Canada's Five-Point Plan to Survive Trump's Tariff War

Canada's response to the ongoing trade tensions with the US should be guided by five key principles, according to Colin Robertson. The country needs to preserve its privileged access to the largest market while building a more productive and resilient economy at home.

The first principle is to keep Team Canada united, recognizing that regional divisions can become strategic liabilities in the face of American intervention. This means standing together against US threats and supporting the domestic economy.

Robertson also advocates for negotiating selectively and retaliating intelligently, with a focus on achieving broad, durable, and enforceable relief from existing sectoral tariffs and the new 338 tariffs. Every Canadian tariff is a tax on businesses and consumers, and its purpose should be to change American behavior, not advertise Canadian anger.

Building coalitions inside the US is also crucial, with Robertson suggesting that Canada needs better intelligence to influence Washington's decisions. This can be achieved through a permanent economic security war room secretariat within the Privy Council Office and by working with regional consulates to gather intelligence and advocate for Canadian interests.