There’s a certain sound the continent makes when the gears begin to grind. It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic. It’s more like a low vibration under the floorboards, the kind you feel before you hear. And lately, Canadians have been feeling that hum.

Trade agreements that once seemed permanent are suddenly up for renegotiation. Cross-border cooperation that used to run on autopilot now sputters and coughs. And our neighbours to the south, who once strode forward with a single voice, are speaking in a chorus that doesn’t quite harmonize.

Moments like this can make people nervous. They can make people imagine futures that haven’t happened, and may never happen. They can make us forget who we are.

So tonight, on this broadcast, I want to remind us.

Canada has lived beside American turbulence for as long as we’ve existed. We were born next to a powerful neighbour that has gone through cycles of unity and division, confidence and doubt, expans…

The health of the financial system doesn’t get talked about much in the mainstream media. A cynic would say this is intentional, so the average person will be the last to know when the economy is circling the drain. That way they can bear the brunt of the financial pain in any recession.

I recently started paying attention to economics after I developed an interest in the precious metals markets. I am not a financial advisor, but I’m sharing what I've learned because I think it’s important. If you read further I belleve I make a good argument that hard times are coming and that diversifying into gold and/or silver would be prudent. Gold and silver have been money for thousands of years and every downturn has seen their prices spike as people try to preserve their wealth. The analysts I follow say to plan on holding these metals for five years because the timing of the next recession is impossible to predict, though many believe a downturn could occur before the end…