I've been delighted to see the proliferation of Canadian flags down our street. Neighbours have stuck them into snowbanks and are letting them blow in the breeze. It certainly says something about Canadian patriotism. In an abrupt change from 200 years of friendly history, we have the American president, DT, to thanks for this, and it's unprecedented.
Our family is not the type to go south for a holiday, winter was always just too much fun. But we've travelled east and west more than most I suspect. We've been through most of the northern states and always found everyone kind and friendly. We've driven east through New York and New England on our way to the Maritimes, and home again the same way. We've driven west through Chicago, all the way to Idaho and north on our trips to the west coast - stopping in Yellowstone along the way. We've been to the tulip farms of the Skagit Valley in Washington and driven to Alaska.
Having driven to both coasts a total of five times, we've developed a deep sense of pride in Canada, and we've always been welcomed in the U.S.
The sudden change in American politics that has left us as enemies instead of friends is seriously puzzling and deeply upsetting. It's hard to separate the official views from what individuals may feel, even though we know it's mainly DT and his cronies who feel this way. However, I do fear most Canadians will be adopting something of an anti-American view because of this. Don't take it personally, but we will no longer be friends in quite the way we were and that's a shame.
The tariffs DT says will start on Tuesday just seem nonsensical. Our economies are already so integrated that America depends on our oil exports. They've built refineries specifically to handle the type of crude we ship. The auto industry is so inter-linked that it would be hard to separate it out, with parts shipped back and forth, and new auto plants built to specialize in building those parts.
I have to wonder who is advising DT.
But the comments about the 51st state are far more troubling. And given how Trump has behaved the past week, they are much more troubling now. They are an attack on a country that has been one of America's best allies, deeply insulting and aggressive. Many Canadians are furious. Then I could touch upon how he has treated Ukraine, but I won't. I'm afraid most of us just can't believe it!
But the positive side of this is the sudden burst of Canadian patriotism I'm seeing. The Facebook feed I'm getting is full of Canadian flags, often in front of the spectacular scenery we are so proud of. 'Buy Canadian' is sweeping the country, and that includes cancelling trips to the U.S. as well as trying not to buy anything from billionaires like Bezos!
I can only hope the turmoil the world is now in passes peacefully, though Canada may be only a small corner of the story.
Not all of us are like him...Here is one American’s take on the growing trade war with the US and Canada.
ReplyDelete"Have you ever stopped to consider how lucky we Americans are to have the neighbors we have? Look around the globe at who some folks have been stuck sharing a border with over the past half century:
North Korea / South Korea
Greece / Turkey
Iran / Iraq
Israel / Palestine
India / Pakistan
China / Russia
"We’ve got Canada! Canada. About as inoffensive a neighbor as you could ever hope for. In spite of all our boasts of “American exceptionalism” and chants of “America first,” they just smile, do their thing and go about their business. They are on average more educated, have a higher standard of living, free health care, and almost no gun problems. They treat immigrants respectfully and already took in over 35,000 Syrians in the last two years.
"They’re with us in NATO, they fought alongside us in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, Afghanistan, the Kosovo War and came to our defense after 9/11. There was that one time when Canada took a pass on one of our wars: Vietnam. Turned out to be a good call.
"They’ve been steady consumers of American imports, reliable exporters of metals and petroleum products (they are the biggest importer of U.S. products from 37 states), and partnered with NASA in our space missions.
"During 9/11 many aircraft were diverted to Newfoundland, an island province off Canada's east coast where Americans were housed in people's homes for two weeks and treated like royalty. In return for their hospitality, this administration slapped a 20% tariff on the products of Newfoundland's only paper mill, thereby threatening it's survival.
"And what do Canadians expect of us in return? To be respected for who and what they are: Canadians. That’s what I call a good neighbor....
It is great to see Canadian patriotism showing as it is since these threats from Trump. Our relationship with the U.S. is damaged for certain. It may take a long time to recover, if ever.
ReplyDelete