President Donald Trump has put tariffs on Canadian goods just as he said he would before being elected. No surprise. Despite calmer, more thoughtful minds calling for diplomacy, the leaders of the Liberal Party have been calling for a trade war for weeks. You can only have a war if two sides fight. Trump told Canadian authorities what needed to be done beforehand. He has now published the full text of his Executive Order where he informs us what he sees the problem being. The order is consistent with his earlier explanation.The Executive Order states that “Canada has played a central role in these challenges (illegal drug traffic and illegal immigrants enter the US from Canada) …failing to devote sufficient attention…resources or meaningfully coordinate with US law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide…” Further down, the document mentions “Canada’s Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre study which notes the “heightened domestic production”, “laundering of proceeds of illicit drugs”, and Canada’s “growing footprint within international narcotics distribution”. The order further claims that “the amount of fentanyl that crossed the northern border (into the US) last year could kill 9.5 million Americans.” Canada’s failure to take adequate measures to address both the drug problem and the illegal immigration is again referenced.The President’s Executive Order declares a national emergency based on illegal drugs and illegal aliens entering the US. However, the same order outlines what Canada can do to remove the tariffs, namely that “the Government of Canada has taken adequate steps to alleviate this public health crisis (i.e., the illegal drug problem) through cooperative enforcement actions”.Trump has not started a trade war. His Executive Order is very clear: the problem is that Canada has not done enough to tighten its border with the US. There is no mention of unfair trade practices, Fair Trade, or taking advantage of America. This being the case, one must ask, “How did we get here?” The president gave sufficient warnings; why was not more done? Who, then, wanted and started the war? Currently, the Liberals are the only party leading in Parliament. The leadership of Trudeau, Carney, Freeland, and Gould along with the mainstream media, are all in for a trade war. Instead of changes to their policies after being informed by most Canadians that they were not working ― lead to the declining poll numbers ― the Liberal Party decided to entertain Canadians with a Kabuki play. Is it beyond belief that the Liberal Party, facing obliteration in the next election, would contrive a trade war so that whoever becomes the next leader can look like a Canadian hero?As stated above, it takes two to make a war. Trump is trying to deal with border issues; the Liberal Party wants a trade war. Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives should loudly reiterate this, placing the blame for the easily avoidable and immediately remedied trade dispute squarely on the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party’s willingness to have Canadians suffer for their political gain dramatically demonstration why the party needs different leadership. Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
