In my previous article, I explained how the supposedly ‘secret’ rollback of some of Canada’s countervailing tariffs on the U.S. was not in fact secret at all:
“The tariff changes were widely reported, including by the CBC and the federal government itself.
Here are some links from April 15-17, 2025:
Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/04/canada-announces-new-support-for-canadian-businesses-affected-by-us-tariffs.html
CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tariff-help-canada-1.7510658
Globe & Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-tariff-relief-automakers-manufacturers/
CityNews: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/04/15/ottawa-announces-help-for-businesses-hurt-by-u-s-tariffs/
Niagara Economic Development: https://niagaracanada.com/canada-announces-new-support-for-canadian-businesses-affected-by-u-s-tariffs/
These are just some outlets that reported on the story in mid-April. Given that the Canadian Press wrote about it and that story was widely syndicated, it received broad attention. As noted by the WSJ, Carney even acknowledged the changes in the widely-watched federal leaders’ debate, saying, “We’ve already moved off from dollar-for-dollar tariffs. The principle in terms of our countertariffs is to have maximum impact in the United States, [and] minimum impact here. We have to think about the impact on Canadian businesses.”“
I further noted that many believe that their personal inattention to a story is evidence of a broader conspiracy:
“Unfortunately, we live in a world where many believe that if they did not pay attention to a story, it means nobody paid attention to it, and their latent discovery of what took place is taken as evidence of a broad conspiracy, rather than impetus to expand one’s information palette.”
Our responsibility as adults and citizens
Let’s delve deeper into this.
Following the publication of the tariff article, I noticed some people online shifting their explanation for believing it was a secret. Despite being presented with clear evidence, the changes were reported and even discussed in the federal leaders’ debate, but they continued to push the idea that it was an underhanded move.
Being unable to deny that the information was shared, their rhetoric turned to claims it wasn’t labelled clearly enough, or that the media should have been more aggressive in presenting the information.
While media criticism is an essential part of democracy, so is an informed citizenry. And this is where society is becoming unbalanced.
A growing number of people appear to simultaneously demand the right to influence others on political matters (which is what we are all doing when we share opinions) while rejecting their responsibility to be informed on those matters. Many reacted to the tariff story by either lashing out at having the facts presented to them, by denying those facts outright, or by claiming that others were to blame for not explaining it well enough.
Of course, we all have the right to share uninformed opinions. That’s part of freedom of expression, which must be protected. At the same time, we should be mindful of our responsibility to inform ourselves.
As adults and as citizens, we can potentially wield significant power: The power to decide the long-term direction of our nation, the power to be directly involved in the political process, and the power to influence others. To wield that power responsibly, we must be well informed. It is unsustainable for a critical mass of our population to push the responsibility to be informed onto others.
We face a difficult moment in our history. Old ideas and prejudices that millions fought and died to defeat are roaring back, and people are being swept up in countless outrages even as they drown in a deluge of misinformation. To make it through this time with our rights, freedoms, and values intact, our citizenry needs to be as well informed and responsible as possible.
Spencer Fernando
If this piece left you clearer than it found you, that's the point. I write for readers who want to think past the week, to see the longer pattern beneath the daily story, and to come away steadier rather than more agitated.
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