Ignoring Trump's threats makes conservatives seem unserious

But it's really on brand.

In Alberta, we have to listen to Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party tap-dance their way around Donald Trump’s threats to Canada and Canadians.

Danielle Smith says things like “I don’t understand why the President is doing this,” and “tariffs will hurt Americans; it doesn’t make any sense.”

I’ve been listening to Danielle Smith for years — much longer than she’s been Premier — and she’s very good at acting dumb.

Which is to say that she cherry-picks information that she is willing to accept, and simply ignores realities that she doesn’t like, or would tell her that her plans are reckless and foolhardy.

It’s like if you’re going camping in the mountains on May long and I say that you need to pack clothes for sun (if you’re lucky), rain, and snow. If you decide you only want to take the “sun” part seriously, you will not be prepared.

It’s a reckless, and foolhardy, decision to ignore the reality that even if it is warm and sunny during the day, it gets damned cold in the mountains at night; even if it didn’t rain or snow. Ignoring that fact does not change the reality.

Donald Trump campaigned on tariffs. He said tariffs would make the U.S. the richest country in the world again. Many people thought he was just a stupid man saying stupid things to get stupid people to vote for him; which is probably not untrue. However, Mr. Trump also likes to cherry-pick things he likes and ignore realities he doesn’t.

After he was inaugurated, Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency over fentanyl, which gave him unilateral power to impose tariffs.

I’m not going to complain about the beefed up border security because that has been needed for a long time — to protect us.

Since the border security concern was aired, conservatives in general, and Danielle Smith, followed by Scott Moe, have decided to ignore the rest of what Mr. Trump has said. Mr. Poilievre, found he had to eventually respond to Mr. Trump’s annexation threats and mockery of the office of the Prime Minister, but his pivot lagged by a few months.

Mr. Poilievre’s response has been half-hearted at best. As Ms. Smith rightly pointed out in her infamous Breitbart interview, Mr. Trump’s threats have caused a surge of patriotism. Ms. Smith also noted that Mr. Poilievre and his party have been unable to benefit from that.

Someone should make Mr. Poilievre’s campaign manager a new red hat with “knock it off” written on it and see if they can get that trending.

As I said, half-hearted at best.

The Trump tariffs will affect Canadian jobs and affordability. The Trump recession will affect Canadian jobs and affordability. Even if Mr. Trump is not on the mind of every Canadian voter in this election, his actions will affect the other things Canadians care about.

I understand that Mr. Poilievre and the CPC would rather make this election about the past ten years rather than the next ten, but I don’t think they’re looking for someone who is focused on the rearview mirror. With the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, of course; most of us are so focused on the rearview mirror that we prefer our representatives to drive backwards.

They’ll still get to where we’re headed, it just takes so… much… longer.

Diplomacy is for diplomatic relations, not dipshits

As Donald Trump and his administration are crashing their own economy and burning bridges both within and outside of their own borders, it’s hard to even credibly consider that this is a negotiation tactic.

Mr. Trump is not a smart man and he’s surrounded himself with people who either make him look like he is, or are willing to sit quietly and make him think he is. Either way, there is no reasoning with that.

Mr. Trump has said he wants tariffs to:

• replace the income tax in the U.S.;

• force businesses to relocate, bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.;

• make companies outside the U.S. pay to sell to the U.S. market; and,

• apply economic pressure on Canada to force us to become the 51st state.

When Pierre Poilievre say that he’s going to “get a deal” with Mr. Trump, or “negotiate” he’s trying to sell a fool’s errand. Enter Danielle Smith and her seemingly immovable focus on “diplomacy” with regard to tariffs; it’s because she is ignoring the reasons Donald Trump wants to use them.

Accepting any one of Mr. Trump’s previously stated reasons for the tariffs as fact easily demonstrates that “diplomacy” is going to fail. Accepting all of them would mean that what Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith are promising is nothing but disappointment.

Advocating for our “shared economic prosperity” does not address Mr. Trump’s reasons for tariffs. Promoting the “partnership” with Canada does not address Mr. Trump’s reasons for tariffs.

Ignoring the facts will not change the reality that Mr. Trump doesn’t want a “partnership” where the U.S. buys more than it sells to Canada. He wants the U.S. to prosper and if that comes at Canada’s expense, he does not care. He wants this to work and that’s the only thing that matters.

This is why Mark Carney, upon being sworn in as Prime Minister, did not go to the United States to meet with a man who has continued to threaten our country and our livelihoods. Mr. Trump has irrevocably damaged the relationship that our two countries once had, and he’s working pretty hard to ensure no one wants to do business with the United States, let alone enter into an agreement with them.

Both Mr. Carney and Mr. Poilievre have said they’ll focus on renegotiating CUSMA; they just said it differently.

I will propose to the president the renegotiation of CUSMA, bringing in a new deal on trade and security. CUSMA must be renegotiated anyway… next year.

Why wait?

Why not get it done now?

Why not end the uncertainty that is paralyzing both sides of the border and is also costing us jobs today? We should set a firm date to finalize a new deal. And, I will propose that both countries pause tariffs while we hammer out that deal.

Keeping destructive tariffs in place kills jobs on both sides of the border and so it serves no purpose at all.

It does not make sense to go on killing jobs, disrupting markets, and weakening both our economies with on-again off-again tariffs for months on end as Canadian businesses an workers live in paralyzed terror.

Pierre Poilievre, really kicking the utter crap out of “Canada Strong” or able, or resilient, or competent in any way, April 2, 2025.

As I said, they have to pretend there’s a negotiation to be had, but what even was that statement? No one is living in “paralyzed terror”, dude, they’re pissed off that the U.S. elected an idiot to run the place.

I’m Albertan — I know exactly what it feels like.

Let it ride

That the U.S. is going to into a recession because of Mr. Trump’s tariffs is more than likely. That businesses may be leery about relocating to a country run by a team of morons is also likely.

There is no “deal” we can make aside from paying more for what we buy from the U.S., or forcing Canadian businesses to lower their prices on what we sell to them. Donald “will you buy this if my name is on it” Trump leads a nation of consumers who consume.

China retaliated today with 34 per cent tariffs on U.S. goods, in retaliation to Mr. Trump’s tariff increase that ChatGPT suggested for the gaggle of “meritocracy” on display in the White House, which were in retaliation to U.S. consumers buying cheap stuff made in China.

In response, Mr. Trump claims he will retaliate on Tuesday by raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 90 per cent. That’s going to make Wal-Mart prices almost indistinguishable from those on Rodeo Drive.

Mr. Trump is driving his economy into the ground, and he wants to take everyone else down with it because he will never admit he was wrong.

Smart people would stay out the way.

Thanks to everyone who reads, shares, and becomes a free subscriber. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support my work; to those who have, your support is greatly appreciated!