It’s not just money, it’s the realization that we are nothing to them. It’s the betrayal of seeing someone you thought was a friend stab you in the front without remorse.
So I do believe it is different this time. Perhaps history will reveal you to be correct — PP yipping about being “Americas best friend” indicates at some think the old status quo will return — but I don’t think so.
I’d throw in greed and ignorance into the mix but yes
Oh, you misunderstand me.
Absolutely yes, people will continue to trade with the US after a few years. Hell, they are still doing it today!
What’s different is the level of dependence the rest of the world will enable in the future. Their special status no longer applies; and there is no trust they will be good actors in the future.
Long term cooperation will be built in anticipation of likely irrational and volatile behaviour. Something like the integrated North American auto industry or aligning with the US as primary defence contractor or intelligence, these mistakes will be not be repeated.
There will continue to be trade, but across the world a higher priority will be given to domestic production and alternative suppliers for critical products. For example Canada had been slowly retreating from our protectionist policies on dairy — but instead I expect these to now be strengthened. I expect to see a stronger push away from reliance on the US for military equipment, semiconductors, financial and digital services, and more.
I need to hire you to summarize my lengthy pretentious blathering into a nice concise sentence. :)
Gay marriage may be a good example of your argument, because I’m not sure how they’d be able to accomplish repealing that in law without using section 33.
But while things like anti-terrorism or “tough on crime” were harmful, if section 33 is not employed then we still have charter rights and these things can be challenged and overturned in the court system.
Which still sucks, a lot. But having PP saying that they’d jump to using the big stick of notwithstanding to support a bullshit American policy that failed there is a significant step worse. Because now we know for certain that they will use this stick, and no courts or opposition can stop them if they get power.
This is why I get prickly at the idea of people saying this is no big deal, they always do this. Which is what I inferred from your original comment, apparently falsely. Because this is big and new and will enable much more harm in a way that will be unstoppable.
So we must act with urgency to stop them before it can start. It was already important but now its a crisis — and yet our newsmedia focuses on inane stuff because talking about policies only policy nerds care about doesn’t get clicks and views.
From my perspective in Canada, there’s nothing the US can do to unfuck this situation.
Let’s say folks unseated Comrade Spraytan somehow and reversed all of his policies. I would still never trust their country again with economic or security dependence in the way that much of the world has enabled in the status quo.
It was the American voters who selected this foolishness, not once but twice. They and their country will not be trusted for a generation or maybe longer. They threw away a very good thing for them because of abject greed, and now it’s gone forever.
Can you elaborate? I’ll admit I was living abroad during the Harper years, and I’m unfamiliar with any pledges to override our charter rights before. My understanding is that this type of open commitment to take away our rights is entirely new behaviour at the federal level.
The difference between “I don’t like their policy” and “these people will use section 33 to negate our fundamental rights” is a significant difference to me.
Respectfully, I don’t believe that’s something you want to say or joke about in a public forum.
That’s fair. I inferred a smug tone from it but text is a hard medium to convey or receive tone.
What I thought I recognized in your comment was an attitude I’ve participated in for at least a decade. Oh, I’m so smart, I’ll make some quip here to show that I’m way ahead of the curve here and you lot are just catching up. Look at me here on the sidelines, I’m so cool unlike you naive suckers trying to make a difference.
But I don’t know that was your attitude. If it helps, consider that I was speaking to my past self and not you.
Well said. With people like you out there helping to stop it, we will dump him and his maga ideology in the trash where it belongs
I believe this is the first instance where PP been open about using his weapon against our fundamental rights.
I mean yes we’ve long suspected it would be this way, and he’s hinted at it before.
But this is no time to be smug. Our rights are under attack, and most Canadians don’t even understand it’s happening. So I challenge you to change the attitude, and try to reach out to people who don’t understand section 33 and explain to them what’s at stake and why they must vote to stop this.
Love that idea and I’m going to steal that when discussing that in the future