BY PETER EWART
Special to the News
The Prime Minister and various provincial premiers have been all over the map in terms of what they propose to do in response to the Trump administration’s plans to impose drastic tariffs on imports from Canada. All of them claim to be “standing up” for Canada. But is this really the case?
Take Doug Ford, premier of Ontario. He is claimed by some to be wearing the true “Captain Canada” hat in terms of standing up to Trump’s threats to impose punitive tariffs on Canada up to and including using economic force to make Canada the 51st state. But in fact his “standing up” means convincing Trump to hold back tariffs in exchange for making a deal that would even further integrate Canada into the US economy and war machine and put it even more under the US administration’s thumb.
Ford calls his proposal “Fortress Am-Can” and it would give even more US access to and control over Canada’s land and resources, including energy, electricity, critical minerals, manufacturing and other supply chains, as well as military operations.
In essence, the proposals being put forward by the Trudeau government as well as various provincial premiers and media pundits are cut from the same cloth as Ford’s so-called “Fortress Am-Can”, i.e. trying to convince Trump to hold off on tariffs in exchange for selling out our land and resources and coming under further US control.
But how can a country like Canada fight imperial domination by inviting even more imperial domination? Or to put it less diplomatically, how can it fight the US administration by groveling even more? The situation we are in is a result of a decades-long policy of successive federal governments of “continentalism” which has resulted in 75 per cent of Canadian exports ending up with the US which has put us in an extremely vulnerable position.
Some pundits are claiming that Canada has to just wait out Trump’s four-year term of office when some other more sympathetic president will be elected. What this fails to take into account is that the aggressive action being undertaken by the US is not just the result of Trump as an individual but rather that of a dominant section of the US establishment that supports tariffs and other punitive measures against Canada and other countries. Indeed, there is no guarantee that a different president would be any better given the imperial mindset of the US oligarchy.
Furthermore, Doug Ford ignores the fact that the Trump administration is not interested in developing manufacturing and other industries in countries like Canada. It wants corporations to relocate in the US and, if they don’t, Trump made it quite clear at the World Economic Forum, they will face punitive tariffs and other hostile acts.
One thing is clear. As Canadians, we need our own nation building project, one in which we chart a new direction for the economy, one which emphasizes independence and self-reliance, one in which we develop mutually beneficial trade relations with other countries. To bring this about, we need a nation-wide process to involve the Canadian people in a discussion to establish a new direction for our economy and country. Other countries have done this (including the US in 1776 and Mexico in the 19th and 20th centuries). Now it’s our turn.
Peter Ewart is a writer and community activist based in Prince George, British Columbia. He can be reached at: peter.ewart@shaw.ca
4 thoughts on “OPINION: Which way Canada in the face of US tariffs?”
i agree
Well stated Peter. Hopefully “economic improvements” will be based on susustainability, not destructive extraction, the model to date..”Grab and Run Economics”.
The Trump tariffs weren’t just an attack on our economy—they were a reminder that continentalism is a crutch we must leave behind.
Excellent article, Peter. Yes, Canada is in a very, very precarious position due to lack of logical foresight due to our elected leaders. The question is, “Just where do we go from here?” I, for one, have lost trust in our political system.