America needs what Canada sells

Open the newsletter to watch the White House for free

Your guide to what the American elections mean 2024 for Washington and the world

The writer is the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade in Canada. This is adapted from her speech accepting the Medal of the Foreign Policy Association last week

The world is at a turning point. One of the battle lines in Ukraine. Yes, the battle there between democracy and dictatorship is a conflict between a specific democracy and a specific tyranny. But it is also a broader competition between democracy and dictatorship. Every democracy in the world will be stronger if Ukraine wins, and every tyrant will rejoice if Vladimir Putin does.

The second reason that the success of Ukraine is that it is fighting for its survival and the international regime based on the rules. At the heart of this is a simple principle: sovereign countries do not invade each other.

In the eight decades since its inception, the international regime based on the bases has been completely observed, definitely. But for democracies, which are sometimes called “non -geographical West”, it has guaranteed the most successful era of peace and prosperity in our history.

Three years ago, when Russia fired widely to Ukraine, Canada understood that Putin was undermining a basic principle. But today, we, the Canadians, are fragile in this international regime based on the rules urgently and more than any time since World War II.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would like to become the state 51 “dear” and threatened to use economic coercion to make this. I am proud of spontaneous response, unanimously, unambiguously these threats. Hockey lovers link our national anthem. Restaurants attract wine from their legs. Snow birds do not fly in the south of this winter.

Our country stands strongly and our government takes retaliatory measures necessary to show Trump that Canada Not for sale and our sovereignty is not negotiable. As Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “We will keep our definitions so that the Americans show us respect and make reliable and reliable obligations to free and fair trade.”

We know what is at stake and we know what we fight for. I am not sure that the same thing can be said about our American neighbors. On a pocket level, these threats of Canada’s sovereignty and the war of tariffs that are compatible with them lack any coherent justifications. Our economic relationship with the United States is balanced and useful. The economic war with Canada will make grocery and gasoline stores more expensive for Americans – and has already been hit by the US -to -US stock market.

Whether it is Canadian electricity that keeps the spotlight in New York, or the Canadian potash that fertilizes fields in the Middle West, or Canadian uranium that operates the nuclear industry, America needs what Canada sells. The export of the United States to Canada is more than China, Japan, the United Kingdom and France combined. We are the largest agent in America, and America is the country where the customer is always right.

When the Trump administration started threatening Canada, we were injured. Then we got angry. Now, we roll our sleeves and reach work.

In the face of this existential challenge, we are determined to build Canada stronger, more flexible and more independent of the United States. Now, as the Prime Minister said, is the time to build in Canada, to reduce the barriers that prevent trade within our country and the completion of big things. Canada is ready to reach work. To the extent that former Prime Minister Jean -Critian jokingly he wanted to nominate the American president to the order of Canada – we also thank us for gathering our work together.

Canadians are ready for the upcoming difficult times. We know that in the end we will be fine. We will stand with Ukraine. We will continue to fight for democracy at home and around the world. We will work with similar countries in thinking to support the international regime based on rules, and make it suitable for the purpose of the twenty -first century.

However, I must admit that it would be better to do this work alongside our American friends and neighbors. Canadians remember that our partnership in North America is at its best when we fight together for freedom and democracy.

As Ronald Reagan said: “Canada and the United States.

His words are described as an eloquence of our common and constructive past. They should also be evidence of our future.