The Trump threat is tragic for Canada – but it can also be cathartic

Deanna Horton is a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She is a former Canadian diplomat.

Negotiations on a trade deal with the United States are intensifying, as they must. No matter the outcome on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the U.S. will continue to be Canada’s largest market and trading partner.

But given the administration Canada is dealing with, this will not be the last time we try to come to terms under the threat of tariffs.

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For Canada, there will be no return to the status quo – the world is being turned upside down by our neighbour to the south. What is happening is tragic and scary, but I believe it could also be cathartic.

At a conference at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy earlier this year, one of the American attendees described Canada as the most vulnerable country on the planet. One could also argue that there are many other countries in the same boat – so we need to have a convoy of boats.

If Canada is the most vulnerable country in the world, trade is certainly top of the list of vulnerabilities, and diversity of trading partners is key to mitigating that challenge.

Others have said this. Indeed, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made big show of engaging with Europe.

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However, while Asia is essential to Canada’s future prosperity and is the biggest focus of our trade diversification efforts, thinking about Asia is still not Canada’s reflex. When we talk about like-minded countries we invariably think, at least in the first instance, as Mr. Carney does, about Europe.

Canada should instead be thinking of itself as a North Pacific nation – and we should be defining our sovereignty in that context. Japan and South Korea are our staunch allies, but we don’t appreciate them in this way, or certainly, not as much as we should. They are business partners. We three share a common security dependence on the United States and we are worried about U.S. commitment to its allies.

Canada’s diversity is a strength. I would argue for engaging the entire Canadian diaspora, that is, all the Canadians living and working abroad. These Canadians, speaking multiple languages and understanding international cultures, are a huge resource for the country. When we talk of diversification, we should be looking to them as our team’s first offensive line.

To reinforce this line, the country needs to expand its efforts to encourage young Canadians to study in Asia and support internships in Asia to improve knowledge of markets there.

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Finally, circling back to the metaphor of the convoy of boats, perhaps we should call it the coalition of open-knowledge societies. In the media, and in academia for that matter, we tend to focus on what are often called “Western nations.”

We should first be recognizing the contributions that can be made to our economic security and prosperity by some of our trade-negotiations partners in the Indo-Pacific region – from South Korea and Japan to Taiwan, Singapore, India, Australia, New Zealand, to Chile and Mexico. Not all of them are generally incorporated in the definition of “Western nations,” but they are important partners just the same.

In terms of definitions, perhaps the most meaningful way to reorient ourselves is to consider the concept of open-knowledge societies. As we move ever further into the digital economy, the mark of our innovation success will be the sharing of knowledge and free access to information.

The countries that share this principle are our ideal partners, and we should be banding together to bring others along. This is an initiative not defined as East or West, but rather as open or restricted.

This is a long game, and we will all have to consider whether the next U.S. presidency will revert to a more traditionalist belief in the alliance structure and U.S. leadership. However we end up, I believe investments to support open-knowledge societies are worthwhile.

• Investments in technologies to improve lives, with applications in the global south;
• Investments in technologies to enhance cybersecurity to protect civil society and private citizens, and in superior broadband infrastructure;
• Improved telemedicine, leading to greater knowledge and better health outcomes; and
• A focus on innovation, with an impact investment lens that encompasses equality and justice.

Canada could be the driving innovation force behind what could be the start of this renaissance.