trump) giving a master class in how to bend others to his will. With a single social media post he has his country’s two most important trading partners dancing for his pleasure, trying to figure out how to appease the Monarch of Mar-a-Lago.”
When Trump muttered about Canada’s sovereignty, the first time could be put down to sarcasm and his habit of belittling others. When it blooms beyond that, it becomes a strategy.
Elon Musk, a Telsa and media billionaire, and former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson are close advisors to Donald Trump. He listens to them.
Carlson has opined that the United States should “liberate Canada” and less than a year ago touted that message to a sell-out crowd in Alberta.
Musk, in recent days, has described Prime Minister Trudeau as an “insufferable fool.” Whatever some people in Canada may think of Justin Trudeau, that is an inappropriate comment to make about the leader of another nation by someone as close to Trump as Musk is. He likely would not have made it if he did not believe Trump shared his opinion.
Donald Trump himself, when dining with Trudeau in West Palm Beach, alluded to Canada as potentially America’s 51st state. He doubled down with another tweet, saying: “It was a pleasure having dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we can continue our in-depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all! “
And then Trump tripled down when he suggested in an NBC News interview that Canada and Mexico should become American states because the U.S. runs trade deficits with both countries. And if we still didn’t get it, Trump stood for a photo-op with the Canadian flag just to drive home his point.
So, is Donald Trump just messing around with Canada and Justin Trudeau and having fun at our expense? Certainly, there are some who think so, including Canada’s Defense Minister Bill Blair, who commented, “I don’t take offence at jokes.”
But this is no joke.
Repeatedly referring to Canada as the 51st State of America, whether actually intended or not, is a direct attack on our sovereignty as a nation and should be taken very seriously. I can think of no other country, at least in the democratic world, that would repeatedly make such a territorial statement about a neighbouring jurisdiction, in jest or otherwise.
Do I think invading Canada is on Donald Trump’s ‘To Do’ list? No, I do not. There are those who believe that Trump is as much of a territorial predator as Vladimir Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping, but I am not there yet.
I do believe, however, that Trump’s references to Canada’s sovereignty are not spontaneous but rather part of a strategy to threaten Canadians and weaken our resolve in trade and border negotiations. Trump, in my view, would not be concerned about Canadians believing he could just come in and take what he wants from Canada if he can’t get a deal that suits him.
Another Toronto Star editorial, referring to Donald Trump, said that neither outrage nor concessions is a way to deal with a bully. They are right.
Courage and a clear message that Canada will seek win/win solutions and fully retaliate against those that harm our economy or our sovereignty are absolutely essential in dealing with a wannabe despot who respects strength and relishes demeaning those he believes to be easy targets.
Canada cannot allow itself to be one of those easy targets.
We need a united front with strong leadership and equitable solutions to resolve, under unprecedented circumstances, areas of disagreement between our two countries and a recognition of the severe consequences of failure.
The reality is we cannot forget about Donald Trump or fool ourselves about what he wants from Canada. We need united leadership that can deal effectively and fairly with him, and we need it now.
So, where is it?
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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I agree that Canada desperately needs strong leadership to guide us through the challenges we currently face. Trudeau and his neo-Liberal policies have been a disaster, and the main reason for the mess in which we now find ourselves. We have unprecedented debt, unprecedented division in the country and an international reputation/respect that is in tatters – all factors that will handicap us in our recovery efforts.
If Trudeau continues as leader, we are well and truly lost, our once-great country will be irreparably damaged, if it hasn’t been already. Even if Trudeau steps down, and is replaced by another current Liberal, or even the WEF driven Mark Carney, it will be more of the same and we will continue to spiral downwards.
So yes, if we are to survive our current state, we need strong leadership, especially with Trump about to take office. The US has always been the economic and political bully in the world. Trump will take that to another level and be so much more obvious about it. He’s already started to show us what’s to come. Unfortunately, Canada has no strong leader to take on this challenge and we need to accept that the next few years will be painful ones for us. Canada is not big enough, or important enough to be a bully in its own right. We’ve also allowed ourselves to become dependent on the US for our economic survival. They hold the cards, we don’t.
I don’t envy anyone that inherits Trudeau’s mess and, as I see it, we have no-one anywhere near capable of doing the job.