At the start of the hockey game, following the singing of O Canada, the Ottawa crowd booed The Star-Spangled Banner. Until that moment, we didn’t know how really upset Canadians were.
All week, the US president had been chastising Canada for our unfair trade practices, saying how terrible Canada had treated the US. He didn’t mention that Quebec and Ontario supplied a major part of the electricity used in the eastern part of the US, or that Canada supplied most of the US oil imports. If Canada turned off the power, shut of the pipeline, and stopped the movement of car parts back and forth across the border, the balance of trade might be equal, but many US citizens would be walking in the dark.
Then there is that Canadian pork that US shoppers choose over US pork. What about the beer cans and Ford half-tons made with Canadian aluminum. Then there is the North Warning System (formerly the Dew Line) that protects North America from Russia slipping in. Oh, and that Canadian lumber that Trump hates, that is twice as strong as lumber made from those “fast-growing” American trees that have a very open grain.
And how about the border patrol? I always thought that it was the Canadian border services that checked for US weapons and other duty items that might come into Canada, and that it was the US border officers who checked for anyone or anything going into the US from Canada. When did Canada become responsible for anyone or anything going into the US?
It’s just since the US president showed his bully side that Canadians began looking in the shopping cart for US produce that they either didn’t need or could get somewhere else. Ireland makes great beer and whisky. Jamaica makes pure sugar cane rum. My wife drinks vodka made from potatoes. The best cider comes either from Ireland or Canada. Many countries including Canada make excellent wine.
I can still vividly remember a T-shirt that I wore during the first free trade agreement (FTA) between the US and Canada. It had a cartoon of an American eagle bonking a very surprised Canadian beaver, and there was an inscription above it that read “FREE TRADE!” Any Canadian farmer or auto worker can tell you how that turned out.
Then there is that Florida orange juice that is made mostly with juice squeezed from South American oranges in South America and shipped semi-frozen in huge sea-going stainless-steel tankers to Florida for re-packaging before being shipped to Canada. That tanker-load of orange juice from South America could, instead, probably sail straight to Montreal and the orange juice could be packaged there and save Florida the expense. If Canada still had Petro Can, we could refine our own oil and ship the refined oil or gas back to the US and save them the expense of refining.
There are many autos, trucks, and both agricultural and industrial equipment manufactured in Mexico, Europe, Asia, and South America that could easily replace more expensive US-made machines. There are many Canadian vacationers that are thinking twice before choosing an expensive Florida vacation. There are many beautiful, friendly places in Canada to visit for much less money.
Yes, Canadian citizens are pulling together, and if the USA wants to join us in a fair trade agreement, we can still make that happen. However, Donnie better not wait too long.
Some of our farm’s latest purchases of farm machinery and all the TV’s, cell phones, and computers come from either Europe or Asia. Take a look at grocery store parking lots and see what people are driving.
Don Cherry had a saying, “Don’t poke the bear!” Yes, Canadians are nice, until provoked.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
