For the past several years the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc have been spewing virulent anti-American rhetoric at every opportunity. Individually they championed reducing trade with our American brethren, using our energy as a weapon, criticizing their standing up to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
Many chuckled when the U.S. economy started to tank but ours didn’t. They ridiculed the War on Terror, accused the U.S. of war crimes for supporting Israel and lambasted them at every opportunity. The Opposition members screamed to encourage trade with China and India. The mealy-mouthed bravado that oozed from the lips eventually resonated among regular folks south of the border. Canada was quickly being labelled an enemy of the United States. Our largest trading partner and our best friend had had enough.
At the height of the Liberal-NDP-Bloc onslaught, many of our companies lost contracts and sales in the U.S. But the Opposition didn’t care. We had a healthy economy. When our dollar rose, the fools in Ottawa hailed it as a good thing, a matter of national pride. Oh gosh, our dollar was worth more than the dollar of our hated neighbours. (Tee hee hee.) The euphoria didn’t last long did it?
So here we are in 2009 in the middle of a recession that could easily slide into depression in spite of glowing forecasts for mid-2010 and 2011. And where now is the bravado of the Liberals, the NDP and Bloc? It’s faded into constant snivelling about how we must convince the Americans to not include us in any protectionist measures they might take in order to salvage their own economy first.
It is positively disgusting to watch Mssrs. Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe lambaste the government for not fighting the Americans more aggressively to ensure Canada is not affected by the Buy American clause in its multi-billion dollar job creation package. If the U.S. Senate wants some good advice from a Canadian citizen, I would suggest they invite the three amigos from the Opposition to state their case directly to the Senators (no, not the hockey team) and let them explain why the U.S. should exempt Canada.
Their first questions should be: “Why should we exempt Canada, you guys don’t even like us? In fact you have bad mouthed our country for years. You have said you neither need nor want us. Please explain your logic or in this case illogic.”
Of course that will not happen. I just wish the old media would get out of their Cowardly Lion costumes and ask these questions of the Opposition themselves. It would be nice to see Layton performing a few backflips on this one. Personally, I would not blame our U.S. friends for turning their backs on us. If trade without the U.S. became a reality, Canadians would be heading back to the breadlines or looking for homesteads to work with horse-drawn ploughs.
But I have learned one thing from the Americans. Actually I have learned several things. They are generous to a fault, they have a collective conscience (which is missing Canada) and they stick by their friends. I know you Liberals, NDPers and Separatists don’t like to hear that. But then you’re probably not reading this anyway.
While I do not want to see our country hurt in a trade dispute with the U.S., I do hope our American cousins take the opportunity to remind us of our obligations to our friends and neighbours. They should also remind us that, in reality, they owe us nothing. Given our past performance, the last thing they owe Canada is loyalty.
Meanwhile, when this is all over, I hope this spineless bunch learns to keep their collective mouths shut.
In closing I just have ask them one parting question. Where’s your anti-American bravado now?
