Last weekend while the spectre of 25-per-cent tariffs hung over Canada and our leaders were doing anything but addressing the problem at hand — the border — many of my fellow Canadians went nuts.
The same people who already suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome who are often intellectually lazy, politically naive, sanctimonious and self-righteous, became virtually ferocious about their patriotism.
It was like COVID 2.0 had hit and they’d learned absolutely nothing from the autocratic way our Liberal government and the premier of Canada’s most populousprovince controlled our lives, for no good reason, during the pandemic.
The Canadian flags were all over social media as people directed their venom at new U.S. president Donald Trump for picking a fight with their long-standing and cherished neighbour.
They told people like me who saw the tariffs coming and supported the reasons behind them that we were unpatriotic, anti-Canadian and should move to the United States permanently.
Just like the Gladys Kravitz types who reprimanded me during COVID for coming to Florida and possibly causing the death of someone for doing so, they told us either we’re with them or against them, part of Team Canada or traitors.
Just like the COVID lemmings (some of whom still wear masks and got six COVID shots) they swallowed the Liberal government narrative hook, line and sinker.
I couldn’t believe the fury, the jingoism, the short memories and the unwillingness to concede we do have problems. The issues of fentanyl and illegal migrants play out right in front of our eyes daily on the streets of our major cities.
The anger was over-the-top and highly embarrassing.
Lists of Canadian products to buy instead of American ones and restaurant chains to frequent (most of them unhealthy choices) cropped up all over social media.
People cancelled hotel rooms in Florida, proudly displaying their cancellation vouchers on X.
Others insisted they wouldno longer travelling to the United States.
We heard boos when the American anthem was played at hockey and basketball games.
It was jingoism at its worst.
Instead of screaming “buy Canadian,” none of them thought to scream, “Shut the Border for heaven’s sake.”
Some of the more rabid commenters declared that anyone who didn’t speak out against the tariffs or who supported the move by Trump (or even saw the reason for it) were as evil and despicable as the president.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford proudly and loudly announced he was pulling all U.S. liquor and wine off LCBO shelves only to have toput back when a 30-day stay was granted on Monday, just hours before the tariffs were to come into effect.
It was ineptness at its best.
The fact of the matter is that there were those of us who took the tariff threat far more seriously than our politicians (except for Premiers Danielle Smith and Scott Moe).
We recognized that Trump ran on this and intended to keep his promise.
We didn’t have our heads buried in the sand.
We don’t hate Americans for electing Trump, we don’t hate the President for making good on his promises. We’re certainly not anti-Canadian.
If we were, we wouldn’t care about making our borders and our country safer.
The moves agreed upon by Trudeau Monday should have been done ages ago.
Why did it take threats from Trump to give our politicians the kick in the butt they needed?
Since Trudeau came into power nine years ago, our country has declined so much that many of us don’t feel safe or recognize it anymore.
We have asylum seekers, sustained by tax money, clogging up our shelters, and migrants taking to the streets shouting not just “Death to the Jews” but “Death to America” (and western values).
If opioids like fentanyl aren’t a problem, why are so many drugged-out addiicts on our streets, living in our parks and waiting for their next fix at harm-reduction (I call them drug-enabling) sites?
I’ve seen more than one addict in that famous fentanyl pose outside Toronto’s shelters and on the streets of Vancouver.
Funny thing, the Born Again Patriots have very short memories. They have all but forgotten those dark days in 2022 when the PM, with his former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, froze the bank accounts of those truckers and the convoy organizers who wanted to be free of the vaccine dictates of the Liberal government.
These same people who had no stomach for the Freedom Convoy are now ranting and raving about being free from the dictates of the US government.
It’s hypocrisy at its finest, not to mention a very telling statement about how some Canadians are so easily duped and manipulated.
The hue and cry hasn’t settled down entirely but it has lessened somewhat since the 30-day extension was granted.
But I worry about what might happen if a deal is not reached within 30 days.
Some Canadians have shown a very dark side in the past few days.
If they really cared about all things Canadian, they’d want to clean up the country too.
I can’t fathom why they have such a problem with that.
