A better way to minimize the damage of an isolationist neighbour would involve rehabilitating Canada’s eroding status in the world
There are three ways you can respond when trouble comes barrelling towards you:
Pretend it’s not there and hope it goes away.
Freeze up and gape in alarm until it hits you.
Start making plans to minimize the damage.
As far as we know, Canada’s official strategy for the forthcoming United States election is a mix of the first and second. It’s possible that somewhere inside the Prime Minister’s Office one of the few aides or assistants who do the Trudeau government’s thinking has been tasked with formulating a strategy, but this is not a government that likes to share information, so all we can do is guess until someone decides it’s safe enough to tell us.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Don't have an account? Create Account
That could take some time, of which there’s not a lot given that the first Republican primary takes place in Iowa on Jan. 15, and the election itself is less than 11 months away. Obviously, there’s a lot at stake, and the portents aren’t great. Unless something surprising happens between now and, say, March, the choice for president will be between a doddering 81-year-old who’s noticeably showing his age, and an erratic, possibly unstable challenger who would be 82 at the end of his term.
While Ottawa may be hoping to snooze its way through the next 12 months — with Liberals intent instead on rehabilitating their own plunging fortunes — others are not. So potentially dicey is the situation that many of the same Republican supporters hoping for a chance to implement Donald Trump’s wildest dreams are already taking steps to prevent them from driving the U.S. too far off the grid.
A bipartisan measure passed by the U.S. Congress last month with plenty of Republican backing would prevent the president from unilaterally withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance without either an act of Congress or support from two-thirds of the Senate. Though it would apply to any president, it is clearly directed at Trump and intended to avoid disruption of the military alliance that has been a bulwark of western security for almost 75 years.
This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
London’s Times newspaper reported a similar effort is underway within the European Union to ensure ongoing support for Ukraine’s war with Russia should a Trump administration abandon Kyiv. EU leaders are “desperately trying to ramp up manufacturing capabilities across the continent so they can send weapons and ammunition to the front line and keep Vladimir Putin at bay for at least another year, irrespective of U.S. support,” it said. Italy’s foreign minister has called for the EU to form its own joint army, while Scandinavian countries have all signed deals to strengthen defence ties with Washington in a pre-emptive move against the danger of Trumpist isolationism.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce closed the year with a plea to Ottawa to prepare a defensive strategy to safeguard Canada’s deep trade interests with the U.S., which is both Canada’s biggest and fastest-growing trade partner, buying 15 times the exports as second-place China.
“It would be a terrible mistake to think that we can wait until 2025” to begin” preparing a defence, the chamber warned in December.
There’s not much sign of that happening. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has been promising a sweeping foreign policy review since the spring of 2022 and recently revealed that the crux will be the defence of Canadian sovereignty and a “pragmatic” approach to “countries of different perspectives.” Lord knows what that means — have we not been pursuing pragmatic approaches thus far? — or whether the plan, whenever it drops, will be in time to handle existing challenges — think Ukraine and Israel — not to mention potential bedlam south of the border as Trump attempts a monumental overhaul of every aspect of American life that agitates his enthusiasts.
The Trump platform is nothing if not radical: a sweeping tariff war on any country that dares to challenge “America First” principles; vast detention camps to house a round-up of illegal immigrants prior to mass deportations; a global recall of military forces for reassignment to border duty with Mexico; tent cities erected on “cheap” land to stockpile homeless people rousted from urban areas; a get-tough policy on crime that would include the death penalty for drug traffickers and the right for police to shoot shoplifters.
That’s not to mention his pledge to end the Ukraine war on his first day, if not before; a wholesale federal intrusion into state education mandates and the construction of 10 new cities with flying cars where Americans could be more free and entrepreneurial.
The real danger of the Trump agenda is not so much its content, much of which is imaginative hyperbole aimed at exciting his fans and baiting opponents. Much more is purely domestic in impact and would struggle to get past Congress, the courts, state legislatures jealous of their prerogatives or concerted public resistance. A lot is contradictory or self-defeating: Trump’s belief that the U.S. can go it alone as an economy, dictating its own terms, is like one giant Brexit with Americans taking on the world. History has never been kind to countries dedicated to a regimen of high tariffs and trade wars.
The real threat is in the uncertainty of an unreliable and unpredictable U.S., and the impact that would have on a world accustomed to trusting its most powerful democracy to operate in a rational manner. Even if Trump never followed through on any of his loopier ideas, how could anyone know when he might try?
The uncertainty obviously complicates any effort to prepare. How do you get ready for something unpredictable? But it’s not impossible. Maybe start by shoring up Canada’s eroding status in a world where talk is cheaper than ever. Play the role we promised in NATO but have never delivered. Quit acting as a wallflower while other countries strengthen alliances and talk trade and security without us. Get over the idea that “soft power” and sitting on fences is an effective approach to pragmatic diplomacy, or that applying for United Nations committees is a compelling means of projecting influence.
Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command told the Canadian Press in a New Year’s interview that Canadians are “overly comfortable” with their sense of security.
With wars in Ukraine and Israel, armed rebellions, humanitarian crises and chronic instability across much of Africa, attacks on vital international trade routes and an aggressive and opportunist Chinese regime issuing open threats against Taiwan, there’s little excuse for complacency.
“We are in the middle of this and I’m not sure everybody understands that the security and defence situation globally has deteriorated significantly,” Auchterlonie said. It’s not likely to get better in a U.S. divided against itself and set on settling scores.
Or we could bumble along hoping bad things don’t happen. Canada was caught unprepared for COVID despite lessons that should have been learned from earlier outbreaks. Even a Trump-free world is unlikely to look anything like the pre-2016 idea of “normal.” It would be good if we did something besides watch it approach and keep our fingers crossed.
National Post
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
Our favourite options out there, from affordable to fancy
For most budget and laptop preferences
A great option for a guest bedroom
My client, Kaila, works in communications and was ready to let an updated hairstyle do the all the talking as she steps into the new year.
Plus, the Canadian actor and director shares his favourite things.
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Rami G Khouri
Nikkei Editorial
visit website
