By Chrystia Freeland
At a time when President Donald Trump is threatening our country nearly every day, we must stand up for Canada.
Trump thinks we are for sale and that he can push us around. This is a serious moment that demands a serious plan to fight for Canada.
Chrystia Freeland’s plan to protect the Canadian economy:
Canada must immediately publish a detailed, dollar-for-dollar retaliation list for consultation. Being smart means retaliating where it hurts. If President Trump imposes 25 per cent tariffs, our counterpunch must be dollar-for-dollar—and it must be precisely and painfully targeted: Florida orange growers, Wisconsin dairy farmers, Michigan dishwasher manufacturers, and much more. Now is the moment when Canada must make clear to Americans the specific costs that will accompany any tariff measures by the Trump administration. Our consultation list must be larger than our planned retaliation–a $200 billion list. Donald Trump is using uncertainty to unsettle Canadians. We must do the same. U.S. exporters need worry whether their businesses will be the ones we hit.
Immediately convene an international summit and form an international coalition to coordinate a joint response to challenges to our sovereignty and our economies. We will start with a summit, to be held the day Chrystia is sworn in as Prime Minister, with the leaders of Mexico, Denmark, Panama, and the President of the European Union.
Canada must–on the first day of any tariffs imposed on Canada–direct all federal government agencies to stop the purchasing of any goods from any U.S. companies (with exceptions only where national security is concerned). And we must work with Canadian provinces and cities to encourage them to take a similar approach.
Buy Canadian: prohibit American companies from bidding on Canadian federal procurement (excluding defence); prioritize Canadian companies or industry in federal procurement, for example Bombardier, Cascade Aerospace, or other Canadian aerospace firms; and mandate reciprocity for all Canadian federal investments and incentives, such as Canada’s Investment Tax Credits and transit and infrastructure funding. If tariffs are imposed, American firms, including American-based branches of international firms, will be barred from all projects funded by the federal government. This would apply to major projects like the planned subway car expansion of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
An ironclad commitment to work with our artists and creators to defend Canada’s vibrant and diverse cultural sector from Donald Trump’s billionaire buddies – including safeguarding the cultural exemption in NAFTA, as Chrystia Freeland did during the first Trump administration.
Capitulation is not a negotiating strategy, and hope is not a plan. With this U.S. administration, weakness is a provocation. We must be unequivocal: Canada is not for sale, and our sovereignty is not up for negotiation. We must protect and support Canadians and Canadian businesses. A strong retaliatory plan is the best defence and the most effective tool to stand up to Donald Trump right now.
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