With our nation facing an attack on our economy and sovereignty from the Trump Administration, our leaders must set aside partisanship and work for the common good of the Canadian People.
This has been yet another clarifying moment regarding how Canadians—and many of our friends around the world—view the United States.
The Trump Administration is pushing ahead with 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico:
“President Donald Trump said that on Tuesday he will impose 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, dashing hopes for a last-minute deal that could avoid a trade war with two of the U.S.′ top trading partners.
Trump told reporters there was “no room left for Mexico or for Canada” to negotiate an alternative to the tariffs, which he has threatened to impose for weeks.
“They’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow,” the president said at a White House event Monday.”
The Trump Administration is halting military aid to Ukraine:
“U.S. President Donald Trump has paused all military aid to Ukraine following his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week, a White House official said on Monday.
“President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.”
And the Trump Administration is openly mocking Canadian sovereignty:
“On a trip to Vermont following the fatal shooting of a US Border Patrol agent, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited the Haskell, where she stepped up to the electrical tape and, with a grin, parroted Trump’s taunts while standing on the Canadian side of the line, according to Converse and Deborah Bishop, the library’s executive director.
“She stood on the American side and said, ‘USA No. 1.’ Then she crossed the line and said, ‘The 51st state,’” Bishop said. “She did it at least three times and was very clear in saying, ‘USA No. 1,’ and didn’t even say ‘Canada.’ Just, ‘The 51st state.’ ”
Bishop and other library staff members are Canadian. Converse, who is a US citizen, felt Noem’s performance was humiliating.
“I was angry,” Converse said. “Politics should not come into this, you know? This is unique in the world, and it’s always been a community that was welcoming.”
Unprecedented assault
Many Canadians find themselves overwhelmed and bewildered by what’s happening.
Many of our European friends are feeling the same way.
And that is understandable.
The United States is throwing away the world order it created following the Second World War, and it is now increasingly siding with the enemies of that world order.
It’s a very dangerous moment, and it leaves Canada incredibly vulnerable.
If the United States and Russia team up, and the U.S. continues efforts to crush our economy and erode our sovereignty, we will find ourselves ‘surrounded’ by hostile forces.
This is unprecedented.
Thus, dealing with it requires unprecedented action.
A Liberal-Conservative Grand Bargain
The Liberals will soon conclude their leadership race, a race likely to be won by Mark Carney.
While some expect the Liberals to immediately go into a federal election, others believe they will work with the NDP to stay in power for a while – particularly to deal with the fallout of tariffs.
However, I believe our nation needs something much bigger than the short-term resurrection of the Liberal-NDP pact.
We need a short-term Liberal-Conservative Grand Bargain to pass a massive rearmament and economic stimulus package.
After all, between the two of them, the Conservatives and Liberals represent 67% of Canadians and 289 out of 338 seats in the House of Commons (based on the 2021 election).
Both parties are far ahead of any competitors in current polls, giving them legitimacy when they claim to speak for vast swathes of the Canadian People.
At a time when Canadians are demanding more national unity and cooperation, it would send a strong message for our two largest parties to work together on addressing the crisis we find ourselves in.
It would be similar to how the Liberals ended up voting for a lot of the legislation passed by the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper to deal with the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. Despite significant political differences, Canada’s political parties can accomplish big things when they work together – even if just for a while.
Following Germany’s example?
With Germany having just concluded elections that will almost certainl ylead to a coalition government featuring the Christian Democratic Union & the Social Democrats (the closest analogues to the ‘conservatives’ and ‘liberals’ in Germany’s political system), there is a rapid push for unprecedented investment in national defence and infrastructure:
“The parties in talks to form Germany’s new government are considering quickly setting up two special funds potentially worth hundreds of billions of euros, one for defence and a second for infrastructure, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Economists advising the parties that will likely form a new government coalition estimate around 400 billion euros ($415 billion) are needed for the defence fund and 400 billion to 500 billion euros for the infrastructure fund, the people said.
Friday’s heated White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump increased a sense of urgency in Berlin to act faster on spending for Germany’s own defence and for Ukraine, they said.
Senior figures from Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats began exploratory talks on Friday about forming a coalition government in the hope that Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative bloc which came first in last week’s election, would form a government by Easter.”
Canada should do something similar.
The Conservatives & Liberals should work together to pass legislation authorizing the government to borrow up to $300 billion, $200 billion of which would be invested in a military buildup, and $100 billion of which would go towards infrastructure projects (including pipelines & LNG export terminals) across the nation.
The legislation could also feature an idea I wrote about before – Canadian Sovereignty Bonds.
It should also be designed to win backing from the Bloc, NDP, and Greens if possible.
There would have to be some good ole fashioned political horsetrading – money for the BC forestry industry, Alberta oil & gas sector, Saskatchewan uranium mining industry, Manitoba infrastructure investments, Ontario auto sector, Quebec aerospace sector, Maritime fisheries & naval vessel construction, big investments in Northern infrastructure, etc.
There would be some things Liberals don’t like – such as reducing environmental regulations to fast-track pipeline construction and huge investments in producing more weapons here in Canada – and there would be things some Conservatives don’t like – such as large-scale government borrowing and government-directed investment in ‘winners and losers’.
But this is what Canada needs.
We need to bring as many Canadians as possible on board with a massive investment in our national defence and our national infrastructure to help our nation adjust to a much more dangerous world.
Imagine the persuasive power of seeing the Conservatives & Liberals standing together to promote a historic investment in protecting Canada.
Not only would it show Canadians that our nation is capable of big things, it would send a message to our friends and adversaries alike that we aren’t just going to sit back and let our nation be taken away from us.
Right now, we must think big. We must set aside partisanship as much as possible and we must act fast.
And that’s why a Conservative-Liberal Grand Bargain is exactly what Canada needs.
Spencer Fernando
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