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One story, one act of resistance at a time.
Looking at the Canadian political spectrum, you might think that I’m at one end and Andrew Coyne at the other. However since the start of Trump’s resurgence, Coyne has stood out as one of the few voices in the Canadian press with a very clear-eyed view of the nature of the threat emanating from Washington.
So, needless to say, I paid close attention when I read the urgency in his recent opinion piece: Donald Trump wants to make an example out of Canada. How will we prepare?
“We are in a lot of trouble, and we need to move fast. There is no reason to confine our imagination to what is reasonable or even practical. It is not enough to hope for the best.
We have to plan for the worst.”
Coyne was writing about the fact that as much as Carney’s Davos speech inspired the world, it will have enormous political consequences for our relations with the United States.
Not only was Trump made to look like a fool, but Carney called on the world to defy the Project 2025 worldview. The speech has bolstered other leaders to begin standing up to the intimidation. The Americans view this as an act of insubordination or even rebellion.
Trump said as much at Davos when he warned Canada to be “grateful”.
“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
The threat was unmistakable: Canada’s sovereignty exists at the whim of the gangster in the White House.
Economic retribution has already begun. Trump has threatened to shut the Gordie Howe Bridge and walk away on CUSMA.
A year ago, such threats would have rattled us and dominated press coverage. Now we seem to barely notice. Canada came through the first year of economic intimidation with surprisingly little pain. Trade with other nations has increased. There is a growing sense of national purpose.
And if Trump storms out on CUSMA, the government won’t be surprised. Plans are already being made.
So far, so good. But it is very dangerous to assume that this is the worst it could get. If economic threats don’t bring us into line, will Trump go further?
Recent polling shows that nearly 50% of Canadians believe that the United States could consider a military invasion of Canada.
The so-called “Donroe” doctrine has designated the entire western hemisphere as existing to serve the interests of the United States. Minister of War Pete Hegseth bragged that the U.S. has put aside legal and diplomatic “niceties” and is determined to create a world “governed by strength, governed by force, governed by power”.
Former UN Ambassador has warned that Canadians would be naive to think that our country is not on the “menu.”
Trump recently threatened force in Greenland but backed away because the European powers were forced to stand up to him. Will our allies stand up for us if Trump seizes the Gordie Howe Bridge?
Or if the U.S. military is sent across the border to help a staged insurrection at Coutts, Alberta? Or if a drone strike at the Nipigon Bridge paralyzes Canadian national trade?
I would like to think they would, but I wouldn’t take it to the bank.
Helping Canada out militarily would be much more difficult than sending ships and troops to Greenland. The Europeans are preoccupied with Putin. Canada might very well be on its own.
The Canadian military has begun war-gaming scenarios for a U.S. occupation and a Canadian insurgency war that would inflict “maximum casualties.”
A recent piece in The Atlantic, The American Military is Being Forced to Plan for an Unthinkable Betrayal, discussed the strategies of invasion being considered by the Pentagon. They warn that “attacking an ally would be a perversion of everything the armed forces were trained to do.”
Canada is hoping to establish our independent footing through a huge increase in military spending, but such retooling is a decade-long project. As Coyne notes, we don’t have the luxury of time.
I keep coming back to reports that the government is planning a 300,000-person volunteer force. So far, there has been little talk about how this force was created or deployed. But every day I meet Canadians who tell me they are more than willing to join up to defend our sovereignty.
I have been thinking a great deal about how a proactive civilian defence plan would work. This isn’t about getting seniors to march behind tanks in Belleville or telling folks to head to the hills with a can of beans and a rifle.
We need to give people a sense that it is possible to establish an all-of-society approach to protect sovereignty and democracy. This could be done by establishing a national network of local groups that are trained in civil defence and resilience.
Here’s what that could look like:
Establish the volunteer force with the mandate to help communities whether in response to wildfires, floods or threats to sovereignty.
Build from the bottom up. Decentralized local networks of resistance will foster esprit de corps and can respond quickly in the event of a local emergency.
Draw on expertise already in our communities by involving health care and front-line workers, community planners, retired military and police.
Invite the Canadian Rangers to play a role in establishing local training programs and consider a Junior Rangers-style program for our young people.
Prioritize training in first aid, communications and logistics for use at the local level in case of emergency.
Bring in Ukrainian trainers to help with drone skills and civilian-defence expertise.
Conduct workshops in civil resistance in how national resistance can be undertaken by refusals to aid and abet an occupation.
Give the local networks a strong social media presence to highlight local service and build national unity.
When I first started writing about these issues, I worried people might think I was being hysterical. But I agree with Coyne. It would be dangerously naïve to assume the best when we must realistically plan for the worst.
In doing so, we send a very clear message to those who doubt our resolve.
Canadians will never submit to a foreign threat. We will always govern ourselves based on Canadian values and law. And in preparing for the worst, we might just bring out the best in this beautiful nation.
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