As the U.S. Drifts Toward Authoritarianism, Canada Stands in Contrast.
When someone criticizes U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly online, you often hear the following retorts:
“Orange Man Bad.”
“Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Those remarks are an attempt to shut down conversation and discredit those critical of the U.S. President.
However, when assessing the validity of those conversation-ending moves, let’s take a moment to consider the following:
What if the Orange Man really is bad? What if Trump’s reckless and volatile actions are often deranged, rather than his critics? If that is indeed the case, then opposition to Donald Trump is a logical move.
It would appear Canadians are coming to that conclusion, and it’s reshaping not only our politics, but our nation.
To start, let’s look at the numbers.
According to Abacus Data, Donald Trump has the worst net favorability rating among Canadians of any politician they have ever measured. In their most recent survey, 78% of Canadians have a negative impression of Donald Trump, compared to 12% who have a positive impression. That gives Trump a -66 net rating.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney has a +11 net rating, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has a -5 net rating, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has a -12 net rating.
Opposition to Donald Trump now unites Canadians across all political, regional, demographic, and income lines. And this is filtering out to how Canadians view the United States.
According to Abacus Data, 34% of Canadians have a positive impression of the United States, compared to 60% who have a negative impression. By contrast, 72% of Canadians have a positive impression of the United Kingdom, 68% have a positive impression of the European Union, and 56% have a positive view of Mexico. Notably, the 34% positive rating for the United States is closer to how Canadians view China (28% positive/58% negative) than how we view the United Kingdom, EU, & Mexico.
Canadians also remain quite favourable towards Japan, Germany, and France, indicating this is a reaction to Donald Trump specifically, rather than the growth of Canadian isolationism. As just one of many metrics indicating this profound reaction, look at the collapse of flight bookings from Canada to the U.S.:
This is a fundamental shift, and understanding this shift will be key to understanding Canada going forward.
A nation defining itself in opposition to its closest neighbour
When public officials declare that a key part of Canadian identity is that “we are not Americans,” some see it as overly shallow and simplistic. Perhaps it is, but it also contains more than a grain of truth. Many Canadians are the descendants of the Loyalists who fled the United States amid the American Revolution, an explicit decision by those Loyalists to not be part of the U.S. Significant battles during the War of 1812 were fought on the territory of what is now Canada, and the outcome of that conflict set the limits on U.S. northward expansion in North America and ensured Canada’s future as a unique place that was decidedly NOT the U.S.
Canada has also often made independent foreign policy decisions that defined our character and values, such as entering World War Two in 1939 (two years before the United States), as well as choosing not to go to war against Vietnam and Iraq.
I expanded upon this in a previous article, where I noted that an argument can be made that Canada has long been a more consistent defender of freedom when compared to the United States, even though we don’t brag about it nearly as much. Thus, defining ourselves in opposition to the United States has always been a key part of our national identity.
What makes this moment different – and more consequential – is that America is morphing into something deeply antithetical to the worldviews and ethical framework of most Canadians. We are amid a Canada-U.S. divergence that exceeds that witnessed during the Canadian backlash to the War in Iraq under former U.S. President George W. Bush. While Bush was incredibly unpopular in Canada during that time, there was still a sense that Canada and the United States were allies and shared some common values. Canadians never felt our country was at risk of annexation under Bush, and there was a baseline level of trust that America would live up to its trade agreements with us.
No longer.
Consider what America under Trump 2.0 represents:
Threatening to deliberately destroy the Canadian economy to force us into giving up our sovereignty.
Threatening the sovereignty of NATO allies.
Bullying the President of Ukraine in the Oval Office.
Berating American allies while seeking closer ties with Russia.
Foreign aid cuts that will cost countless lives while generating little in savings.
Unilateral abrogation of trade agreements.
Praising dictators.
Disturbing propaganda videos that revel in the cruelty of deportations rather than making a coherent and reasonable case for lower immigration levels.
A rejection of scientific expertise that has gone far beyond responsible skepticism and now resembles a celebration of ignorance.
Threats to jail journalists and shut down news outlets that criticize the government.
Using minority groups as scapegoats to cover up for a lack of ideas to improve people’s lives.
A ‘might makes right’ view of the world that resembles some of the most brutal regimes in human history.
The ongoing denigration of American allies – including a total lack of respect for the many Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan – a war we fought to assist America after they were attacked on 9/11.
Consider each of those points, and you can recognize how they are deeply at odds with the views of most Canadians. There is very little of what the Trump Administration has done that is consistent with the intellectual traditions of the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party of Canada, or any other large Canadian political movement, hence the widespread opposition to America’s new direction. Increasingly, Canadians are realizing that America is not shifting toward conservatism; it’s shifting toward authoritarianism.
Some Americans are recognizing this as well. A trio of respected fascism scholars from Yale University have left for the University of Toronto.
Thus, I would argue that defining ourselves in opposition to Trump’s America is a good thing, and is consistent with Canadian Values, because when we consider the antithesis of what the Trump Administration represents, we arrive at a set of values that are positive and worth affirming:
Respecting the sovereignty of our allies and deepening mutually beneficial economic ties.
Respecting the President of Ukraine and supporting Ukraine’s fight for survival.
Holding Russia accountable while strengthening defence ties with democratic allies.
Using foreign aid funds efficiently to save lives, while carefully reducing programs that aren’t achieving results.
Respecting our signed trade agreements.
Condemning dictators.
Treating human beings with dignity – even when they are illegal immigrants – while still enforcing immigration laws.
Respecting scientific expertise while acknowledging that ongoing debate and a spirit of open inquiry are essential.
Respecting freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
Addressing real issues with tangible proposals rather than scapegoating the vulnerable as a shortcut.
Understanding that military power is essential to possess, while not assuming that possession of such power is an excuse to bully and threaten others.
Respecting the shared contributions of our allies throughout history and honouring the legacy of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we now enjoy across much of the Western world.
Knowing what you won’t put up with helps define who you are
In effect, Canadians are looking at the United States under Donald Trump and are saying, “NO!”
This is not who we are.
This is not who we want to be.
This is not who we will ever be.
We are setting a boundary, and in doing so, we are defining ourselves. Witnessing the harshness, arrogance, incompetence, aggression, and gleeful cruelty of many people in power south of the border is driving many Canadians to embrace the opposite. As America becomes a more ruthless and closed-off society, many Canadians are reacting by wanting Canada to be a kinder and more open society. Sometimes, you have to see what you oppose to know what you are for.
While some Trump supporters in the United States criticize this line of thinking, it’s useful to remember that the United States was formed in opposition to the British Empire. To a certain extent, every nation is defined by setting a boundary and saying, “This is what we are for, and this is what we are against.” “This is who we are, and this is who we are not.”
As Canadians increasingly define ourselves in opposition to what Donald Trump represents, political movements will have to adapt. Attempting to counter Trump’s closed-off selfish nationalism with a Canadian version of closed-off selfish nationalism is unlikely to be perceived positively. Meanwhile, an increased focus on cooperating with respectful allies, embracing mutually beneficial trade, while also deepening our self-sufficiency, is what Canadians are rightfully demanding.
And there is no appetite for appeasing Trump’s ever-changing demands or submitting ourselves to America’s new authoritarian direction.
We are not Americans. We will never be the 51st State. We are a proud and independent nation. We will remain so, and we will chart our own course guided by our own values.
Spencer Fernando
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