When I was young, my father was a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. We lived not far from the campus and loved our time in Canada, even though we remained American citizens. We were embraced as friends, treated with respect, and encouraged to live peacefully.
Canada has always been a good neighbor to the United States. It hurts and embarrasses me to see the U.S. president insult our good neighbor and close ally, misrepresent our trade relationship with them, and call for its annexation as the American 51st state. Unfortunately, this is no joke.
Some have attempted to downplay President Trump’s comments about Canada, suggesting he is maneuvering for a “better deal” for America. This misses the point.
What has Trump said? You have heard it all. He has repeatedly misrepresented Canada’s trade relationship with the United States, asserting that Canada is “one of the highest tariffing nations in the world.” However, as CNN reported, the World Bank lists Canada as one of the lowest tariff nations (at the low level of 102 out of 137 countries). Trump has also claimed that Canada doesn’t buy American agricultural products, even though this is demonstrably false. And to add insult to injury, he has asserted that Canada is “one of the nastiest countries.”
Trump boasts that “Canada only works as a state,” as if it has been struggling without him, which it has not. He has attempted to claim that annexing Canada would be a magnanimous gesture on the part of the United States. “We don’t need anything they have.” But he has made it clear he wants complete control of the Great Lakes, which lie between the two countries, and he wants to control the Northwest Passage, which moves through Canada to the Arctic Ocean. He has already renamed the Gulf of Mexico. How long will it be until Trump renames the Great Lakes as the “Make America Great Lakes Again.”
And most worrisome is Trump’s ominous claim that the boundary between us is entirely artificial. “Somebody did it a long time ago. … Makes no sense.” Why is this particular statement about our shared border so worrisome (should I say “frightening”)? The implication is that if the border is artificial, it can be breached without any impropriety. It means that Canada has no actual claim to nationhood or sovereignty. However, almost all national borders are “artificial,” in a sense. They come about as a result of negotiation after conflicts.
This is all really irrelevant. Fact-checking what Trump says is a fool’s errand because Trump knows what he is doing. Authoritarian leaders always crave new territory. That’s what they do. They have the mistaken notion that greatness means expansionism, even empire. When Adolf Hitler spoke about his desire for Austria, he made it clear it was not for economic gain, just as Trump says that his interest in owning Canada is not sparked by a desire for economic gain. Hitler just wanted Austria, and he used a series of lies to promote his vision before sending troops into Austria to claim the land. That was just the beginning of his lust for territory.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has taken the same approach with Ukraine as he strives to reclaim the imagined greatness of the Soviet empire. First, he took Crimea, a piece of Ukraine, and when that was done, he moved to take the rest. His aspirations for land will not end there.
Trump shares this belief that greatness demands empire, and his insults and lies about Canada are no joke. He wants Canada because it is there, and he believes it would be feasible to take it. He has tried to sow discord among Canadians with his public remarks and propaganda on social media. Now, he is working to destabilize Canada with tariffs. Authoritarian leaders always begin with misdirection and propaganda, but this is only a preparation for the use of arms.
This is no laughing matter. Trump is an expansionist, as was Hitler and as is Putin. He has designs on America’s closest, best neighbor and ally, and he is ruthless. Greenland is also on his list. And much to my dismay, the Republicans in Congress are loath to cross him. They will stand by and allow this travesty to play itself out.
I remember my days in Canada as an American guest. I know that the Canadian people are proud, resourceful and strong. I have seen it. It heartens me to see that Trump’s attacks have only inspired a new level of social cohesion there.