A poll conducted by Nanos research for the Globe and Mail last week found that almost half of Canadians feel that the United States is no longer a trusted ally. It is not a surprising find, but it does tell us how our relationship with the current U.S. government has changed.
More than two-thirds of Canadians believe that our security is threatened by the United States. And sadly 60 per cent of Canadians say they can never trust Americans the same way again. It does not mean that our U.S. friends and relatives are not trustworthy.
In fact, the reasons we enjoy and have made friends with so many Americans is that we have discovered so much in common with each other. It might be our shared enjoyment of Rainy Lake. It might be our shared enjoyment of stock car racing. It might be the things we have discovered about each other in our winter home in Florida and Arizona. Those relationships and trusts have not changed.
As Canadians we are angered by the way the U.S. president keeps trying to belittle Canadians. In turn when we shop at our grocery stores or at Walmart, 75 per cent of Canadians now choose a product other than one that comes from the U.S. This year, 51 per cent of Canadians are now choosing warmer destinations anywhere but the U.S. It is our way of letting the leadership of the U.S. know that their relationship with Canada is broken. Money seems to reverberate stronger than words.
Even our governments are now looking to procure weapons and products from the rest of the world over the United States. We are today supporting more trade with China. We are looking to expand our trade with the European Common Market, India and Australia and looking to diversify our connection to Canada’s current main trading partner.
Since Confederation, our relationship with the United States has always been cordial. Mulroney and Reagan sang an Irish tune together. We invited Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, Obama and Biden to address our members of parliament and the nation. We trusted each other.
But that trust has been broken. We remain trusting of our personal U.S. friends and relatives and together we should both hope that the worry and anger that has been created by one man can be healed between our two countries.
