Commentary
The collapse of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, the subsequent imposition of 50 percent American tariffs on US$20 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Ottawa’s dollar-for-dollar retaliation have dominated the national conversation. Both sides made comments that caught attention, and the cameras obliged.
Lost in the noise was a more uncomfortable question: Why is Canada so fragile that a trading partner’s policy shift—however aggressive—threatens the foundations of our prosperity?
The honest answer has less to do with Washington than with Ottawa, and with decades of decisions that left this country uniquely exposed and economically anemic.
The Tariff We’re Not Talking About
The U.S. tariffs are real, and their costs are real. The political costs of this conflict are being felt on both sides of the border….