GROUP OF SEVEN
Thursday June 14, 2018
In Canada we think of, or at least we used to, the Group of Seven as our most revered painters – artists extraordinaire.
Now we have the G-7, or rather G-7 meeting aftermath. Trump bashed Canada, bashed our Prime Minister and acts petulant child on the world stage. Canadians get to pay the price for Trump being Trump. We didn’t elect him, he’s not our leader, but he feels he can have dominion over our lives …
What can we do?
As a Canadian I’m never surprised when I hear or read something outrageous U.S. President Trump says. I’m sure people from every country, including his own, roll their eyes and raise eyebrows regularly when we spouts ‘barely truth’ statements, distorted facts and purely fictional scenarios he invented to please someone or to please his own fragile ego …
But he’s gone too far.
He’s attacking my wallet now. He’s attacking my country – without justification. It isn’t me specifically, but when he wants to dis-invent NAFTA, levy unreasonable and excessive tariffs on steel, aluminum and cars he’s attacking my fellow Canadians, he’s attacking our nation’s pocketbook. We have – collectively, an opportunity to do something about it. I think we should do something about it.
You might ask, “what can I do?”.
You can do plenty.
For starters, BUY CANADIAN more. Vacation in Canada more. When you can’t but Canadian – buy Japanese, buy European, buy what you want but don’t automatically buy American.
Sometimes we vote best when we vote with our feet. If you are buying goods or a service, you have to make the best purchasing choice for your needs and your budget. We all do. But should we do it without thinking? Can we find a non-American product or service at comparable prices? In many things, we can’t. Our measures may be small, but if we all make a little bit of change in our personal and corporate spending and investment decisions, we’ll move the needle.
Not anti-anything to do this. It’s pro-Canadian. It’s sending a message. We don’t need to holler or Tweet, no need to write letters or call MPs, just decide more carefully where and how we spend our money. When we do that we have market power, and that’s persuasive.
