The wisdom of Harry S. Truman

Dear Editor: Reaction throughout Canada to the Trump administration's decision to apply major tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum has been swift and I am glad to see the majority of Canadians standing up in a united front to the outrageous and unacceptable action from Washington.

Some, including Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, have used the opportunity to play partisan politics, undermining a united response from a country broadsided by its neighbour and closest ally. Whatever one may think of Justin Trudeau’s response, it seems foolhardy to condemn him as having “failed Canadians” on this important file.

For the past 25 years, NAFTA has been a true win-win-win arrangement for Canada, the United States, and Mexico, growing the economies of all three countries significantly. It hasn’t been perfect, and disagreements have arisen occasionally (softwood lumber comes to mind), but the dispute resolution mechanisms in NAFTA have always provided for amicable outcomes. Indeed, that process has benefited Canada greatly, as every challenge from the U.S. over softwood has ruled in Canada's favour.

Simply put, Canada is not dealing with a rational actor in NAFTA re-negotiations. Trump does not believe in win-win agreements. His world view is that any gain for Canada is an equal loss for the United States in a zero-sum game.

He fails to realize that we can grow the pie together, ensuring strong economies and well-paying jobs for workers on both sides of the border. As the great American president Harry S. Truman said, “We must never forget that prosperity for other people means prosperity for us and prosperity for us means prosperity for other people.”

Trump’s argument Canada represents a “national security threat” is utterly fallacious. It is our steel and aluminum outfitting much of the American military. It is flabbergasting that he would suggest to Trudeau that because the White House was burned down in the War of 1812 the Canada of today is a threat.

One can be critical of elements of the NAFTA renegotiation process, but keep in mind that all the well-expressed arguments from Trudeau and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, in support of free trade between our two great countries are not being received by a man who is bestowed with copious amounts of common sense or regard for others. He claims to care for American workers, but this trade dispute will have a negative effect on them as well. Richard McAdam Kelowna