Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski
Canada and United States have been involved for many months with negotiating a new bilateral Trade Agreement or extending the still legally existing trilateral Agreement between Canada, Mexico and USA.
As we know USA (and vice versa Canada for USA) is our largest and most important trading partner. The USA has huge industrial base, huge – in comparison to Canada – population and therefore larger market for both domestic and imported goods. Our large and mostly undefended border stretching between two oceans provides for easy transport of goods and services. Canada has a vast quantities of numerous natural resources badly needed in the USA.
For many years huge numbers of Canadians and Americans would cross our border in almost unrestricted manner, efficiently. Bringing needed dollars to American grocery sellers and to Canadians from large Americans visitors.
History made us different politically – we are confederate monarchy, they are a confederate republic. They had slavery and very long racial segregation decades longer than we did. They are a military superpower involved constantly in some sort of conflicts all over the globe; we have neglected our military numbers and strength for a long time, yet being recognized internationally as a peacekeepers either in United Nations Blue Helmets or other peace-making missions.
Of course, there was always a big dose of competition between our countries and societies. But never to the point of outright hostility. Until now. Until the last Administration in Washington..
Now, two words of my private story as a Canadian. Spent here almost my entire life here. Definitely (except maybe early-5-6 years) my entire adult life, my working life and now retirement. To summarize – Canada is my home. Home I cherish a lot.
I lived here through many Canadian governments (starting here with last months of famous Pierre Trudeau till now very competent Mark Carney.
In my now long life I remember – when I was still a boy back in Poland – US President Kennedy making a speech about the US war in Vietnam, remember President Johnson ending that bloody war, remember pivotal visit of President Reagan in Poland; remember Nixon resigning his Office; both Bushes; improbable and extremely important Barack Obama, Jeff Clinton, George Bush.
Some I liked, some disliked. It was always plain that for all of them – for better or for worse – they were Presidents, leaders of their country, who believed in that country and in the old values of the republic.
Until Donald Trump. Nothing was the same, nothing is. I stopped crossing the border, which seems at times resembling a border between East and West Germany, when there was Soviet Union.
Laws, customs, norms – all of it stopped being obvious, certain. Diplomacy? What is it in current Administration? Nobody is sure anymore.
Friends among nations? Who needs friends if you can have puppets?
Sure, it is a subject of funny jokes, agitated conversations. But at the end it is … very sad. Sad and tragic because we need the old, familiar America. America needs the old, pre-Trum America. For better or for worse but societies do need stability, knowing what tomorrow might bring, progress (even if very small and slow).
You need a country, which is much more than Exchange, Auctions. Country starts with idea, grows with love and respect. Country is people. Much more than land it posses. People make a country and their leaders serve the people. In a democracy, anyway.
Sometime countries disagree with each other, but otherwise they still respect each other. There established mechanisms to resolve these disputes. Accepted, with frames, norms.
All these norms, these mechanisms formed incrementally after I and II world wars. So we can avoid the next gargantuan war. With the demise or kept for historical attachments of Kings – the people took the reins in their hands. By the people, for the people … .
Than comes Donald Trump. Nothing matters anymore, nothing is important, that cannot have the weight of gold , precious stones, or rare minerals.
Mark Carney walks away from this type of ‘talks’ and took with himself entire Canadian delegation. When there are no rules but just whims of the obviously stronger and bigger opponent, there is no sense engaging in any discussion. One person dictate is not a discussion.
Thank you Mr. Carney for representing me as a Canadian. I am glad you did, what we expected you to do.
Canada is not for sale. To anyone.
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