EDITORIAL – Think we’re in the clear with Trump’s tariffs? Think again

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

JUST IN CASE you were thinking we’re in the clear, think again. Donald Trump is not our friend.

Sure, he’s talking more respectfully of Mark Carney than he did of Justin Trudeau. That’s because he understands that Carney has a brain many times the size of his own.

And, Canada supposedly escaped the Orange Man’s wrath on his so-called Liberation Day, sharpies and amateur-looking chart and all. We weren’t included in his hit list. Not yet.

There’s quite a bit of talk going on about how we should breathe a sigh of relief, that the worst is over. Even that this changes our election campaign dynamic.

Don’t buy it for a minute. There are still huge new tariffs on aluminum, steel and autos. Lumber tariffs will cost jobs here in the southern Interior of B.C. And there will be more on the way.

This is the most unstable, fickle human being on the planet. If he says one thing today, it’s entirely possible, maybe even likely, that he’ll do the opposite tomorrow.

So, expect him to begin referring to our prime minister as “Governor Carney” or some other more insulting title shortly. His “51^st state” rants aren’t over, either.

At the very latest, they’ll start when talks get underway on renewing CUSMA (or USMCA as it’s called south of the border). Trump expects Canada to fold and to put up with a dramatic re-writing of the agreement. It would end up not being a free trade agreement at all, but a document turning Canada into a servile territory of the U.S.

There’s a long, rough road ahead. For the past few weeks, we’ve become accustomed to the reality that the friendly relationship between Canada and the U.S. has been broken forever. No longer can we proudly talk about the longest undefended border in the world.

It’s a time to keep buying Canadian, and keep our elbows up. And never, ever, can we trust the man in the White House.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.