STARTING A TRADE WAR AGAINST THE WORLD'S MOST PRO-AMERICAN DEMOCRACY DOES NOT MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

A few days ago, one of my American friends told me that he couldn’t believe we would have to fight against each other after being conscripted for the Canadian-American War of 2027. Though I laughed at his joke, shedding a tear might have been a more appropriate response. Such is our current predicament.

I am a Canadian of Greek heritage, a student of U.S. history and politics, and among the most openly pro-American writers in both Canada and Greece. I have American family members and friends, I invest in American companies, and I love traveling to the United States – having returned from my last trip only three weeks ago. America is a country that I, and millions of other Canadians, trust, respect and admire.

My grandparents only survived the post-World War II period thanks to humanitarian assistance America donated to Greece through the Marshall Plan. Without President Harry Truman’s leadership, my grandparents might not have held out during the Greek Civil War let alone made it to Canada. Their lives, and mine, would have been totally different without America’s commitment to anti-communist movements in Europe.

Millions of families, including many Canadians, have similar stories of gratitude toward America. That is the world the U.S. built, with Canada’s help. Today, like back then, people all around the globe, from Israeli hostages languishing in the dungeons of Gaza to brave Ukrainian soldiers, outnumbered and outgunned by Russian invaders and their North Korean cannon fodder, pray that America will do something to help them.

I spent years advocating in favor of America and closer ties with her in Canada, Greece and basically anywhere that would publish my articles or listen to me. If Trump’s anti-Canada policy has caused me to reconsider my longtime pro-American assumptions and beliefs, then I can’t imagine how Canadians who have always been more skeptical of the U.S. must feel.

Sure, Trump campaigned on isolationist policies and Americans voted for him. Yes, Trump can restructure (or even destroy) what is, in fact, the closest, most prosperous, and successful relationship between two countries in history. But bullying the world’s most pro-American people, including by quadrupling down on ridiculous talk of turning Canada into the 51st state, is the wrong way to do it. That is an act of betrayal. Canadians, our government, and our prime minister, deserve better than that. Period.

For more than a century, Canadians fought and died alongside Americans. In the Battle of the Somme and on the beaches of Normandy to the hills of Kapyong and the streets of Kandahar. From NATO and NORAD to NEXUS and NAFTA to USMCA and Five Eyes, no two countries are more closely bound by history, geography, values, trade, and state practice than Canada and America.

When a mob of Iranian radicals occupied the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor and Chief Immigration Officer John Sheardown did not hesitate to shelter, issue passports, and help exfiltrate the lucky six who had escaped.

When al-Qaeda committed the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history on 9/11, all incoming flights to America were diverted to Canada, and Canadians in towns like Gander, Newfoundland opened their doors to provide showers, meals, and beds for their unexpected guests.

When America invoked NATO’s Article 5, Canada sent more than 40, 000 of its bravest and brightest sons and daughters to serve alongside America in Afghanistan. 158 Canadians paid the ultimate price, and thousands more were wounded physically and psychologically during their service.

That is not only who Canadians are, but also a reflection of how we have long viewed America.

Many of us know the words to the Star-Spangled Banner, and have sung them proudly at hockey, baseball, and basketball games for decades. Now, Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem, boycotting American products at our grocery and liquor stores, and canceling their travel plans to America. Anti-American sentiment is, unfortunately, on the rise in Canada and the blame is all Trump’s to bear.

For eighty years, America has been the most trusted, respected, and admired country in the Western alliance. If Trump goes through with what the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has called the dumbest trade war in history, there is no telling where that road will take us. But the meaning of America’s word and the value of her signature, like her relationships with pro-American democracies such as Canada, will never be the same again.

Originally published by The Hill Times on February 13, 2025.