By Anthony Joseph

For the first time in a long time, I found myself agreeing with Pierre Poilievre. That surprised me.

I have often disagreed with the Opposition Leader’s politics and his fondness for short, sharp, rhetorical solutions to complicated problems. But when he argued that Prime Minister Mark Carney cannot continue making concessions to the United States without getting meaningful results in return, I thought: this time, he has a point.

There comes a time when compromise stops being diplomacy and starts looking like surrender. If putting American liquor back on Canadian shelves produces a meaningful agreement protecting Canadian jobs and exports, then consider it. If removing a tariff produces something of equal value for Canada, negotiate it. But Canada cannot keep giving something up simply because Washington demands it.

The American president has repeatedly talked about Canada becoming the 51st state. Canadians should take that seriously. Our sovereignty is not a bargaining chip, and our independence cannot gradually be negotiated away because we are afraid of the economic consequences of standing up for ourselves.

We have spent decades integrating our economy with the United States. That relationship brought tremendous benefits to both countries. But integration becomes dangerous when one partner believes dependency gives it the right to dictate terms. If Washington imposes punitive tariffs on Canadian products, Canada must be prepared to respond. That will hurt—standing up could cost jobs. Businesses could suffer. Canadians could pay higher prices, and governments could face difficult economic choices. But surrender carries a price too. Every concession teaches the other side that pressure works.

Give up one measure today and another demand arrives tomorrow. Remove one tax, abandon one policy, change one regulation, and eventually Canadians must ask: where is the line? That line should be Canadian sovereignty. The answer cannot simply be retaliation. Canada needs something bigger: a national economic independence strategy.

We should build transportation and energy infrastructure that moves Canadian resources east and west, rather than remaining overwhelmingly dependent on moving them south. We should eliminate unnecessary interprovincial trade barriers so it becomes easier to sell Alberta goods in Ontario, Saskatchewan products in Quebec, and Nova Scotia products in British Columbia. Canadian resources should help build Canada first.

At the same time, we must aggressively expand relationships with Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The United States is an enormous market, but it is not the world. There are billions of consumers beyond the American border. Guyana is emerging as an important economic force in the Caribbean, and Canada should look seriously at Guyana—and the wider Caribbean—for opportunities in food, energy, construction, technology, and trade.

Europe needs secure sources of energy and resources. Africa contains some of the world’s fastest-growing markets. Asia represents enormous opportunities. Why should a country with Canada’s resources, education, talent, agriculture, and technological capabilities behave as though there is only one customer on Earth?

Build Canadian alternatives

We also need to think differently about technology. Canada has allowed enormous foreign technology corporations to become gatekeepers between Canadian journalism and Canadian audiences. That must change. If the major digital platforms do not believe Canadian laws should apply to them, Canada should invest seriously in Canadian alternatives.

Imagine a Canadian digital platform developed through a $200-million public-private investment and owned primarily by Canadian media organizations, with meaningful ownership reserved for ethnic and community media and a minority public stake. Call it CanCan, Canada Connect, or something better. The name doesn’t matter. The principle does.

Canadian news organizations could distribute journalism directly to Canadians. Businesses could advertise there. Canadian entertainers, athletes, creators, and influencers could build audiences there. Advertising dollars generated by Canadian audiences could circulate through Canadian companies instead of automatically flowing south tax-free. We have about 40 million people. We don’t need a billion users to create something valuable. We need a platform serving Canada well.

The same principle applies to manufacturing. If American companies decide they no longer want to manufacture automobiles in Canada, we should court manufacturers from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. We have plants, skilled workers, resources, engineers, universities, and supply chains. If one company leaves, find another willing to build here.

Remember who we are

Canadians have become accustomed to the convenience of having the world’s largest economy next door. We shop there, vacation there, sell there, and consume American entertainment, technology, food, and countless products. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. The mistake was allowing convenience to become dependency.

The answer is not hostility toward ordinary Americans. They are our neighbours, relatives, friends, customers, and business partners. Our dispute is with policies that treat Canada’s sovereignty and economic security as leverage. Friends do not threaten each other’s independence.

My brother once gave me advice I have never forgotten. I told him that when your hand is in a lion’s mouth, you have to be careful how you pull it out. He disagreed. Sometimes, he said, when your hand is already in the lion’s mouth, pulling away only encourages the lion to bite harder. Sometimes you have to push forward.

Canada has been pulling away for too long. Maybe it is time to push forward—not recklessly, not emotionally, but strategically.

Prime Minister Carney should be travelling the world building alliances, opening markets, and reminding countries that international trade cannot function if nations surrender whenever the largest economy threatens them. Canada should be talking to Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America.

We should also get our own house in order. Remove unnecessary barriers between provinces. Buy Canadian whenever practical. Process more of our resources here. Manufacture more here. Grow more food here. Build Canadian technology. Strengthen Canadian media.

There may be sacrifices. Perhaps certain American products become more expensive or disappear from our shelves. We will survive. Drink apple juice. Buy Canadian cheese. Vacation in Canada or the Caribbean. Discover Canadian musicians. Support Canadian businesses.

The United States has enormous economic power. Canada has something powerful too: resources, talent, land, energy, food, institutions, and a population capable of standing together when necessary.

This is not about wishing hardship on Americans. A prosperous, democratic, and stable United States is good for Canada. It is about building a Canada that could survive and prosper even if Washington turned its back on us tomorrow.

Trade with America, yes. Be friends with America, absolutely. Negotiate with America, certainly. But depend upon America for our survival? No.

The era of automatic Canadian concessions must end. If there is a deal, let it be a fair deal. If there is compromise, both countries should compromise. If there are tariffs, Canada must be prepared to respond strategically and proportionately. And if Washington believes Canada will surrender its independence because standing up will be economically difficult, then it is time to remind them who Canadians are.

We may struggle. We may have to sacrifice. But when the future of our country is at stake, Canadians must stand together beneath one flag and say: Enough. Canada is not the 51st state.

Anthony Joseph is the publisher of The Caribbean Camera newspaper. He writes on politics, culture, and the intersection of race and democracy in Canada.

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