“I think this is the moment when the country needs to pull together as a whole. There is no shortage of people who want to take it away from us. We have to fight for this country every day and so that message to the Prime Minister is look, British Columbia is all in on Canada.” — David Eby, Premier of British Columbia.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every province and every territory and every First Nation, not only stood for that but actually did something about it?
Premier Eby is right. Under current circumstances, with a delusional, unstable, threatening and totally unpredictable President of the United States on our doorstep, Canadians have to fight for this country every single day.
Last week in my Listen Up! commentary, I applauded Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to diversify our economy, seek new trading partners, and lessen our dependence on the United States. I believe he is right to seek closer trading alliances with Europe, Mexico, India, and yes, China, as he is currently doing.
And I think that his speech in New York this week was brilliant, especially his plug that Canada can make the United States great again. 😊
But I also questioned the Liberal government’s strategy of not poking the bear when dealing with Trump’s rhetoric and attacks on Canada’s economy and independence, in hopes of securing a better trade deal with the United States.
I stand by that. I believe it is wrong, will ultimately be ineffective, and leaves the impression that Canada is dealing with the United States out of weakness and fright rather than strength and determination. It is a strategy that might have worked in normal times, but dealing with Donald Trump is anything but normal.
I have two major concerns. The first is that Donald Trump is coming closer to having his back against the wall, and when that happens, he will lash out at the first thing that is close at hand in an attempt to change the narrative.
Second, I believe that Canada’s leadership, federally and provincially, is relying more on hope than on reality, is not recognizing the imminency of Trump’s threats, and is not getting its act together nationally to deal with them effectively if and when that time comes. There is not sufficient recognition and belief that Donald Trump’s agenda includes dividing and conquering Canada.
Last week was not a good one for Donald Trump. A federal court has intervened in his intent to establish a slush fund with $1.776 billion of taxpayers’ money to aid and support invaders of the United States Congress on January 6, 2024. Then another court told him he couldn’t rename the Kennedy Centre to honour himself.
On top of that, he is struggling mightily to demonstrate that he has won the war with Iran when he clearly did not meet his initial objective of regime change, underestimated Iran’s ability to fight back, and has weakened America’s military influence in the Middle East. Trump’s efforts last week to sign a peace deal with Iran failed again, and the report that he is offering billions of investment dollars to Iran is not going over well with Americans.
The question then is whether Donald Trump is getting close to one of his irrational, spontaneous temper tantrums, and, if so, whether Canada could increasingly become a rhetorical, economic, or political target at a time when Trump feels politically cornered at home?
The reality is that repeatedly, when under legal or political pressure, Donald Trump escalates external conflicts, provocative rhetoric, and threats. He frequently uses nationalism as a way to consolidate domestic support and redirect media and political attention. He prefers confrontational narratives with those he believes are not acting in the best interest of the United States and not bowing to his will, and he personalizes disputes, especially with those whose territory he covets to control.
Historically, leaders under pressure often seek external conflicts because these change the narrative at home. It moves political concern over domestic failures into tests of loyalty and nationalism. Donald Trump has proven adept at this time and time again.
So, given the current challenges facing Donald Trump, is it reasonable to expect that Canada should prepare for becoming a backlash target? The answer is yes.
Canada is particularly vulnerable because it is nearby, it is economically intertwined, it is politically easier to attack than adversaries with major military capabilities, and Canada is in itself divided, which renders it vulnerable.
Now, let’s get back to Premier Eby’s assertion that we need to fight for Canada every single day. Are we doing that effectively? I am not so sure. How can we adequately stand up to overt threats from the Trump administration to dismantle Canada one way or another, when we do not have our own house in order?
Why are we offering the United States the opportunity to exploit and promote differences between Canadians in an attempt to undermine its cohesiveness and unity?
There are credible reports that senior Trump officials have engaged with Alberta separatists both in that province and in Washington to discuss economic backing and post-separation scenarios. The Trump administration has not denied this.
Why have we allowed this to happen? It smacks of sedition. Why has the United States Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, not been summoned by the Carney government to officially protest this unacceptable interference in Canada’s sovereignty?
The issue with Alberta separation needs to be dealt with surgically. At first blush, I was in agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to call a quick vote on whether Albertans wanted a binding referendum on separation.
However, a Muskoka native, now a very successful and tuned-in businessman in Calgary, for whom I have great respect, had me look at this differently. His belief is that only 7% of Albertans support separation. But if asked if they wanted a referendum, many Albertans who would never actually vote to leave Canada would say that they wanted the referendum simply to send a message to Ottawa about their belief that Alberta is not being treated fairly. That, my friend believes, would bring the yes vote for a referendum up to 30%, a number that would be difficult to ignore.
In my view, all of this referendum discussion in Alberta and Quebec needs to be put on hold now, so that in dealing with the United States, Canada speaks with a strong and unified voice. If that needs federal legislation, so be it.
Canada is a federation, but it is also a sovereign nation, and that must come first. Whatever it takes to make it an unchangeable reality is paramount to our independence.
Mark Carney cannot achieve a united Canada with common priorities and goals by himself. But as Prime Minister, he does have an abundance of tools at his disposal to force the issue and either forge a consensus for the priorities that are essential to our sovereignty, or enact the legislation required to make it happen. He is our Prime Minister, and that is where the buck stops.
If Canada is going to successfully stand up to the United States, we must first visibly stand up for ourselves, as a united and sovereign nation.
David Eby is right. This is the moment that Canada needs to pull together as a whole.
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 the 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 have so much respect for you and your insightful articles.
You are the teacher and I the student.
It is fascinating to read Eby’s comment. I will believe he is credible when he abandons his west coast tanker ban.
I will belive the other premiers are on the same page when the equalization formula is correct or eliminated. And there are many other regional sacred cows that need to be dealt with to ensure national interests and unity are enhanced
Allan holt
For years, Canadians have been told that the country is broken, divided, and in decline. What if the bigger story is that most Canadians have not lost faith in it?
The overwhelming majority of Canadians, including the overwhelming majority of Albertans, are still choosing Canada. They may disagree about policies, energy, equalization, pipelines, or the role of Ottawa, but disagreement is not the same thing as disintegration. None of this means the risks Hugh describes are not real. It simply means there is another side of the story too.
When faced with genuine challenges to our sovereignty, economy, and independence, most Canadians did not walk away from Canada. They leaned into it.
Scott Aitchison ran for the Conservative leadership in 2022 with a simple idea: there is nothing wrong with Canada that cannot be fixed by everything that is right with Canada. What strikes me now is that many Canadians seem to be rediscovering that idea. Not that everything is perfect, but that a country can acknowledge its challenges without convincing itself it is broken.
The stronger story right now is not that Canada is falling apart. It is that most Canadians still believe it is worth holding together.
YES! United we stand, divided we fall.
Thank you for your excellent commentary,
Mr. Mackenzie.
I also heard the Carney quote this week and thought it was a good one to say out loud in New York. I know Manitoba’s Wab Kinew tried to convince Danielle Smith to hold off on a referendum but she is determined to go ahead. It will be up to Albertans to hold her UCP government accountable for their actions and Canadians everywhere to go against American “might makes right” global politics.