James R. Coggins is a BC-based writer, editor, and historianThe Canada-US trade war was started by Donald Trump. He imposed, and threatened to impose, tariffs in order to win concessions from Canada. The Canadian government is now trying to negotiate a trade deal in response to Trump’s threats. Among other things, this is what Trump is demanding:1. He is demanding that Canada stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs from Canada into the US.2. He is demanding that Canada increase its defence spending.3. He is demanding that Canada not impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods.4. He is demanding that Canada cancel its digital services tax.5. He is demanding that Canada remove restrictions on eggs and dairy products, undermining the quota system that supports Canadian agriculture.6. He is demanding that Canada remove the incentives and tax breaks that encourage TV and movie production in Canada..Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected because he declared that he was the strong leader Canada needed to fight back against Trump.No trade deal has been reached. Negotiations are said to be going on, but there has been little indication of progress.So far, these are the actions that “Elbows up” Carney has taken:1. He has agreed to spend millions of dollars to upgrade border security.2. He has agreed to massively increase defence spending.3. He has threatened retaliatory tariffs but quietly walked back most of the tariffs imposed by the previous Trudeau administration.4. He has cancelled the digital services tax..In other words, Carney has made major concessions without making any visible progress toward an agreement to end the trade war.What concerns me is that the war has been fought entirely on Trump’s terms. Trump is making numerous demands, and Canada is making no demands at all. Canada is playing defence, trying only to mitigate the damage. You cannot win any war by remaining only on the defensive.It is long past time for Canada to shift to offence. Canada should be making demands of its own. Those demands could include:1. Canada should demand that the US stop the flow of guns, drugs, and illegal immigrants into Canada. The US is the most powerful nation on Earth. It is not Canada’s responsibility to defend the American border. If Trump is demanding that Canada police the US border, then the US should commit to defending our border.2. Canada should demand that the US abide by current trade treaties.3. Canada should demand that Trump stop threatening Canada with tariffs and annexation and stop casting insults at Canada.4. Canada should demand that the US remove the tariffs Trump imposed.5. Canada should demand that the US resolve the longstanding dispute over softwood lumber by removing its tariffs on Canadian wood products.It is impossible to negotiate with a bully. That inevitably leads to surrender. Every concession only encourages the bully to make more demands. Bullies must be resisted. It is time Canada called Trump’s bluff and told him there will be no negotiations until he acts more reasonably.James R. Coggins (www.coggins.ca) is a writer, editor, and historian based in British Columbia.
