By Ray Rivers
March 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Rene Lévesque, who later created the Parti Quebecois, was the most influential minister in the Lesage Liberal government during Quebec’s ‘Quiet Revolution’ of the early sixties.Â
Rene Lévesque is credited with the phrase ‘Maîtres chez Nous’ – used as a justification for nationalizing American energy companies which had once dominated Quebec’s energy scene. Lévesque, who later created the Parti Quebecois, was the most influential minister in the Lesage Liberal government during Quebec’s ‘Quiet Revolution’ of the early sixties. And his phase is revered by Quebecers.
Mark Carney, Canada’s new PM, has used the phrase on several occasions, presumably to appeal to Quebec voters, but also to signal that under his watch this country will not be subservient to, and be pushed around by our American neighbours. That Carney is making waves among potential voters can be seen by the reaction from the separatist and oxymoronic Bloc Quebecois federal party, worried about inroads into its Quebec base.
President Trump has made it clear that tariffs are coming and here to stay. And that means Canadians need to look for other markets for their exports. And we also need to focus on import substitution as an alternative to buying from the USA. Today, for example, we import over two billion aluminum beer cans made with Canadian exported aluminum.
President Trump has made it clear that tariffs are coming and here to stay.
Trump used to own a casino or two, so one needs to be wary playing cards with him. Premier Ford embarrassed himself, his province and the country when he tried to bluff without an ace up his sleeve. President Trump was holding the high cards and he called Ford’s hand on his 25% energy surcharge for US states.
Trump threatened to double down on the steel and aluminium tariffs and Ford buckled, folded his hand, and left the table with egg on his face. The surcharge was withdrawn and Ford was taught a lesson. Stay in your lane – international trade blackmail is for the big boys.
Ford may get high marks for scrapping Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ internet system, once planned for northern Ontario communities. But what about the $26 billion contract he signed for four the US based GE Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactors for Darlington? These reactors, once operational will need to be on a steady diet of imported American enriched nuclear fuel.
Meantime, Atomic Energy Canada now AtkinsRéalis, is dying to sell its new CANDU MONARK, an advanced CANDU reactor design which uses Canadian made uranium pellets. CANDU is the current technology that gives us half of our electricity in Ontario. Of course, we’d likely not need these new nuclear power plants if Ford hadn’t shut down the province’s renewable energy programs.
Ford’s slap down by the US president should inspire prudence as this country responds to the American trade war. Any response to US tariffs will be seen as retaliatory, but whatever that response it needs to be about benefitting Canadians and not just punishing the Yanks. That discussion starts with a withdrawal from the already broken USMCA.
Former Prime Minister Mulroney sold the economic benefits of the free trade agreement (FTA) to Canadians on a song and a prayer.
Former Prime Minister Mulroney sold the economic benefits of the free trade agreement (FTA) to Canadians on a song and a prayer. Canada’s GDP per capita, our national productivity rate – our economic standard of living – compared to the USA was 90% back then, just prior to the FTA. Today it has fallen to 65%, and our exchange rate has tumbled to under 70 cents.
Instead of making us better off, forty years of FTA, NAFTA and USMCA have just made us more reliant on the US as a trading partner. And the real beneficiaries are the transnational corporations that can relocate production from one country to another to take advantage of lower labour cost, less red tape, lower taxes, and tariffs. They are the real winners of free trade.
Canadian productivity has bounced up and down a few times since Mulroney but no matter how one looks at the statistics it is hard to make the argument that these free trade deals have been a win-win for Canadians, even in the good times.  And these are not the good times as we head into a trade war led by the would be imperialist living in the White House.
Bottom line is that we’d be no worse and possibly better off if we had ignored Mr. Mulroney’s dream of an FTA. Instead, we should have done what the PM is telling us we need to do now – take control of our economy by becoming more self-reliant. But we will never be ‘Maîtres chez Nous’ so long as we are ‘free-trading’ with the elephant next door.
Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.  Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
GDP/Capita –   Maîtres chez nous –   Bloc Objects –
Tom quotes Ray “like he is balancing the books” When did the Liberals balance anything fiscally? Remember J Trudeau saying budgets balance themselves!
Jim, when is the last time PC Doug Ford balanced his books? Trade balance discussions are different in concept. That’s what we talked about.
There is a reason why international trade economics is both simple and hard. It’s simple because the all the transaction numbers have to add up, and it’s hard because it’s political. The political part is ideological. We see it here -some call it liberal, like Jim, and others, don’t say conservative, but may be and sound like it, judging it liberal, or call it NDP, again Jim.
He tried to clearly balance his trade opinion, but it failed as all I read was a very sweeping critique, that was ideological anti-liberal in my judgment. This too has no rebutting financial documentation.
Ray is correct in the international trade description about how it works and balances. Lets point to 4 things. We know that tariffs are taxes. They raise prices. “Ray says that means Canadians need to look for other markets for their exports. And we also need to focus on import substitution as an alternative to buying from the USA.” Pretty simple, but we just have to do it, like Trump is.
Ray is correct, like he is balancing a bank balance. He is not ideological here, so if you are colouring him “Liberal”, you are wrong-headed right from the start.
Finally, don’t think for a moment that Trump won’t nix the USMCA the moment it suits him. The best analysis of USA Free Trade Myths I have seen, says tariffs are to blame for the long term USA international trade economic problems, and part of the plan is to recile – legally cancel – the agreement. We are not out of this possibility yet.
The author convincingly argues that free trade don’t fit into the long-term plan for the USA.
Ray says again, Instead, we should have done what the PM is telling us we need to do now – take control of our economy by becoming more self-reliant. But we will never be ‘Maîtres chez Nous’ so long as we are ‘free-trading’ with the elephant next door.
I made a mistake of words. The cause of the US problem, starting in 1973, was free trade, not tariffs. Sorry.
There will be egg on somebodies face. Ray rivers will look good in yellow and white. Again, he states liberal forecasts on Nuclear power with out any financial documentation. Who cares if the debt increases? Now he wants to withdraw from the USMCA. Reneging on a deal does not seem like leadership from me. He is right. Our productivity rates have fallen. But is due to liberal overspending on nice and not rewarding good ideas such as downsizing the size of government. The bottom line is inconclusive. It would have been better if we did not have the huge deficits that the liberals put in place with help on the NDP while adding cost to almost everything through the ridiculous carbon tax. We are in a 15 round heavy weight fight against a foe that does not follow the Cranberry rules. You do not have to win every round, just be the one standing at the end.
Right.
Thanks Bernie – it was spell check again and I’ve requested a correction.
Brilliant article, Ray! Thanks, BJ 🙂
If “If’s and but’s “were hickory nuts we would all be squirrels.
Ford simply put the surtax on hold in good faith since he is going to Washington again next week . I assume that if he doesn’t get some good results he will put the surcharge back on.
Thank you for the insightful article. Should spelling mistakes take away from the message? “per capita” is what was intended, but how many hours should pass before a correction?
Not true that Ford was an embarrassment. He has shown a willingness to lower the temperature until Carney is able to get his ducks in a row which could well have been the purpose of the breakfast agenda. Difficult as it must have been for the scrapper he is, he acted as he should have in the best interests of Canadian families not just Ontario families. It is always easy to see the dark side of someone who is clearly not your political stripe but please give some credit for Ford’s willingness to take the stand as he did and will again. He clearly must have felt like Daniel entering the Lions Den.