A very dear friend of mine lives in the Toronto area. She and her family follow the Jewish faith. She finds the world situation terrifying – and she is not alone. Hatred is no longer beneath the surface; it is bubbling up into everyday life. It’s not just the wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine (which are horrifying in their own right), it is the poisonous words and actions in Canada and the US – in social media, mainstream media, in schools, on the streets.
Let’s look at just one example. The oil refineries in Texas were built to handle the $128.5 billion dollars worth of crude oil and mineral fuels that are exported from Canada to the US. These refineries then process the crude oil and Canada imports roughly $29.8 billion in refined oil back from the US. The remainder – almost $100 billion dollars worth – remains in the US to heat American homes, power American businesses, fuel the cars of American drivers. That will now cost American consumers 25% more due to tariffs.
Trump either doesn’t understand how closely intertwined trade is between the US and Canada, or he simply doesn’t care who is hurt by his lies. For example, in his first term, he invoked the Defense Production Act, thereby forcing 3M to stop exporting N95 masks to Canadian health care workers. What he forgot is that those same N95 masks that were made in the US needed a critical component that is only produced in Canada.
There is a reason why trade is such an important issue for both countries. When our Prime Minister flew down to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump and to discuss his threats of tariffs, Trump’s response was that, if these tariffs hurt Canada, maybe Canada should become the 51st state and our Prime Minister could be Governor. The response from Canadians? That this “joke” is obnoxiously arrogant and a disgustingly vile diplomatic insult. And we don’t take these “jokes” lightly. Folks from all over the world (Australia, the Netherlands, Bahamas) are commenting on how poorly Trump’s behaviour reflects on America on the world stage. Yet so many Americans are viewing this man as some sort of saviour.
Trump’s crude behaviour – name calling, belittling remarks, complete lack of respect for women – somehow seems to have demonstrated to a large swath of society that this sort of conduct is acceptable. And, when called out on inappropriate statements, these same folks simply say , “Just calling it like I see it.” As if expressing any opinion, no matter how hurtful, untrue or repugnant, is OK.
During the holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Bohdi Day, Yule – you are celebrating faith, unity, peace, enlightenment with family and friends. My wish for all of you is that we can find a way to work and live together in a positive and caring fashion and we can be the light in a world that oftentimes seems very dark.