In recent weeks, the Liberal Party of Canada has attempted to engineer its resurrection by foisting the spectre of America as Canada’s enemy. This accompanied by a choreographed leadership campaign married to a politically-motivated prorogation of Parliament that should have most Canadians outraged. It is lamentable that it does not and certainly does not bode well for our future that Canadians have not demanded a return of Parliament and is evidence of our further slide into the swamp of apathy.
Do Canadians even have the capacity for independent thought any longer? We used to snobbishly look down at our American cousins because we “understood” what was going on in the world. We sewed the maple leaf to our backpacks and pompously declared that the average Canadian could name at least six countries in Europe and maybe even their capital cities. Oh, how things have changed. The average Canadian, spoon-fed the socialist pablum of the CBC and the bilge of the other corporate media eunuchs are stretched to name anyone prominent in history outside the celebrated heroes of victimhood, which has replaced history in the first post-national state. If the polls are to be believed, and I think there is some chicanery in them, a great swath of the Canadian sheeple have returned to the Liberal fold, believing that a two-time central banker and trustee of the World Economic Forum is their saviour.
Canadians, when asked why President Trump is acting this way to Canada, do not for an instant think that perhaps maybe our current government might have something to do with it. Yes, President Trump will not rest until the Stars and Stripes fly over the subdued remains of South Porcupine. I hate to break it to you folks, the whole 51st state thing is a ruse meant to knock Canadian negotiators back on their heels, and it worked splendidly. Donald Trump did not like the trade deal he negotiated during his first term, and a good collection of his advisors on the issue are back for the victory lap. Certainly, he would like to secure access to Canadian resources at the best possible price, but he envisions a transaction not an invasion.
Perhaps we might consider what Trump’s worldview is, along with that of his principal advisors. It might be a shock to some that his views might actually be widely held in the national security community. One must look to statements made by others, including from past administrations about how Canada has come to be viewed in Washington. Certainly, the days of “Irish eyes are smiling,” and Canadian soldiers punching way above their weight class in Kandahar are long gone, replaced with the smug patronizing words and actions of the Prince Dauphin, Justin the First and his band of entitled social justice warriors, Karens and legions of “consultants.”
Canadians need to face facts. Canada under this abominable government have become not just freeloaders and whinging do-nothings; they have on many occasions taken actions that have jeopardized the Western Alliance and our American neighbours. Getting the Canadian government to drop Huawei from building a great deal of our 5G network was the modern equivalent of shoveling out the Augean stables. Canada has sold significant stake in our resources to Chinese companies. The former Director General of Intelligence of the RCMP, Cameron Otis, was convicted of spying for a foreign power and given a paltry 14-year sentence when by all rights he should have been on a one-way trip to Tyburn. In 2019, Obama senior advisor Susan Rice questioned if Canada should continue to be in the intelligence-sharing relationship referred to as the Five Eyes. Recently those concerns have been raised again.
Doing business with China can be an essential part of economic prosperity, but when your closest ally, and that includes Democrats and Republicans, question your commitment to national security and trustworthiness then perhaps you might conclude that the foundation for continued trust and comradery is eroded. A firm grasp of Chinese history and likely motivations must underpin our engagement with them; trust but verify.
Enter Justin Trudeau who cannot seem to miss the opportunity to make some bold pronouncement, whether it is on Canada’s newfound resolve or his preference for Trump’s soundly-defeated opponent. Justin Trudeau is the anathema to everything the Trump administration portrays. Trump has many reasons to dislike Trudeau, and no reason to forgive. Whether forgiveness is a virtue Trump possesses remains a question, but that is largely irrelevant; Trudeau has transgressed and continues to do so. Despite his “resignation,” he simply won’t shut up or simply go away.
What the Liberals have done to the Canadian military is criminal, eliminating combat effectiveness and readiness with tattooed zampolits enforcing the edict “diversity is our strength.” Well, our officer corps might understand gender dysphoria, but I doubt highly they can execute a mission. Our procurement, no doubt rife with graft, is a disgrace. Our shipbuilding program is 10 years delayed and almost 300% over budget. We had to lease F-18s from Australia as ours, service well-done, belong in museums or as exhibitions in front of local Legion halls.
Intelligence and espionage have always been characterized as the world of the shadows. Canadians perhaps should wonder what we do not know. We certainly do not know the details of foreign interference in our elections, despite two pathetic attempts to whitewash the whole affair. We still don’t know the names, and it is pathetic that Canadians haven’t demanded them.
Canada has a robust defense industry, highly integrated with that of the U.S. Have these companies, or the projects that they are working on, been compromised? Has the Trudeau government moved forcefully to protect advanced technologies or, like so many of its other failings and questionable decisions, moved to cloak these breaches in secrecy and denial? If U.S. national security is largely based on maintaining a technological edge, will they be comfortable with an “ally” who are vulnerable to theft?
I am a realist in my view of foreign policy and national security. I see Canada’s future as a robust one, so long as we understand how our growth, our culture and our standard of living have been and remain inexorably tied to our American cousins. Donald Trump is not a dictator, nor does he plan to be one. He is a patriot who follows a Nixonian view of the world sharpened by his experience of building a real estate empire in New York City, where manners and nuance come a distant second to street sense and a good right cross. He was elected in a landslide and is widely supported by Americans who see him as the tonic to domestic rot and international decline. Canadians need to accept that fact.
It is time for Canadians to step back and ask the key questions: why are the Americans doing what they are doing? And did our government’s negligence and questionable loyalty drive them to it?
This article also appears on LinkedIn.