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…