‘Last refuge of a scoundrel’

THE EDITOR, Madam:

On September 8, as Canada’s government implemented retaliatory tariffs on the US, I was listening to a radio talk show on that very subject. The guest, a professor of economics at Toronto Metropolitan University, was unequivocal that matching US tariffs dollar for dollar was a grave economic mistake by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team.

The professor stated that the US economy is 15 times bigger than Canada’s and, to adopt a “tit for tat” method is like climbing into the boxing ring to do battle with a 20-year-old Mike Tyson. He went on to say that there is no way Canada can win this street fight, and that PM Carney is playing Russian roulette with Canada’s labour force. He predicted that industries could be decimated and inflation would skyrocket. He urged the PM to get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

Since the trade talks in Washington failed a couple of weeks ago, there have been many heated exchanges between the White House and elected officials in Canada, with each side blaming the other for their last-minute breakdown. After negotiating for three weeks, the trade agreement was supposedly settled and almost ready to be signed when suddenly it wasn’t, with each side blaming the other for being dishonest.

All politicians have a proclivity for never being able to own up to their own shortcomings, so it’s evident that neither side is being completely truthful. Many now wonder what Mr Carney meant in last year’s election campaign by claiming that only he was able to get a trade deal and handle the vicissitudes of President Donald Trump. That promise remains unfulfilled, as are so many others.

Back in the day, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously said: “A week is a long time in politics”. That was 60 years ago, but the current occupant of the Oval Office changes his mind on a whim. So, for him, an hour is a long time in politics. Several of Canada’s pompous provincial premiers promote themselves by gleefully trading insults with President Trump’s administration. Until negotiations resume, they should tone down their rhetoric, stop wrapping themselves in Canada’s Maple Leaf flag, and remember what Samuel Johnson said in 1775: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada