Any softening toward China weakens the shield that protects our security and our economy

There is a comforting idea making the rounds in Canada: stay neutral, keep everyone calm, and we will be fine. We can distance ourselves from the United States without losing the benefits of the alliance and let markets and multilateral forums do the heavy lifting.

It sounds smart. It is also risky.

Two ideas sit at the centre of this argument, and both need plain language.

Grey zone pressure is coercion that stays below open conflict, like constant shoving in a crowded hallway. No single push starts a fight, but the pattern shapes how people move, what they say, and what they accept. States and their proxies use grey zone methods because they are deniable and cheap. They include illicit finance, influence campaigns, cyber intrusions, regulatory gaming, diaspora intimidation and targeted trade pressure.

Undermining our alliance with the U.S. will ultimately damage our economic growth and national security.Getty Images

Canada’s favourite weapon against criminal regimes is a press release

How Canada lost the respect of the world

The U.S. has a national security strategy. Where’s Canada’s?

Credibility hedging is the belief that Canada can look reliable to everyone while committing fully to no one. The hope is that reputation, legal language and market confidence will discourage retaliation if Canada drifts between camps. In practice, hedging often reads as hesitation.

This matters because Canada is not in a routine trade dispute. Canada sits inside a........

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