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“So untrustworthy”
Yesterday, the Ottawa Citizen reported that retired Canadian Air Force Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin said that the purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighters should no longer go forward as planned because "the U.S. has become so untrustworthy."
Think about that statement: "so untrustworthy." A devastating comment.
Even though we have been talking about these issues for weeks, those words really brought me to a standstill.
I am very angry about how the United States has treated Canada with such disrespect• but to hear the United States of America called "so untrustworthy" by such a credible person brought out a different emotion. I’m not even sure what it is, but I am saddened that the U.S. has turned that corner with Mr. Trump's offensive actions.
Untrustworthy?
President Trump now argues that the Canada-U.S. border is just "an artificial line that can be changed. "It isn't. The border location was thoroughly negotiated and legally established throughfive key signed treaties between 1783 and 1846. Although boundary lines were agreed upon through international diplomacy and signed contracts, Mr. Trump now indicates that the U.S. signatures on those contracts mean nothing.
President Trump in 2018 personally negotiated the USMCA Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico to replace the NAFTA Trade Agreement. On October 1, 2018, Mr. Trump signed the USMCA contract and exclaimed that this is "the single greatest agreementever signed." Now Mr. Trump is breaking every aspect of that signed contract with a fluctuating barrage of tariffs.
If a country betrays binding treaties and signed contracts, the term "untrustworthy" applies.
I always taught my children that credibility is built like a stack of Coke cans. If you do something right… the can goes on the top. If you do something wrong… the can comes off the bottom and the stack collapses along with your credibility. It takes a long time to reestablish that stack of credibility, and it will be a long time before the international community feels that the United States is a reliable partner again.
Think about that statement: "so untrustworthy." A devastating comment.
Even though we have been talking about these issues for weeks, those words really brought me to a standstill.
I am very angry about how the United States has treated Canada with such disrespect• but to hear the United States of America called "so untrustworthy" by such a credible person brought out a different emotion. I’m not even sure what it is, but I am saddened that the U.S. has turned that corner with Mr. Trump's offensive actions.
Untrustworthy?
President Trump now argues that the Canada-U.S. border is just "an artificial line that can be changed. "It isn't. The border location was thoroughly negotiated and legally established throughfive key signed treaties between 1783 and 1846. Although boundary lines were agreed upon through international diplomacy and signed contracts, Mr. Trump now indicates that the U.S. signatures on those contracts mean nothing.
President Trump in 2018 personally negotiated the USMCA Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico to replace the NAFTA Trade Agreement. On October 1, 2018, Mr. Trump signed the USMCA contract and exclaimed that this is "the single greatest agreementever signed." Now Mr. Trump is breaking every aspect of that signed contract with a fluctuating barrage of tariffs.
If a country betrays binding treaties and signed contracts, the term "untrustworthy" applies.
I always taught my children that credibility is built like a stack of Coke cans. If you do something right… the can goes on the top. If you do something wrong… the can comes off the bottom and the stack collapses along with your credibility. It takes a long time to reestablish that stack of credibility, and it will be a long time before the international community feels that the United States is a reliable partner again.