War
By Allan W. Janssen
Donald Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to a punishing 50% is not just an attack on our workers—it’s a slap in the face to one of America’s most dependable allies.
The move is economically irrational, diplomatically reckless, and strategically short-sighted.
But let’s be clear: Canada does not need to respond with fury.
We need to respond with focus.
We are not powerless.
In fact, we are holding many of the cards.
Canada is more than a quiet neighbour.
We are a foundational pillar of North America’s energy, resource, and security architecture.
U.S. states depend on us every day for hydroelectricity, natural gas, softwood lumber, potash, critical minerals, and clean drinking water.
Our pipelines heat their homes.
Our forests build their cities.
Our electricity lights their nights.
We could shut off the tap.
But we shouldn’t.
Instead, we should play the long game—and play it smarter.
A Better Kind of Retaliation
Rather than matching chaos with chaos, Canada should implement a layered strategy that hurts where it counts, without abandoning our values or alliances.
Start with targeted counter-tariffs, precisely aimed at Republican strongholds.
This isn’t new.
It worked in 2018, when Canada slapped tariffs on bourbon, motorcycles, and ketchup, products close to home for Trump-aligned industries.
If the tariff man wants a fight, we should make sure his voters feel it.
Then, move to export leverage.
Canada should review and potentially restructure electricity and resource contracts, especially to U.S. states that benefit from below-market rates.
If Ontario or Quebec were to renegotiate nighttime electricity exports to New England under a new premium pricing model, the message would be clear: you want to double our tariffs, you pay double for our power.
A border carbon adjustment is also overdue. If Canada imposes a climate-linked fee on imports like American steel and oil, we align with our environmental goals and the global economic consensus, while pushing back on artificially cheap, high-emission goods from across the border.
Let’s not forget legal tools. The USMCA and WTO were written to handle this kind of arbitrary trade aggression.
Canada should immediately file a formal dispute and rally allies like Mexico, the EU, and Japan.
Let Trump explain to the world why he’s sabotaging a rules-based system he helped rewrite just five years ago.
Economic Leverage, Not Economic War
Some might argue for more dramatic action.
Shutting down power lines to New England for a few hours on a weekend would certainly grab headlines.
But that’s a move better suited to dictators than democracies.
Canada’s strength lies not in its silence... but in its stability.
We do not win by matching bluster, but by mastering consequence.
A power disruption could escalate tensions into a full-blown trade war, risking Canadian jobs, U.S. retaliation, and a collapse of trust that would take decades to rebuild.
It’s a bluff we don’t need to play—because our strength isn’t in threats, it’s in leverage, law, and logic.
A Sovereign Nation, Not a 51st State
Trump has floated ideas that insult Canadian sovereignty, ranging from absurd suggestions of “annexation” to more recent comments questioning our role in NATO.
These are not the words of a partner; they are the postures of a bully.
Canada must stand tall—not to provoke, but to remind our American friends: the relationship is mutual, not one-sided.
And if respect is withdrawn, so too must our favours.
Our retaliation should be precise, principled, and patient.
Let the world see Canada for what it truly is, not just the United States’ neighbour, but its equal in courage, conscience, and capability.
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