To become a more self-sufficient nation, we must look at the economic wisdom that helped build our country.
It’s easy to forget amid all the elitist propaganda, but Canada was once a far more self-sufficient nation.
We once had large tariffs in many sectors, in an effort to help protect and build strong national, local businesses in this country.
However, that has since changed, with a growing orthodoxy and bipartisan consensus on more and more ‘free trade’ and tariff reductions.
That consensus led a huge shift of manufacturing jobs to countries like China, who grew in power while the Canadian middle class and working class took a huge hit.
Just consider that, despite being constantly told that we are ‘richer than ever before,’ life has become far less affordable for the vast majority of people, with jobs more precarious than ever.
And now, with the CCP Coronavirus crisis devastating our economy, killing thousands of our Citizens, and revealing our vulnerability, that previous economic orthodoxy has been shattered.
Now, there is a growing realization that massive changes need to be made, in order to make our nation more self-sufficient.
Some Conservative leadership candidates have been moving in that direction, which is great to see.
However, it is essential to acknowledge that true self-sufficiency will mean doing things that go against what many parties – including the Conservatives – have long advocated for.
A key example is government support for businesses, and tariffs.
To truly make Canada self-sufficient, we must ensure that more and more of our companies bring production back from China and other cheap labour countries.
Some will do that out of Patriotic love for Canada.
But many others will refuse, saying they are unable to make a profit paying higher wages in Canada.
There are a few ways to address this.
First, in some cases the government will need to provide direct financial support to companies, like the government has done for companies that shifted to manufacturing masks and personal protective equipment. Some of that support will need to become permanent, with the government in effect paying companies to produce things that our country could need in an emergency.
Second, we will need to impose tariffs on many products from China, incentivizing companies to either shift production back to Canada, or at least move out of China.
Tariffs will bring in revenue which can then be used both to directly support key companies in bringing supply chains back, and in providing tax relief and financial support to Canadians.
Over time, this will shift our economy more towards a high-wage economy with strong national companies, and stronger local communities that are centered around tangible local production, rather than the ‘race to the bottom’ of ever-cheaper wages that made us so vulnerable in the first place.
Many establishment politicians – including establishment Conservatives & Liberals – will oppose this.
They are still locked into the globalist mindset that serves multinational corporations instead of their own Citizens. Yet, the Conservative base, and the majority of Canadians are clearly pushing back, with support for trade with China collapsing to record lows.
The CCP Coronavirus Crisis has been a huge wakeup call for our country, with many people realizing that Economic Nationalism is essential, while endless globalization must come to an end.
Canada needs to start thinking like a Nation, and that means supporting our Canadian companies, imposing tariffs on foreign goods, and turning self-sufficiency from rhetoric into reality.
Spencer Fernando
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