GUNTER: Clueless Trump has undone a century of goodwill between Canada and U.S.
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The U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, says President Donald Trump’s taunts about Canada becoming the 51st state are “behind us.”
“It’s done,” Hoekstra told the National Post. “From my standpoint, from the president’s standpoint, 51st state’s not coming back.
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Really? I’ll believe it when I don’t hear it.
I’m convinced Trump’s uncouth jabs at “Governor” Justin Trudeau and how Canada would make a great addition to the American republic started out as a thoughtless joke, yet in a short period of time morphed into an overused gag that Trump began to think was truly a good idea.
For God’s sake, Donald, please shut up.
The 51st state ploy, plus Trump’s tariff threats and his preposterous and untrue claims that we are a nasty country that annually robs the United States of $200 billion in trade subsidies has forever coloured not only our trade relations with the U.S., but also our generally friendly feelings towards our southern neighbour.
In just over three months, the boorish, clueless Trump has undone a century or more of goodwill — three months! You really have to work at being that destructive.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told reporters earlier this week that over time some of what Trump has smashed to bits will be put back together. But “trust has been broken” and “there will be some permanent impact.”
Canadians can at least take some consolation in knowing that Trump’s ham-fisted tariff fantasy is likely to do more damage to his own economy than ours.
Yes, his tariffs and our reciprocal tariffs are likely to drive up prices in this country and spark some (or a lot) of inflation.
The economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach will likely have economic consequences in Canada. Already our job market is dropping. Canada lost nearly 33,000 jobs in March and unemployment inched up to its highest level since 2017, not including the pandemic.
Trump is also expected to have an impact on Canadian housing sales as people worry such a major purchase now is risky. Car sales and other consumer spending will likely fall both because tariffs add to the price and because worried consumers will hold onto their money.
But the effects in the U.S. will be even worse. China, for instance, doesn’t pay Trump’s 145 per cent tariffs on goods it ships to America, Americans do. So, there will be far less demand for goods manufactured in China.
Already, shiploads of Chinese goods bound for America are off by half. This has a ripple effect. Trucking companies are laying off drivers in the States, too, because by the end of May there is likely to be less to haul. And major retailers are laying off staff because there will soon be less to stack on shelves.
Perhaps the best way for ordinary Canadians to demonstrate their displeasure with Trump’s trade and rhetorical attacks on our country is by cancelling planned vacations south of the border.
And that is exactly what we’re doing.
Airlines and tour companies project that Canadian vacation travel to the U.S. will be off by as much as 40 per cent this summer.
Border towns and tropical resorts are feeling the pinch, especially. Popular destinations for Canadians, such as Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Palm Springs, Calif., and dozens of others have started advertising campaigns to win Canadian travellers back.
Even Toronto Blue Jay fans from Western Canada, who typically pour into Seattle when their team is visiting the Mariners, are this season staying away.
Generally, at least this year, I think it’s too late.
But at least this year, I think it’s too late. Trump has lied about us and called us enough names that more Canadians are vacationing in Canada or overseas this summer. Flights booked to Europe are up 13% so far.
Good. Over time we may soften our stance and resume relations with the Americans that are nearer normal.
But the only way we can try to stop Trump is to pressure Americans to pressure their president and their congressional delegations to show us some respect.
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