Donald J. Savoie is the Canada Research Chair in public administration and governance at Université de Moncton and the author of Speaking Truth To Canadians About Their Public Service.

We are dealing with a capricious U.S. President who is taking selfish nationalism to new heights.

Donald Trump is wrong to argue that the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada – think potash, rare minerals, water, electricity, oil and gas, tourism dollars and a politically stable and reliable trading partner. One has to be hopelessly naive to think that Canada could simply become America’s 51st state or that Canada would accept the same standing as Rhode Island, with only 3,144 square kilometres in size, or Wyoming, with a population of 590,000. (Note that New Brunswick is bigger in size than Rhode Island and has more residents than Wyoming.) And why would we agree to join a country that has a US$34-trillion debt? We have more than enough debt in Canada as it is.

Canadians need to take seriously Mr. Trump’s game plan designed to weaken Canada’s economy, for whatever purpose he has in mind. Our Minister of........

© The Globe and Mail