The Wild

First let me say that I am not a politician or policy expert. I do not have training in economics, and so I will not address the fiscal aspects of what I propose Canada do going foreword. What I do have training in is geography, international and regional development, sociology, and planning. Although my degree work is decades old, the critical thinking skills I learned during my studies should still be valid.

Donald Trump has come to office with a bang. He has made a variety of demands and threats, the most pertinent of which I will highlight as hey pertain to what I would like to see Canada do.

1. Defense spending.
2. Border security
3. Exports
4. Manufacturing
5. Energy

Off the top is the issue of defense spending. Canada has missed its target to up defense spending to 2% of the GDP.

Border security. The Canadian government website here contains more information on the objectives related to border security.

Exports. This is complicated and related to the US desire to bring jobs and manufacturing back onto domestic soil. The one aspect I would like to look at here is energy. That is oil, gas, and uranium.

Manufacturing. The US is determined to bring back made in USA, and I believe it is a golden opportunity for Canada to do the same.

Energy. It has been the US statement that they wish to develop energy independence. This is likely a short term impossibility, but it does provide Canada with an opportunity to develop our response.

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My first suggestion for Canada going foreword is to build the nuclear industry. Please understand that my personal interests lie in the environmental movement, and with that in mind I do believe that nuclear is the only reasonable way foreword at this junction.

Unlike many of the more influential global powers, Canada has barriers to the implementation of green energy. Much of our country lies within very challenging climate zones, and for Canadians a loss of power is not an inconvenience, it is potentially deadly.

It is also important to note that Canada has the second largest reserves of uranium in the world. Not only do we have quantity, but we also have very high grade ore, and it is long past due that we begin to process and use this resource on Canadian soil.

How does this fit with the issues listed above? First we need to understand that Canada does not have an east west pipeline to move our oil and gas from the oil rich west to the east. The current method to move oil takes our product through the USA, which complicates the issue.

We have seen in the past that Canadians have little desire to see an east west pipeline, and so I propose the following: continue selling our oil to the USA. If the government could to tax our oil and gas exports to the US, that revenue could then me invested into the nuclear industry.

Basically build reactors not pipelines.

This would provide us with a made in Canada industry, and also works in conjunction with our defense spending. How does it contribute to our defense spending? We begin investing in nuclear weapons. Yes, unpalatable, but the world is taking a step backwards and it pays to read the writing on the wall. Canada could easily invest enough money into the development of a nuclear arsenal that would hit and likely exceed our commitment to the 2% GDP spending targets.

It is time that Canada put a stop to the toxic colonial resource exploitation apparatus. Let us take a page from the USA and begin to use our resources to improve the lives of Canadians, rather that allowing our wealth to be shipped abroad and used by our political and ideological opponents.

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Suggestion 2: remove interprovincial trade barriers and build a national high capacity electrical grid. It is almost comical. On one news channel I hear stories about Ontario greenhouse producers who fear that the tariffs will mean the end of their produce business. Flipping to another channel I see a story about Edmonton consumers being worried that they will not be able to access produce from the US if the tariffs are enacted.

This exemplifies how industry has further created a situation where Canada is effectively an economic colony to the US. Partnerships are great, but colonial domination is not something that friends do to one another. Taking the US lead, we should seek to remove the barriers to producing and buying in Canada.

Further to this point is there any reason that Canada cannot have a nation wide electric grid. I am aware that provincially we have grid connections into the US and that not only our oil and gas are flowing south, but also large amounts of electricity.

The US wants to rebuild its manufacturing base and this requires large amounts of reliable and on demand power. Industrial production is the reasons that I cannot see a world where green energy supplants fossil fuels and/or nuclear. While the US wants to return to its manufacturing greatness, it cannot do so without outside energy supplementation.

To further secure out national independence I would suggest that Canada really invest in interprovincial connections for the flow of energy, resources, and consumer goods.

Lastly, Canada is one of the most resource rich nations on earth. We should embrace our destiny, and begin to focus on at home production where we add value to the raw materials we possess.

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Border security benefits both Canada and the US. Further to the points above we should use the US insistence on increased border security as an opportunity to once again double dip into our defense spending budget. Given Canada’s large land mass, and low population the time is ripe for Canada to develop an automated military.

I suggest increased spending and incentives for tech companies to begin development and manufacture of automated military systems. Drones, robotic soldiers, and autonomous vehicles are all areas that would help Canada evolve modern tech industries, utilize our resources, increase security, and placate our friends to the south.

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Lastly a note on automobile production. Canada is built different. Sure the dream of electric vehicles is nice, but in this nation we deal with extreme weather condition, and very significant distances. Electric vehicles are a nice luxury in our larger urban centers, but impractical for much of the Canadian population.

Perhaps what Canada should do is partner with other nations that understand the needs of our geography and climate. What about bringing Volvo plants to Canada? Personally 4 out of the 5 vehicles I have owned were not domestic. And on that note, why cant I buy a Hilux? Oh yea, because North American auto makers want me to buy something new every 5 years. Nice sustainability planning.

I am sure that my opinions are not shared by all and that is ok. This is not an essay or a technical document, just a serries of opinions meant to address and propose some ideas related to the five major issues put forth by our friends to the south. And when I say friends I mean it. I love the American people. So many of my good friends are American, and I even have family in the US. They are the best. I hope that we can all find a way foreword that maintains those connections.