Sharks famously circle their prey, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill. Landsharks do the same, circling the piece of real estate they covet, until it is ripe to fall into their itching hands. Meantime, they manoeuvre and manipulate, threaten and tempt.
The GOAT of this ilk, having drawn a bead on the Canadian landmass, is mentally circling it from his eyrie in the White House. And the more he circles it, the more he likes it: vast and fertile, well-forested, well-watered and sea-facing on three sides. He loves the shape of a conjoined US and Canada without the irritating straight-line border and, as he himself claims, he is a “very artistic person”. He is convinced that the true love between the two nations will result in “a wonderful marriage”. Months of such statements have left little doubt: Donald Trump’s intention to make Canada the 51st state of the US is no flippant fantasy. He wants Canada.
Imaging: Deni Lal
Except that there is a problem: Canada belongs to Canadians, bringing to mind the story of the two Rabbis sent by the early Zionists to prospect Palestine for a Jewish homeland; the Rabbis, finding Palestinians there, reported back: “The bride is beautiful but she is married to another man.” The Canadians are not going to roll over, though under Justin Trudeau—whom Trump openly despised and mocked as “Governor Trudeau” of the “Great State of Canada”—they may have appeared shell-shocked. Fortunately for them, the hour, as is its wont, has produced the man. The new prime minister, Mark Carney, mild of manner but steely in his resolve, has shown that in politics, long experience is not always a necessity. Clarity of thought, uncompromising conviction and determined action can go a long way.
Carney has pushed back Trump with enviable effect, repeatedly underlining his commitment to Canadian sovereignty and stating directly, undeterred by the Oval Office setting, that Canada is “not for sale”. When Trump persisted with “never say never”, Carney, smilingly but unmistakeably, said exactly that. He knows that Trump’s bluster is based on shaky facts: illegal migration from Canada is low, fentanyl drug-trafficking is minimal and in trade terms, Canada is not “ripping off” the US, as Trump would have it. As Carney has pointed out, Canada remains the top client for 40 states of the US, supplying them with vital conventional energy and potentially, critical minerals. Canada co-partners the US in the crucial North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that provides air and maritime surveillance and defence. Even closer cooperation would be required for Trump’s newly announced Golden Dome missile defence project. Trump has dangled the carrot that Canada could join for free as a “cherished 51st state”, else the price tag is $61 billion; a Canadian diplomat likened the offer to a “protection racket”. Meanwhile, Carney has opened the field by announcing Canada’s intention to join ReArm Europe, a European initiative to revitalise European defence industry.
But Carney’s masterstroke was to get King Charles III—who is still Canada’s Head of State—to come and open the Canadian parliament and deliver the speech from the throne. Even sans the royal robes, the King’s presence was a strong, if symbolic, signal in support of Canadian sovereignty. It reminded one of the 1970s Bollywood drama Deewar, in which a calm and composed Shashi Kapoor finesses the taunts, boasts and jibes of the angry young man played by Amitabh Bachchan by the straightforward clincher—“Mere paas maa hai” (But I have mother). Carney has made it clear that he has the king, and that may be his Trump card.
The writer is former ambassador to the US.