The Major League Baseball World Series captured the headlines last week and most people’s attention. Canada came to the brink of winning the World Series, and Canadians will remain proud of the Blue Jays for the stellar season they have had, disappointed as we may be that the big prize slipped out of our hands.
Donald Trump was very likely sitting on the edge of his seat Saturday night during game seven of the World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers came within minutes of incurring his wrath and indignities, but they pulled it off and are now Trump heroes, although perhaps a little less so, because they are from California and Trump hates California.
Trump will dine out on this, of course. It will not surprise me if he finds a way to take some personal credit for the win. From his perspective, however, if the Blue Jays had actually won the World Series, it would quite likely have been a rigged and corrupt game.
The good news, as I see it, is that Canada was front and centre on the world stage for several weeks, primarily because of the Toronto Blue Jays. They received unprecedented attention, demonstrating Canada’s grit and determination, and that we don’t back down easily to anyone.
But, while all this hype, hoopla, and fanfare was going on, something else happened, something with a far more long-term potential effect than the World Series and something that has become a game-changer, or at least an excuse for one, in the critical trade talks between Canada and the United States.
As most people should know by now, Ontario Premier Doug Ford aired an advertisement during the first two games of the World Series on American news channels. It was a simple ad, just a short video of former United States President Ronald Reagan when he made a televised speech opposing tariffs and protectionism and outlining why they were a bad idea. There were no edits to the part of the video that was played. Just Ronald Reagan, a Republican and a Conservative, someone still heavily renowned in the United States, telling it like it is and completely destroying Trump’s strategy of tariffs.
To say that Ford’s ad went viral would be an understatement. It received 11.4 billion (yes, billion) ‘impressions’ on social media and on television worldwide, according to pollsters. Follow-up interviews with Premier Ford took place on most American networks. It was one of the most effective ads aired in a very long time.
Donald Trump, of course, hyperventilated. The ad was fake. It was AI-generated (It has been proven not to be.) Ronald Regan was strongly pro-tariffs (a certifiable lie). Canadians are awful people, or words to that effect. Then he compares himself to Ronald Reagan. Always something in it for his ongoing compulsion for relevance and reverence.
It should have come as no surprise that, always the bully, Trump summarily cut off trade negotiations between Canada and the United States. For good measure, he also announced an additional ten per cent tariff on Canadian goods as direct punishment for the Reagan ad. The U.S. Constitution specifically disallows tariffs for revenge purposes. We will see how that works out.
Clearly, Doug Ford’s Reagan advertisement in the United States has had an effect on the relationship between Canada and the United States. Donald Trump hates being outplayed. He must get even. Trade negotiations are officially in limbo, and Trump believes he has more ammunition and bad news to dump on Canada.
So, the real question is this: Did Doug Ford blow it? Did he go too far? Or did he once again come across as Captain Canada, not only to say what needed to be said but in a clever, non-combatant way?
Has Ford ruined things for Canada, or has he sent an important message that Canadians do not bow down easily at a time this country badly needs to hear that?
There are those who believe Doug Ford kicked the feet out from under Mark Carney. I don’t believe that. He was well aware of the ad. Obviously, from a diplomatic perspective, he could not endorse it, but if Carney really did not want the ad to run, there were ways for him to stop it.
It is my view, that, whether intentionally or by happenstance, the Ford/Reagan ad in the United States and Trump’s antagonistic response will be good for Canada.
I see two main accomplishments.
First, it is about Canada’s pride. Most of us are tired of being kicked around by a despot. It takes a toll to wake up most mornings to hear a shot over the bow about Canada, its weakness, its undeserved sovereignty, our refusal to show him the respect and obedience he thinks he deserves, and on and on.
We needed to see something that was going the other way, something to put a bounce in our steps, to show that this trade war is far from over. We needed something to cheer for, and by successfully doing an end-run on Donald Trump, Doug Ford gave us all that badly needed opportunity.
I regret that Mark Carney felt the need to apologize to Donald Trump but based on Trump’s response it has kept the diplomatic door open and whether we like it or not, that remains important.
There was also another accomplishment here, and I believe, an important one.
Despite claims to the contrary, it has become increasingly clear that the tariff negotiations between Canada and the U.S. are progressing slowly. The United States is still doing everything it can to destroy Canada’s auto sector and to seriously affect Canada’s lumber industry, to name just two. No real progress has been announced, and despite diplomatic verbiage, there is little reason to believe that significant and acceptable advancement is taking place. As well, there is the reality that the best deal in the world with Donald Trump is good only until his next temper tantrum.
Since it was Donald Trump who has terminated trade talks with Canada, and not the other way around, it is my view, and that of many others, that a real opportunity has opened up for Canada, which Mark Carney appears to have recognized. Canada has been set free.
Without cutting off the prospect of new tariff talks with the United States, Carney has sent signals he is now free to take a more aggressive approach to trading partnerships internationally, in spite of how it may affect Canada’s trade with the United States.
Justin Ling, a Canadian journalist, wrote the following in a recent article. “We are incredibly lucky that Trump finally decided to blow up these unproductive negotiations in such a way that drew attention to a basic fact. These Tariffs are unproductive, ineffective and illegal.”
Mark Carney can now acknowledge that “old world” stable, rules-based trade and investment, especially with the United States, is over. He plans instead to double non-U.S. imports and exports over the next decade and is signaling a serious diversification strategy. He says he is willing to pick up trade discussions with the United States when they are ready. He does not seem to be in a hurry for that to occur.
He can wait to see whether Congress and the courts will eventually conclude that the worldwide tariff strategy Trump has employed is constitutionally illegal, or how the effect of tariffs on Americans might force him to change his strategy.
In summary, I think it is good news that there is no longer a deal with Donald Trump. Mark Carney can move on and do what he has to do to protect Canada’s economy and impose tariffs on the United States when there is a need.
I can’t help but believe that the Reagan ad was actually a formative connivance between the Premier of Ontario and the Prime Minister of Canada that Carney can never admit to. It turned out to be just what was needed in this moment in time.
Pure Canadian brilliance across party lines.
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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It would not have mattered whether Doug Ford released that ad or not.
In my opinion, DJT has no intention of negotiating with Canada. Exactly the opposite….he will continue to turn the screws, and as tight as possible, blow up the USMCA and isolate Canada from his negotiations with Mexico. It is all about Canada becoming the 51st state.
As Mr. Carney has stated multiple times, we can only control what we do as Canadians, and that means for the vast majority of us….VOTING WITH OUR WALLETS. Not just as consumers of groceries, toys, services etc., but also as employers who historically have purchased products and services from the US. It must now be….”Buy it from anyone but the US”. Yes….it will impact your bottom line, but enough is enough, we need 41 million Canadians to row in the same direction.
It makes me sick to walk down the cereal aisle of all my local grocery stores and see 50% of the shelf space dedicated to the Kellogg brand, all made in the USA. Our grocers need to get a little bit of “Doug Ford” in their mojo and start taking shelf space away from US brands.