By Ray Rivers
December 19th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Between January 1 and October 31, 2024, Canada’s Border Services Agency seized 1,274 prohibited weapons and 750 firearms coming from the U.S. It also seized over 25,600 kg of illegal drugs (both inbound and outbound) including 4.9 kg of fentanyl of which 4.1 kg was intercepted outbound before it could be smuggled towards the Netherlands. (Extracted from CBSA report)
Donald the disrupter strikes again. He may not care much about Canada or Canadians, but he clearly has it in for Justin Trudeau. It could be his ’wokeness’ or perhaps, it’s because Trudeau labels himself a feminist while Trump is more of that sort of manly beast…you know….someone a jury found liable for sexual assault.
Trump’s ultimatum is that Canada and Mexico need to stop the movement of illegal drugs and migrants into the USA or face a 25% tariff on everything they export to America. But isn’t that backwards? Isn’t that why each country has its own border guards? Isn’t it the job of US border guards to stop illegal importation?
Neither Canada nor the US stop and search people and cars when people leave their country. They get stopped only when they want to enter the other side. And what about the fentanyl and illegal migrants crossing up from south of the border? And what about those guns crossing into Canada?
This ultimatum is not really about the border at all. Rather it is about the president-elect’s disdain for the two social democratic leaders whose nations border the USA. Mexico’s newly elected president has rebuffed Trump, saying she’ll simply retaliate with her own tariffs. Trump has interpreted that to mean she’s closing the southern border, which she’s not. But then Mexico has more options – as it has been developing a growing relationship with China.
But for Canada it’s not that simple. Our biggest export is oil and gas, and a 25% tariff would hurt secessionist-leaning Alberta more than the rest of Canada. Trump’s goal may not necessarily be to break up Canada – though no one should put that past him. But the great disrupter clearly wouldn’t mind seeing a more fractious and divided Canada if it serves his purposes.
The beneficiary of more political chaos would be Canada’s opposition parties, the Conservatives in particular. And that might hasten the replacement of Canada’s liberal government with one more to Trump’s ideological liking. Meddling in your neighbour’s politics is straight out of Mr. Putin’s playbook, after all.
Donald Trump is opposed to just about everything the current Canadian government stands for. In particular, he’s an avowed climate change denier and spurns renewable energy, electric vehicles and carbon taxation. For Trump it’s drill baby drill. His musing about bringing Canada in as a 51st state is chilling, considering that he may well be serious.
America is heading for interesting times ahead. And our government had tried to mobilize a Team Canada effort, bringing all of the provinces together to face this challenge, in the belief that Trump may not be bluffing. Still, not everybody agrees on the best strategy. Ontario’s Doug Ford, for example, is running on at the mouth, toting a tough retaliation stand and promising to use Alberta’s oil as his weapon.
Canadians are not opposed to helping the US control the inflow of illegal migrants and drugs. Alberta and the feds have undertaken specific plans to further enhance surveillance of the border and demonstrate to Mr. Trump that they get it. At one point it actually was beginning to look like Canada had it’s act together.
And then the PM upset the apple cart by firing his most important government minister. And with the fourth loss of a female minister from his Cabinet so too went his feminist label.
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
Trump the Disruptor – Freeland – Feminist? – Border Service Report – USMCA –
The USA has much more work to unite a decisive country than Canada. Maybe if the USA combined 50 states into 10 states they would be more cohesive and save a huge amount of money in gov’t expenses, streamline transportation and services. Hmmm.
Penny Hersh you decry:-
– The $10 a daycare referencing that a number of daycare providers have dropped out due to problems with its administration. I’d like to point out that is not the fault of the federal government. The feds are providing the money. The provincial governments are providing the administration. The nature of the administration varies province to province. So if the contributor wishes to place blame, place it at the Ford government’s feet as respect to Ontario. I suggest you asked parent users what they think of paying only $10 a day for daycare.
– As for the national dental plan, I am a senior and have qualified for and used the dental plan. Prior to qualification I had no dental benefits whatsoever. Now I have something. It may not be all I want but it’s more than I had. Yes, There is a copay. The copay is 40% of the charges as per the government’s fee chart plus 100% of any difference between that fee chart and the dentist’s own fee chart. Prior to the introduction of the national dental plan, my copay was 100% of the dentist’s charges..
– The pharmacare national plan presently only covers diabetes and birth control, both of which were costly requirements for the disadvantaged, those without employer or union benefit plans.
I too would like to see better more comprehensive dental and pharmacare plans. I wonder if you would be willing to pay more in federal taxes to fund the upgrades. I’m guessing not, having seen the your upset at increased property taxes needed to cover the ever increasing cost of maintaining municipal services.
These three national plans are great examples of a government caring for its citizens reflecting Canada generally being a caring supportive society.
I have been a strong supporter of the Prime Minister and the Liberal government. But he has lost the plot recently just like his predecessor Stephen Harper did previously.
His firing of Chrystia Freeland and the manner in which he did it does show he needs to go. Poilievre is not the person to be prime minister. Hopefully the Liberal Party can find a new leader who the NDP will allow an opportunity to deal with the Trump issue before an election.
This is totally about the boarder, Trumps tariffs are used for negotiation and as a catylist, fix the problem and there will likely be little to no new tariffs. The US has had 4 boarders to secure and land, sea and air access. The new Boarder Zar is mandated to bring control to all of these. To ignore the longest boarder to the north would be foolish, especially given 9/11 and the fact that individuals on the terror watch list have been crossing from Canada to the US at an increasing alarming rate – look up the data.
We’ve had the announcement of tariffs for about 2 weeks now, and Trump is not yet President and look how much has been accomplished. This is good for Canada, unfortunately we have a clown show going on in Ottawa and we can thank our Premier’s for stepping up.
Trump has no intention of causing inflation, especially on things the US needs and cannot supply itself. He has one of the biggest growth plans the world has ever seen, this is his plan to generate tax revenue and increase GDP. Played property this can be a huge benefit for Canada – the Ottawa liberals have no clue this regard and the sooner they go, the better.
Should be interesting to watch the power struggle with Vance, Musk and Trump, 3 is definitely a crowd….even 2 is questionable.in the world according to Trump.
If I was a betting man, I would put my money on the unelected Elon Musk, with Donald Trump being his vasal. Time will tell, of course.
JD…who…Musk has the coin…The Donald is on a 4 year romp.
If you followed Trump during his bid for becoming the next President, per Kamala Harris listen to his words. In some cases, ignore them at your peril. Anyone hear of JD Vance lately? Trump either has no clue that about how tariffs work, doesnt care, or needs something to post on Truth Social. He also holds grudges and has little love for our PM. Good article Ray. As for PM Justin Trudeau, its snowing in Burlington a good place to take a walk.
If Trump is as you say is “Donald the disrupter” what is Justin Trudeau?
Let’s look at what Canadians have been living with. A ballooning deficit, a universal childcare program that is a failure with daycare centres opting out because they cannot operate effectively under this plan.
A pharmacare plan that covers drugs for diabetes and birth control only.
A dental plan that covers very little treatment with many co-pays.
Some would say this is a good first step but let’s be realistic the only reason this happened was because the Liberals needed the NDP to keep them in power and Jagmeet Singh wanted that power. I hope in time these plans will improve but only time will tell.
Let’s not forget the housing and rental crisis or the fact that people are having problems putting food on their table.
Do I agree with Donald Trumps stand on climate change -No.
As for climate change. Has Canada done all that it can? I understand that high tariffs have been placed on electric cars made in China to protect our automobile industry. The downside is that the cost of electric cars not made in China means that most Canadians cannot afford to buy one.
Do I think Donald Trump is a bully – yes? However look at what he has accomplished before he even takes office. He has made Canada step up and take illegal immigration as a problem that needs to be corrected. He is insisting that Canada step up and pay its obligations to NATO. Goodness knows we would need the U.S to come to our defence should the need arise.
You mention “upsetting the apple cart”. It was much worse than that. Justin Trudeau created chaos in the Canadian government. Who in their right mind thinks they can fire the Finance Minister on a zoom call, tell her who her replacement will be, give her a portfolio with no money, or staff, and no political clout, and then expect her to deliver a report showing a huge deficit that she
was uncomfortable with 3 days later?
Our illustrious leader Justin Trudeau.
Time for our Taylor Swift friendship wearing bracelet Prime Minister to have”a walk in the snow” to realize that he has to go. Actually he should have been gone long before this.