FROM THE HILL: Elbows Up!
By Dick Cannings MP
Since Donald Trump came into office just over a month ago, Canada—and the world—have been thrown into a tumultuous time of trade wars, foreign policy through insults and a general topsy-turvy world order.
Trump’s talk of crippling tariffs on exports to Canada are a serious threat to the Canadian economy. Agriculture, forestry, the auto industry and many other sectors could be devastated. What final form they will take is still to be seen as every week seems to be a roller-coaster of threats and reversals. Trump’s schoolyard bully tactics of calling us the 51st state have galvanized Canadian patriotism as we pledge to boycott American goods and services and buy local whenever possible. Provinces have taken American products off the shelves of liquor stores and many Canadians have changed their holiday plans to avoid Florida, Arizona and California.
The Trump claim that these tariffs are meant to force us to strengthen our border against the trafficking of fentanyl is also insulting. Only a tiny amount of fentanyl enters the USA through Canada (more comes the other way) and that amount has fallen sharply since the tariff threats began. These trade actions are simply meant to hurt Canada and send our jobs south.
In dealing with Trump, we’ve learned that strength is the only response he listens to. Canada has responded with dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs, a tactic that worked well when Trump slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term in office.
While I fully agree this is a powerful and effective strategy, we have to be careful that we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot by putting tariffs on niche American goods that are critical to Canadian industries without alternative sources. One example of that is the inclusion of scrap batteries on the Canadian counter-tariff list. KC Recycling in Trail relies on a steady flow of scrap lead-acid batteries from the USA—it’s literally one of the few big recycling plants in western North America. So adding a significant cost to their inputs will force them to shut down their operation, and that hurts Canada much more than it hurts the United States.
We also need to be ready to support workers and businesses that may be seriously impacted by these trade disruptions. The NDP has asked that parliament be recalled to discuss supports that could include a modernized Employment Insurance system to make sure laid-off workers don’t have to wait weeks without wages.
Trump’s actions on the world scene have been even more concerning. The United States is now the odd one out in the countries allied against the actions of Russia, something that was inconceivable in previous years. Europe is rallying behind Ukraine, pledging significant increases in support to fill in the gap left by the USA, and I’m happy to see that Canada has been at the table at those talks. If we allow Russia to have any gains in Ukraine and give them an opportunity to rearm after an unfair peace deal, it will only encourage them to push into other eastern European countries.
Canada will be hosting the G7 meetings this summer in Alberta. The NDP has demanded that we not allow President Trump to enter the country for those meetings, considering his legal status as a convicted felon and his ridiculous actions against our country.
Canada is not broken. We are strong and free and ready to take on whatever threats the Trump administration wants to throw at us. Elbows up!
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