Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeFP CommentWilliam Watson: Remember, Trump too will passAmericans still think well of Canada and future presidents aren't likely to pursue Trump’s WWE tactics: bluff, bluster, threaten and renegeLast updated 1 hour ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on July 22, 2026. Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesDonald Trump says about us: “They need us to survive. Without us there’s no way they can survive.” Yes, if the U.S. were magically transported to Mars — which this week seems not such a bad idea — life in Canada would be much harder. But previous generations of Canadians survived tougher times. We are softer than our forebears but we do still have grit (maybe even the Grits among us). And modern transportation means the rest of the world is a lot closer now so we could find new partners. The hit to us would be bigger than the hit Americans would take from being interplanetarily distant from us. But, like Gloria Gaynor, we would survive. Much better, though, to stay joined at the 49th and keep looking for mutual benefit.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe Americans moan that only China and Canada retaliated against their wholly unjustified tariff onslaught. (Wholly unjustified tariff onslaught is my language, of course, not theirs.) Well, good for us! Other countries quickly caved but don’t seem better off for it. Yes, Mexico is talking more with Washington but the test of the talking is the deal they reach and they don’t have a deal yet.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againFor now we’re playing with bargaining chips we minted last year: U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra seems almost personally affronted by the removal of American offerings from provincial liquor store shelves. (Me, I’m personally affronted by the existence of provincial liquor stores.) Presumably, his argument is that banning a product is equivalent to an infinite tariff. If it were up to me I’d un-ban U.S. booze but tariff it at the average U.S. rate on our steel, aluminum and hockey sticks.Bottom line, though: this is a bargaining chip our retaliation invented. The Americans haven’t yet offered anything to see the end of it but it clearly annoys them, its removal is bound to be part of a deal and we presumably get something for it. (Note to CBC’s The National: Did we really need to see B.C. Premier David Eby saying “there is not a chance in hell” B.C. will be putting U.S. alcohol back on the shelves five times in 45 minutes, in teasers, stories and features? Yes, your audience is older but many of us still have most of our short-term memory so the repetition is mainly irritating.)Speaking of infinite prices, Mark Carney, an economist by training, should stop saying “We will do whatever it takes” to respond to the U.S. tariffs. “Whatever it takes” means we will “pay any price and bear any burden.” When John F. Kennedy used that phrase he was talking about sacrifices to assure the survival of freedom, which really would be worth a lot. But is saving supply management really worth infinite sacrifice? It almost certainly does net harm to Canadians. There have to be some limits on the cost of resistance. How many elbows can one country give?Resistance is much easier, of course, when you yourself don’t pay the cost. Ontario Premier Doug Ford still seems willing to fight Trump to the last Albertan. He wants export taxes on our energy and potash so as to really stick it, maybe even high-stick it, to the Americans. Conveniently for him, Ontario doesn’t produce much potash, while most of the energy he’s talking about comes from Alberta. This is the same Doug Ford, recall, who imposed a (24-hour) 25 per cent surcharge on Ontario electricity exports to the U.S., but removed it after a “very productive” meeting with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at which the Americans promised to resume trade talks. That was 16 months ago. Recall also that Ford’s surcharge prompted an immediate threat from Trump to double steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent, which he did three months after the very productive meeting.The premiers and prime minister talk a lot about how united they all are. But Alberta and Saskatchewan refuse to put workers at risk by blocking exports — “That’s not going to happen,” Danielle Smith said of Ford’s oil/potash plan — while Ontario and Quebec clearly won’t yield even a litre on supply management.The optimistic take on this week’s tariffs is that they are the storm before the calm — both short-term, as Trump raises the pressure so as to force a CUSMA deal that will make him look good for the November elections, and long-term, as a final flaring of peak Trump before he has to share power with the Democrats or fly off to Mar-a-Lago for good.A standard error in forecasting is to extrapolate the here and now off into the far future. People say hoping for a return to more civil relations with the Americans is merely that, hope not strategy. But there is still great goodwill toward Canada outside the White House, and it’s hard to believe all future presidents will pursue Trump’s WWE tactics: bluff, bluster, threaten and renege. Its alliances have served the U.S. well but the most effective alliances are built on respect, not naked coercion. Trump doesn’t agree but Trump too shall pass. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.