A well-known saying in politics is to never let a good crisis go to waste. The governing Liberals have embraced this idea, calling a snap election for April 28. Their decision came amid United States President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods and threats of annexation.

This moment presents a rare opportunity for Canadian Conservatives to rethink their approach. They can do this by tapping into their own party’s history of opposing American domination over Canada.

Canadians are often presented as mild-mannered patriots. But Trump’s mockery of Canadian sovereignty has upended that perception.

A recent Angus Reid poll found a surge in national pride. The percentage of Canadians who were “very proud” to be Canadian jumped from 34 to 44. At hockey games, Canadians are booing the American national anthem. And in grocery stores, shoppers are boycotting American products in favour of domestic goods.

Read more: Trump tariffs have sparked a 'Buy Canadian' surge, but keeping the trend alive faces hurdles

This rising nationalism is an opening for Conservatives to draw on their own history.

Up until the 1980s, Canadian conservatism was the ideology most closely tied to anti-Americanism. From the United Empire Loyalists to John A. MacDonald’s National Policy, conservatism was about resisting American control.

Robert Borden’s 1911 election win, for example, was fuelled by nationalist opposition to........

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