With Counter-Tariffs on U.S. Autos, Canada Rightly Pushes Back Against Trump’s Unjustified Trade Aggression

To effectively respond to reality, we must first accept it. We should not project our own sense of reasonableness or hope for rationality onto Donald Trump's actions. Instead, we should grapple with the reality of his actions.

Trump chose the nonsensical formula that the White House used to calculate 'reciprocal' tariffs. Trump has long sought to impose massive tariffs on much of the world. His trade approach reflects a zero-sum, coercive style of diplomacy, wherein disruption is leveraged to extract unilateral concessions.

By giving in to such coercion, countries only incentivize further coercion. Submission brings more demands for further submission. Failing to retaliate against U.S. tariffs would be particularly damaging for Canada, given that our sovereignty has also been questioned by the U.S. President...