Canada has been faced with chaos as U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly raised annexation and levied punitive tariffs.Leah Millis/Reuters

It is comforting, in times of chaos, to believe that things will return to normal. People tend to seize on hints that the worst is over. This is why stock markets surge every time U.S. President Donald Trump does something marginally reasonable.

Reality check: while moments of peace offer welcome breathing space, they are no reason to ignore the bigger picture.

Canada sustained a series of body-blows in March and April, as Mr. Trump repeatedly raised annexation and levied punitive tariffs. Although the current situation may seem calmer, that is only by comparison to chaos. The country still faces serious economic threats from south of the border.

Letting down the national guard now would be to fall victim to “normalcy bias.” This theory holds that people believe during abnormal times that normality will reassert itself, removing the urgency to act. A common internet meme illustrates this with a picture of a dog surrounded by flames and saying, “this is fine.”

Last week offers strong evidence all is not fine. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump made another attempt to strong-arm Canada into joining his dream of a continental missile defence system. On Wednesday, a court

© The Globe and Mail