Iāve been following Canadian media and the āElbows Upā circus on X. Having done business in Canada, including an acquisition in my industry, Iāve experienced firsthand its protectionist, near-monopolistic business culture. What fascinates me is the breathtaking arrogance, hostility and borderline vulgarity of those convinced America will collapse without Canadian oil, potash, lumber, electricity and, apparently, maple syrup. And please, spare us the endless whining about āBut we had a deal!ā Yes, you had a deal. That doesnāt mean every aspect of it was fair. You enjoyed privileged access to the worldās largest consumer market while fiercely protecting your own industries. American workers deserve better.
Washington should fundamentally reassess this relationship. If Canada prefers confrontation over cooperation, America should reduce its dependence, prioritize American workers and defend its economic, strategic and national security interests across North America.
Iām sure there are plenty of intelligent, decent Canadians. Unfortunately, the loudest anti-American āElbows Upā warriors flooding my posts appear to have declared war on arithmetic, economics and common sense.
Enough of the entitlement. Enough of the lectures. Enough of pretending Canadaās leverage is greater than Americaās. Want to pivot to Europe? Go ahead. Asia? Bon voyage. Build pipelines, sign trade deals, diversify all you want. Nobody is stopping you. Just remember that changing your political slogans is considerably easier than replacing your largest customer. And hereās a little homework for the maple syrup economists: Put down the syrup. Pick up a calculator. Show us the numbers. Who needs whom more?
Bring facts, not elbows, vulgarity and economic fairy tales. And if America is supposedly such a terrible partner, hereās a revolutionary idea: Stop obsessing over us and go find yourself another customer. Swipe left. Europe is that way. Good luck convincing Brussels to replace Washington. šŗšøš