Friday July 11, 2025 | SIDNEY, BC [Posted at 5:04 pm | Updated 5:18 pm]
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May held a press conference today to deliver her reaction to the letter from US President Donald Trump in which the US President posted some thoughts to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump’s letter dated July 10 was posted in social media.
May was careful to not make her concerns sound like party-warfare. She was careful not to mention Liberal in her remarks today, and specifically pointed that out to media.
Trump’s letter threatens a 35% tariff effective August 1, falling back on one of his original planks that fentanyl is a national security threat coming from Canada to the United States.
That’s up from the latest series of tariff level hikes that continue to change. The tariff would be on top of specific tariffs on steel, aluminum and forest products.
Another late night rant:
May colours Trumps as someone “who uses social media as his weapon of choice with late night rants. This one is extremely unusual, being a letter to our prime minster”, said May.
May stood up for Canada, saying Carney has made ‘every effort to engage in good faith’ with Donald Trump.
May feels that Canada has taken (probably enough) “abuse and aggression” from what she otherwise calls “a great neighbour”.
Even though Canadians for months have been hearing about the trade war that Trump has launched against Canada, May stated a reminder that Canada’s disputes are not with the people of America but the current White House administration.
She feels that Trump disregards international law and the understanding of order of the world. Geopolitical security is her concern.
What Carney might do:
What the Green Party Leader would like to see Carney do, in response to Trump’s continual (though erratic) pressure towards Canada, is to protect our economy. That is, in fact, already Carney’s stated goal. Though some cracks in that strategy are showing: caving in on the Digital Services Tax against big tech giants would be one example.
May points out that the 45th Election ballot question moved to ‘who can deal best with Trump’. it was a way for the Liberals to win. Fair enough, she implies, as “we’re dealing with a bully, more so a pirate”, she said about Trump.
Digital Services Tax should remain in place:
It was actually quite surprising how quickly Canada rolled over, seemingly not respecting at all the impact of social media tech giants on the Canadian economy nor the revenues to Canadian media that will be supported through the Digital Services Tax revenue.
May points out that the Digital Services Tax was passed by parliament. “It should be collected.”
“They have been enriching themselves by robbing us,” she says of the tech giants. That includes “undermining our housing through things like Airbnb“, and negatively impacting journalism (pointing out that online ads have replaced the revenue to most of the newspapers in Canada).
“The law is there,” says May about the Digital Services Tax, which also happens to maintain “coherent alliedship with other OECD countries”, Trying to mitigate the economic impacts of tech giants has also to do with nations having to deal with the social and economic fallout that distorts society.
Buy bonds:
“We are not powerless,” says May. Today she encouraged Canadians could buy bonds as ‘saving Canada bonds’.
It’s reminiscent of buying war Victory Bonds back during World War II. It was a way that every Canadian could help bolster the national economy. It creates a strategic reserve.
The Canada Savings Bond was an investment instrument offered by the Government of Canada from 1945 to 2017. The Government of Canada’s Savings Bond page has not been updated since 2009.
Bonds are only available to Canadian individuals, not banks or brokers, says the Green Party leader. This could help with supporting certain sectors that are suffering due to tariffs imposed, she says.
Buying bonds makes sense, they’re doable, strategic and can be done quickly, May outlined.
Digital Sales Tax – Don’t back down:
“We have ideas that will work, and we know this,” said May today, adding that “Team Canada was on board with retaliatory tariffs”.
“We need to be more strategic when dealing with a bully 10 times our size,” said May.
Don’t back down, she implores. In that context she highlights comments by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz who said it was a mistake to back down on the digital sales tax and also Lloyd Axworthy (a former former Minister of Foreign Affairs under Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien) who has said ‘don’t back down’.
Protecting digital media is about protecting democracy, she points out. Makes sense, Taylor Owen, founder of The Center for Media, Technology and Democracy.
The US should not see us “cowering in a corner”, said May, while adding that Canada doesn’t need to make the US “our enemies or burn bridges — I hope we don’t”.
“If we cave on one thing we may cave on others — what kind of precedent are we setting,” is May’s premise.
Supply management and health:
Dairy sector supply management is challenged by Trump in his letter today.
What many Canadians may not realize is that our country’s protection of the dairy sector is not just economic for farmers, but it also protects our health.
Canada fought hard to keep US milk products out of Canada after fighting hard against Monsanto which uses bovine growth hormone in the dairy sector to increase milk production in cows. The recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) compound has been shown to be carcinogenic.
By protecting the poultry sector, Canada again protects health and economy. When the Avian flu hit hard last year, the price of eggs skyrocketed in the US due to the culling of large poultry farm flocks. “US eggs became a luxury item,” May reminds.
Meanwhile, Canadian eggs remained affordable while keeping Canadian poultry farms profitable including smaller farms.
“Over and over, supply managment has been protected in the House of Commons,” said May today.
Trump has a thing for Canada:
It’s pretty clear that Trump has his eye on the critical mineral supply and vast land areas that Canada has (and should possibly cherish more). That’s his whole premise behind the 51st state rhetoric.
He is transactional and wants what he feels he can take — obviously without regard for the social, cultural and political impacts that annexation of Canada would have on what most Canadians hold dear.
“Canada targets Canada more than any other nation. He’s creating uncertainty in markets and for the whole global economy,” says May.
Trump has “taken leave of any pretense that this has anything to do with trade”. She says it could lead to a global economic Depression.
“Trump’s use of tariffs has nothing to do with the trade conduct of other countries, has nothing to do with economics or fairness to US business, and certainly no fairness toward Canadian businesses,” May said today at her outdoor press conference by the sea.
Diversification:
May urges Carney to protect small business and workers in Canada.
The Greens are supportive of Canada having stronger ties with other countries, like-minded democracies who are also concerned by the ways that Trump shows “complete disrespect for international law or the treaties he has signed”.
BC Premier Eby also remarked on Trump’s most recent social media missive, posting this on X today: “Just one more reminder of why Canadians need to come together, to grow our economy and stand strong. British Columbians are leading the way on that work.”
===== RELATED:
- Trump threatens to end trade talks with Canada over digital services tax (June 27, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: GREEN PARTY of CANADA | POLITICS | USA-CANADA | CANADA-NATIONAL | TRADE & TARIFFS