Have some self-respect.
With the latest news that Prime Minister Mark Carney has no set plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump, a new round of online outrage has begun. Central to much of the outrage is the idea that Carney should be jumping at every chance to speak with Trump to restart trade talks.
Yet again, many people are completely missing the point and are making the mistake of treating Trump as some sort of force of nature without agency while blaming everyone else for Trump’s actions.
Trump is the one who decided to halt trade talks over a commercial that accurately shared former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s views on tariffs.
Mark Carney didn’t halt the talks. Trump did.
Trump is the one who decided to throw the Canada-U.S. trade relationship into turmoil with economically illiterate tariffs.
Mark Carney didn’t start the tariff fight. Trump did.
And Trump is the one who continues to be completely unreliable and chaotic in his stance toward others. Yet, those who keep trying to blame Canada for all of this conveniently ignore Trump’s responsibility. They treat him as a force of nature that we all must just adapt to, and then direct their anger at those Trump attacks. It’s a weak response, and – especially when it comes from Canadians blaming the Canadian government for what Trump does – it completely lacks self-respect.
Canada’s leaders shouldn’t be running to appease Trump every chance they get, nor should we expect them to. Instead, it makes more sense to wait and see what the U.S. Supreme Court decides on tariffs, and to keep making deals with other trade partners while also opening up interprovincial trade.
Spencer Fernando
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