Happy 4th of July!
Canada and the United States have fought together in war, defended one another from harm, and stood by one another in good times and in bad. Our countries are the envy of the world, drawing immigrants who seek freedom, prosperity, opportunity, and a better way of life. We have been peaceful neighbors and strong allies.
Our economies have thrived through trade and exchange with $3.6 Billion CAD ($2.6 Billion USD) crossing the Canada-US border every single day.
We also co-create goods in a deeply entwined economy. Most Canadians and Americans drive vehicles that have been manufactured jointly on both sides of the border.
The United States is looking at Canada for critical minerals, to the cold climate for better AI data-storage, and to leverage Canada’s oil, gas and electricity sectors to feed a growing need for energy.
America offers much to Canada as a friend and ally. Canada receives intelligence through the Five Eyes’ Alliance, though it does not maintain an overseas intelligence service of its own.
America provides security to Canada through our NATO and NORAD alliances, as well as the vast defense capabilities of the largest military in the world – despite that Canada has not lived up to its NATO military spending commitments and has a military in sharp decline.
On the American side, some lawmakers look to take political advantage of Canada’s lower drug prices, promising mass importation at cheaper prices, even though Canada has laws to stop drug exportation en masse which would leave Canadians with drug shortages.
The United States is also the greatest beneficiary of Canadian brain drain, frustrating a Canadian tax base that supports the publicly subsidized universities with a lower return on their investment. Canadian talent often departs to the US and, like any Canadian actor who has made it big in Hollywood, rarely returns.
With such friendly neighbors, it can be hard to tell them when they are overstepping, leaning too hard, or taking too much. But, in order to guarantee our mutual independence, to secure our respective nations, and to advance our ability to freely trade and prosper, we must be able to tell one another when the relationship is unbalanced and what must be done to correct it.
In short, friends tell friends the truth. In doing so, we’ll gain more than we lose.
This is the purpose of CNAPS.
On this, our first Independence Day, we will continue to fight for freedom, prosperity and security for all.
