Politicians need to give Trump direct consequences for his actions.
Prior to his inauguration, the President of the United States said he would be establishing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods imported to the US on his first day in office.
His first day in office came and left, yet no tariffs were established. However, Canadians aren’t in the clear yet. Trump claimed on his first day in office he would be implementing the tariffs on Canadian goods but would wait until Feb. 1 to do so.
Rather than giving direct threats to Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau simply stated that all options are on the table, and he was consulting with Canada’s Premiers but is ready for a strong national response.
Ontario’s Conservatives are taking a more proactive stance to shift both Canadians’ and Americans’ opinions against the implementation of tariffs. Premier Doug Ford is currently working hard to spread the message across Canadian and American media. To drive the point home, Ford wore a hat that said, “Canada is not for sale” and even said he would take American liquor off the shelves at the LCBO.
Trudeau lags far behind, in comparison, focusing on the Liberal leadership race and scrambling for power rather than uniting the country against the threats Trump poses.
Trump has made repeated remarks referring to Canada as America’s 51st state and Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.” As if this isn’t degrading enough to Canadians, Trump has published maps of Canada as a part of the US. Instead of fighting back, Trudeau’s ivity ignores these claims, while other federal party leaders urge for a more aggressive stance against Trump.
Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre has taken a stronger stand against Trump, saying on X, “Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country.”
In lieu of a stronger defence, many citizens have taken Trump’s threats into their own hands with #buyCanadian, spearheaded by some Canadian Premiers, which trends across X in Canada. Hundreds of s have shared lists of Canadian alternatives to American brands, encouraging fellow Canadians not to purchase goods produced in the US.
Canada needs strong federal leadership against Trump’s tariffs and threats. Trudeau doesn’t seem prepared to take a stand against Trump, despite desperate calls from Canadian leaders and citizens.
If he won’t stand up against the US in these urgent times, perhaps it’s time for Canadians to elect a leader who will.
Lauren is a second-year Political Studies student and one of The Journal’s Assistant News Editors.
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Qcomm
Trudeau has counter tariffs ready and has rejected the 51st state comments many times just like Pierre has. He’s not focused on the election, he’s not running. You can totally make the case that the federal govt’s response so far hasn’t been strong enough and I actually agree with that, but this just isn’t an effective argument