As the political and economic instability created by the goings-on south of the border continue, it is time for all of us to recall how we arrived at this juncture.
It is also time to acknowledge that, despite common belief, there has never really been “free” trade with the United States, but rather only a series of measures that have encouraged the unhealthy integration of the Canadian economy into that of our southern neighbours and the ensuing enrichment and concentration of wealth in the hands of transnational corporate giants.
Throughout these so-called free trade agreements (FTA, FTAA, NAFTA, CUSMA) the US has often filed unfair trade practice complaints that have led to international trade dispute panels. Canada has spent untold amounts of energy trying to defend itself and resolve these issues. The same can be said for Mexico, another partner of these so-called free trade agreements. Witness the recent trade ruling against Mexico on the the use of GMO maize in Mexico. (BTW – Canada sided with the US on that trade dispute — Shame on us!)
It’s also time to recognize that cozying up to the United States, and integrating our economy too closely, has brought us to a dead-end. Why would you put most of your eggs in one basket? In the late ‘80s there were huge protests warning against free trade. Activists have long understood the trade-offs of such agreements. This recent column reminds us of an earlier time. It’s an important read.
The so-called free trade agreements with the US initiated in 1988 have only served to lull Canadians into believing that all is well. The recent madness on tariffs and trade wars is a stark reminder of what can happen when your economy is too closely integrated with a single country. It is also a stark reminder of how bullies like to try to make others quake. I would dare say the closer you get to the US economy, the harder the fall. Pundits and strategists are spending hours trying to figure out the exact location of the pain points in our economy should a trade war ensue.
Cuba was once a vassal state of the USA – until 1959, when it won its true independence through revolution. That January 1959 march into Havana, so unnerved ensuing US administrations, that more than 60 years later, the US continues with its economic embargo. And that, despite the near unanimous vote, for the 33rd consecutive year, by the United Nations calling on the US to end its embargo. What we are experiencing right now in terms of tariff issues with the US is a far cry from what Cuba has been living and re-living for six decades, but the US embargo against Cuba does provide a glimpse of what can occur even when there is no threat to US sovereignty or economy.
Time to take note – and forge a strategy that diversifies our basket of goods and encourages trade with other countries on the planet. My oranges are from South Africa. My lettuce and avocados are from Mexico. My apples and potatoes are from Ontario. Tomatoes are greenhouse grown in Canada … and my freezer is full of homegrown loganberries from my plentiful backyard bush. Our family has been buying Canadian forever. Long before Trump and his cronies arrived on scene. We do not shop at Amazon or Costco. With little exception, we shop Canadian-owned stores and buy produce in those stores from Canada or countries other than the US. Same goes for beverages. We have been doing this for decades. Whenever we can, we purchase local produce. Shopping Canadian is not new for us. I also learned long ago to shop for fruit and vegetables in season. And for us, and for many principled reasons, produce from the United States has never been in season. That said, we are lucky enough to live in an urban environment that provides options. It is not the case for everyone.
Recent events are also a reminder that even diversified trade should never sacrifice the independence of our own internal economy. We should be producing what we can for our own communities, and exporting our surplus, particularly when it comes to essentials such as food.
As is, we are going to have to make adjustments to our priorities and our place in the world, as we work our way through the next four years and, hopefully, “de-integrating” our economy from the dangerous fickleness that is now so apparent in the US Capital. This is a MUST !
Pain now will stand us in good stead in the future.
Of course, there will be an impact. But I hope the majority of us now realize that is the only true option forward for an independent country. Let’s disentangle ourselves from the bully next door. Unfortunately for our American neighbours, the United States is a society in serious decline – the only question is how quickly that decline will occur and who and what the downward spiral will take with it.
But, I don’t think there is any going back to the way it was.
I generally like to find silver linings, and this wake up call provides opportunity. As Leonard Cohen sang in “Anthem” — “There is a crack, a crack in everything… that’s how the light gets in.”
When it comes to food, we need to think about putting in place agricultural policies that are long overdue.
We need policies that:
- encourage the inter-generational transfer of family farms;
- provide the next generation of farmers with access to affordable land and operational financing for farming;
- limit land size and ensure that we have more farmers, not fewer;
- ensure speculation on farmland is heavily taxed;
- protect supply management and renew orderly marketing systems lost during the years of free trade.
- encourage farmers to supply local markets, whether that be on a municipal, regional or a national basis depending on the product grown or raised, and in what area of Canada;
- support the expansion of urban food projects such as roof top gardening and community gardens;
- ensure new food security strategies incorporate sustainable practices that take into account practices that mitigate climate change.
Is this a tall order? It might seem that way… but this road map has been urged by many organizations who have long advocated on behalf of family farmers, food security and sustainable, climate-friendly agricultural practices. This column on the long food movement provides food for thought.
Will all of this be painless – of course not! But there is no longer any reason not to push for an independent Canada which supplies its own population with necessities such as food, while importing from several countries produce and goods we cannot produce for ourselves.
Back in 2017, when The Donald threatened to cancel free trade, perhaps we should have taken him at his word and given it a go. This column recalls those earlier discussions. Titled “For farmers and working people, cancelling NAFTA could be the best way forward”, this column seemed bold at the time. It’s well worth a re-read.
The issue of tariffs has highlighted the inequities of free trade – and that of course impacts agriculture. But just as importantly, if not more so, is how corporate concentration in the Canadian food industry has been allowed to continue almost totally unregulated. This report, published by the Canadian Anti-monopoly Project in the fall of 2024 and titled “From Plow to Pantry: Monopoly in the Canadian Food System”, outlines in stark detail just how concentrated our food industry. It is this intense corporate concentration at every level of the food chain and the endless import/export game that has further enriched transnational players which is at the root of our food system vulnerabilities.
Alongside this report, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), published a themed issue of The Monitor in January on food issues. Of particular note are articles on prairie climate change, public local markets, and a more inclusive farm economy.
These topics actually make the threat of tariffs on food pale in comparison. And if Canadian politicians were really interested in challenging President’s Trump’s machinations, they might get on board with progressive agricultural policies that support a decentralized agriculture and food economy.
There are going to be adjustments most definitely given the threat of tariffs and more, and that will be on both sides of the border.
But we also need to recognize opportunities at hand. We may in fact have much more going for us than we realize when it comes to food security and feeding our own market first, if we work to renew our agricultural and food distribution policies now.
The writing is on the wall and has been for several decades. And as they say, there is no time like the present to get with what I believe is an all-too obvious program.
Thank The Donald for waking us out of a deep lull!
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