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Michael Higgins: Poilievre promises to face Trump with stoicism, not Liberal fearmongering

In Thursday speech, Conservative leader urges calm when dealing with the U.S. president

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Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Mark Carney share a common vision: a desire to see Canada a strong, independent country that is master of its own house. 

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But in a speech Thursday, Poilievre was very clear that he does not embrace Carney’s pugilistic attitude towards the United States, one that would seek to make Canada an enemy of an ally. 

Michael Higgins: Poilievre promises to face Trump with stoicism, not Liberal fearmongering Back to video

Rather, Poilievre advocated a more practical and calm response by evoking Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, “You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” 

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But will Poilievre’s pragmatism convince Canadians in the face of Carney’s fearmongering and passion? 

Last month in Davos, the prime minister excoriated the United States, although, politely, or perhaps in fear of U.S. President Donald Trump, he never named America. 

Carney insinuated that the U.S. had ruptured the world order, was behaving like an unrestrained bully, was abandoning rules and values in pursuit of power and money and that “middle powers” had to band together or surrender their sovereignty. 

“The strong do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must,” Carney said, quoting Thucydides. 

Together with his cynical “elbows up” election campaign and his recent trip to Beijing to drum up business, Carney is signalling a pivotal shift away from the U.S. and its troublesome president. 

However, Poilievre recognizes that world events, national sovereignty and the economy are not determined by one man, no matter how bombastically he strides upon the world stage. 

“Canada cannot control the decisions of foreign presidents,” said Poilievre at the Economic Cub of Canada in Toronto. “We cannot control global shocks or the volatility of the world. But we can control the strength of our own country. 

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“We can control whether our economy is solid or fragile. We can control whether we are dependent or self-reliant. We can control whether we drift — or whether we build. 

“And the lesson of this moment is simple: The path to sovereignty begins with focusing relentlessly on what is within our power.” 

But being stoic, for Poilievre, is not to be powerless. 

With an eye on the upcoming negotiations over the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement, Poilievre said there was leverage we should use in the talks to secure a good bargain. 

He pointed out that Canada is America’s second-largest customer; that we control the hemisphere’s largest landmass, airspace, and northern approaches; that we have huge stores of critical minerals that are vital to our allies and that a large sum of defence spending was likely to go to the U.S. 

Canada’s partnership with the U.S. was too close and too successful to be simply abandoned, argued Poilievre. 

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“Canada and the United States have built one of the most successful economic and security partnerships the world has ever known. That partnership remains profoundly in the interests of both countries,” he said. 

“Canada’s prosperity and security are inseparable from a stable relationship with the United States. 

“That is why we should not declare a permanent rupture from our biggest customer and closest neighbour in favour of a strategic partnership for a new world order with Beijing — a regime the prime minister said a year ago was the biggest threat to Canada.  

“Canada should talk and trade where prudent — but never mistake engagement for dependence. China is not a substitute for the United States.” 

Poilievre was also at pains to point out that the American people were still friends with Canada and should not be punished by our response to Trump. 

“It is also important to distinguish governments from peoples. Politicians come and go. The people remain. The miner in Appalachia, the energy worker in Texas, the engineer in California do not wake up each day dreaming about ways to stick it to Canadians.  

“The American people are not our adversaries.” 

Unfortunately, Canadians seem intent on taking Carney’s message to heart and shunning all things American. 

An EKOS poll last month found 70 per cent of Canadians had a negative view of America — less than Russia (at 89 per cent) but more than China (at 63 per cent). Meanwhile, almost a third of Canadians think it likely or moderately likely that the U.S. will invade this country in the next three years. 

“The most effective response to uncertainty is not outrage,” said Poilievre. “We must not allow President Trump to distract us from the work here at home.” 

But the people don’t appear to be listening. Carney’s truculent talk has convinced people that America and the American people are our enemies, when, in fact they are still very much our friends, our allies and our partners. 

We need to stop demonizing America and realize that it’s Trump that needs handling not the U.S. 

Poilievre champions a reasoned, stoical approach to our current difficulties whereas Carney seeks to inflame passions. 

To quote Aurelius again: “A real man doesn’t give way to anger and discontent, and such a person has strength, courage and endurance — unlike the angry and complaining. The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.” 

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