No Trade Agreement?
Is Canada heading the way of no agreement at all? Donald Trump is whining again about how other countries are being unfair to them and taking advantage. Of what? Didn't Trump people negotiate this present NAFTA deal when Donald was in last time? He seemed pleased to have torn it up before, to change the balance for himself, and now he is complaining again about his own team's negotiating skills? Canada being 'unfair' to America.
So he says he doesn't need Canadian cars, Canadian oil, Canadian lumber. Same old. And there is now a suspicion he wants to open up any dairy issues and allow Wisconsin dairy milk freely into Canada. Because it is unfair to not allow American dairy into Canada. Has anyone else noticed how many producers of secondary dairy products in USA advertise that they are using CANADIAN milk in their production of ice cream for instance? Maybe that reason is that US dairy products are full of hormones, growth serums, anti biotics and who knows what else has been added to their product. US milk really amounts to a concoction of chemical additives! Canadians produce real milk by law!
Only Alberta is against withholding oil and gas. Instead of building external markets for their products, it is just so much easier just to wave hello to Americans while they pump it south and stay seated. Canada imports foreign oil from Saudi Arabia at a high price, while Alberta sells to USA at a discount. And virtually NONE of Alberta oil goes to Canadians. Sure Tar Sands oil is not even at the 'crude' definition, but that old dog just rolled over the last time we did a deal south, because 'it is too expensive' for Canada to build refineries. So suffer now Canada?
Unfairness or cruel manipulating? Years ago we had a great forestry in British Columbia. Many lumber mills and lumber everywhere. Again, it is just so easy to sit on our asses and take the tainted cash from USA. So what they did, was simply buy BC mills, close them down and get our raw logs going south to America mills. To support US families while our forestry goes silent. That silence is about losing our huge forestry companies to easy money and methods to limit competition, while our arrogant forest managers pretend they are still great while no effort is made to open new markets for Canadian lumber. Strong, enduring lumber.
Americans whine about everything. When BC started allowing local wines to be sold in our supermarkets, there was a huge scream from America wineries. Unfair they said. And as usual, Canada crumbled. Don't want to get anybody upset, we heard.
Canada as a State of America? A true poll would reveal answers to that one. How many daily mass shootings can we expect? Try asking Americans how they would like to join Canada as an eleventh province and get FREE health care! (We know it is not free but we all pay a fair share instead of Health Insurance Corporations charging indecent rates) while Americans lose their house or car with any visit to the hospital! And their whole system is based on pay for everything.
It is time to stand firm and ignore the USA First policies of Donald Trump. Take the hit of tariffs and weather that storm while building a stronger future for Canadians by getting out there and competing in the world. Part of that idea would be to dump 99% of our politicians. We are smart, capable and willing to work hard, but we need to eliminate those who have more padding on their bodies than in their fancy desk chairs from making decisions tailored to lazy managers. Canada IS the best country in the world, lately we have heard Americans telling us to respect them, and perhaps our response should be that respect must be earned and not demanded. Al Capone demanded respect or he'd kill you. Hmm.
It is the moment to turn our loyalty toward our roots instead of mendacious 'friends' and get on with it. We built the Avro Arrow, we know how to do things, and when our friends were in trouble, we went with what we had to help, three years before America entered WWII. We had Terry Fox! We abolished slavery 30 years before America. We have no limit to the potential of our youth and their understanding of technology! Our resources are second to none. And we should decide how we use our vast potential without interference from duplicitous entities if they be far overseas or right next door.
Resolve is never regrettable. And respecting our own sovereignty is paramount. We have it all, roll up your sleeves, Canadians, take the freaking hit and get on with it.
