Postponing multi-billion dollar increases in Canada’s defense, and returning Canada’s spending on the Canada-US border to pre-Trump levels is the best response Canada can have to fight Trump Tariffs. In a country that is ruled by Trump’s ego, it is also important that the reason for the cutbacks be clear. This is not a retaliatory action. Canada fully intends to spend the money, but can not proceed at this time because of the economic impacts of U.S. tariffs. Threats of more tariffs because of this should be responded to with Canada threatening to cut even more in defense spending, primarily in the Arctic.
Despite what people say about President Trump being unpredictable, he has made his end goal clear. He wants to withdraw US support to the world, both military and in humanitarian aid, saving the US trillions of dollars. But, without US military intervention, the rest of the world risks going into chaos, so it is necessary that the US fortify its borders and be independent of other countries by being able to produce everything it needs. This is where the tariffs come in. The tariffs are meant to make it more expensive to import items from outside the US, driving economic growth and employment in US manufacturing, as it’s suddenly cheaper for the US to manufacture everything it currently imports. In the meantime, adding billions more to government income in the form of tariffs. It sounds like a simple plan, but implementing it has been anything but.
To start off with, fortifying US borders has proved to be more complex than first thought. With the Pacific on the West, the Atlantic on the East, and Mexico not being a threat to the south, Canada is the problem. Tricking Canada into paying more to increase security at the border stops unwanted individuals from getting into the US, but it’s not enough. Although Canada doesn’t pose a threat in a military sense, it provides a relatively unprotected approach from the north by the US’s biggest threats, China and Russia. A geographical fortification of the US would be perfect if Canada were part of the US. If that were the case, the Arctic would serve as a buffer zone between the megapowers. Canada also has a lot of the rare earth minerals that would support the US goal of being globally independent. These 2 major needs of the US is what led to Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state. This is also what gives Canada the biggest bargaining chip in having the tariffs removed. Without Canada increasing military spending, especially in the Arctic, the risk of China or Russia moving in and becoming established is high. This would put them right in the US’s backyard, threatening their security. Without a properly fortified border, Trump’s whole plan doesn’t work. Trump often refers to negotiations as a game of cards. In this analogy, this is Canada’s Ace. Canada should be able to negotiate away all tariffs by agreeing to put money into Arctic defense, in an agreed Canada/US strategy that protects it from China and Russia gaining control.
Tariffs are the next problem. It will take decades for the US to ramp up manufacturing production to the point it produces everything it currently imports, not to mention losing the ability to buy cheap imports, or the complexity of the auto sector. Until then, US citizens will have to pay the tariffs on imports. Backlash from the inflation this causes, along with tanking stock markets, and pressure from business leaders, has forced him to retreat multiple times from the timeline of these plans. Realizing it will take longer to implement than the 4 years he is in power is the reason he was looking into ways he could run for another term.
Having the only bunker-busting bombs to stop the world from having a radical nuclear arsenal has also drawn the US into the global affairs they are trying to get out of, after all, even the most fortified border can’t protect from nuclear fallout.
Withdrawing from worldwide conflicts has also proved to be more of a problem than anticipated. He thought that threatening to withdraw support from Ukraine if they didn’t take a Russia-favored peace deal would end the war. But when Russia refused to even negotiate a peace deal, he was forced into continuing support. He did turn it into a partial win for the US by obtaining the rights to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued defense funding.
Arguments can be made either way as to Trump withdrawing US support from the rest of the world. If Vietnam, Korea, and Afghanistan have taught us anything, it’s that as long as they are not a direct threat to others, Countries need to evolve on their own, without foreign interference. It’s also not right for our luxurious Western lifestyle to be propped up by imports made from cheap labour under extreme conditions. Humanitarian aid is a different story. One thing is for sure: Trump is not the leader for the job. His efforts to create his vision for the US are quickly turning him into an egotistical dictator. The only thing that can stop him is the realization of this by the very US citizens who put him there.
Dave Lister
listerlogic.com