Canadians Counter Productive Anti-Americanism

By Matthew Clark

Over the last eleven years (2015-2026) Canadians have suffered through an unprecedented (for them) economic decline. From once being one of the wealthiest middle classes on earth, they have descended into the lower rung of the globe's middle classes. A pregnant statistic which bears this out is that in 2015 the average Canadian earned an income almost identical to that of his United States counterpart. Currently (2026) the average Canadian maintains a yearly salary which is sixty per cent of the average American. Clearly there is something amiss in The Great White North's economic landscape!

While many factors over the past eleven years have contributed to the contemporary Canadian economic malaise, one recent trend threatens to transform the Northern Kingdom from having problematic economic challenges into downright collapse. That trend is a childish, emotionally self indulgent anti-Americanism, advertised by the nation's upper hierarchy of politicians under the phrase "elbows up."

"Elbows Up" has led to some nonsensical situations on the Canadian political/economic terrain. For instance in October 2025 Ontario political leader premier Doug Ford (Ontario is Canada's most populous province) threw a public temper tantrum against a British alcohol distillery company, as part of his personnel anti-United States crusade. Diagio, a United Kingdom based alcohol distillery institution, announced they were closing a 100 year plus plant in Amherstburg, Ontario. Production was being maintained in Manitoba and Quebec, while employment at the company's head office in Toronto, Ontario, was to be increased. Nevertheless Diagio production was being relocated to the United States.

Upon hearing this announcement Ontario Premier Doug Ford called a press conference. He dramatically poured a bottle of Crown Royal Whisky, the company's flagship product, on the floor. He then announced he was pulling all Crown Royal product from the Provinces government owned liquor stores. Ford's chief grievence was that the Amherstburg plant was being closed while the plant's whisky distilleration was being relocated south of the border. He accused the company of being anti-Canadian, despite the fact they were maintaining their Manitoba and Quebec operations, while increasing staff at their Canadian head office in Toronto, Ontario.

By portraying the Anherstburg plant closure as an issue where the company chose the U.S. over Canada, the premier adroitly avoided having to explain why it was so expedient for Diagio to close the Ontario alcohol manufacturing factory. Diagio executives were not given an oppurtunity to respond to the political leaders outburst. No doubt they were probably puzzled on how a U.K. company could be caught up in Doug Ford's anti-American crusade. Yet their explanation on why it was in the interests of the corporation to close the Amherstburg plant might have been illuminating.

One of the worst kept secrets amongst the Ontario business community is how challenging it is to run a business in the province. High taxes and an abundance of regulation has soured many business men and women on the province. Only easy access to the United States market, enabled by the Canada-United States-Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement, causes many businesses, especially foreign based companies, to maintain operations in Ontario.

This point was emphasized during February of 2026 when Japanese ambassador to Canada, Kanji Yamanouchi, in a public communication, stressed the need for Canadian located manufacturing outlets to have access to the American market through the CUSMA trade pact. Yamanouchi's musings are particularly important to Canada as the Japanese auto manufacturers, Honda and Toyota, are major players in Canada's car manufacturing sector. Honda, and Toyota's, Canadian plants, outproduced Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, Canadian automotive production factories for the years 2024 and 2025. Since the trade deal is up for review, with a negotiation deadline of July 1, 2026, it was/is obvious the Japanese ambassador was stressing on how vulnernable the Japanese manufacturing plants are if an agreement is not obtained by the July 1st date.

Given this set of circumstances it would seemingly be apparent that the Canadian government would want to head into the trade talks in as strong a position as possible. To do so Canada needed to form a strong partnership with Mexico, in order to counter the powerful presence of the United States. In the original CUSMA negotiations (2016-2018) it was a strong alliance with Mexico which allowed Canadian negotiators to land relatively favourable results.

Unfortunately for the future wealth and employment of Canadian workers, that has not transpired this time around. Instead a novice politician, Mark Carney, parachuted into the Prime Minister's office of the federal government, decided to appeal to the nations voters by resorting to the average Canadian citizens juvenile anti-Americanism. "Elbows Up", or aggressive confrontation, would be the strategy in any interaction with the United States, Mr. Carney proclaimed. Sadly the electorate bought the policy, or rather motto. Ominiously the Mexicans, or rather the Mexican government, did not.

Upon observing the behaviour of both Canadian government and citizens, the Mexicans abandoned any notion of forming an alliance with the Canadians. Mexicans, government officials and citizens alike, want a trade agreement. Therefore Mexican negotiators have conducted bilateral talks with the Americans, leaving the Canadian officials out in the cold. When members of Mr. Carney's cabinet travelled to Mexico to lobby for a mutual strategy by both of the country's administrations, they were given a polite, yet cold, shoulder.

That Canada is on it's own in this latest round of CUSMA bargaining has become particularly apparent whenever Mr. Carney, members of his administration, or Ontario Premier Doug Ford, have travelled to New York, or Washington, to lobby United States politicians on the need for the two governments to reach an accomodation in their trade talks. As in Mexico, the American administration has given the Canadians a polite, yet nevertheless, cold shoulder. Mexico is a priority for the Americans, Canada is not!

Canadians stand on as precipice of their own making. There is a difference between being morally defiant, resolute in one's belief(s), determined in action, on the one hand and emotionally self indulgent, whimsical, sensitive, and irrational in public utterances, on the other. Not understanding those differences, or even caring about them, could literally send millions of the Northern Kingdom's citizens into impoverishment!