Canadian politicians speaking with one voice

It was something that seems unusual in politics in recent years: politicians of different stripes taking the same side and together supporting what Canada needs to do, and is doing, to address U.S. trade attacks.

Take former prime minister Stephen Harper, closing out a major Toronto investment meeting set up by Prime Minister Mark Carney with a speech where Harper said he not only supported Carney’s decision to walk away from trade talks with the U.S., but that he would have done the same thing.

The deal the Americans were demanding “leaves no choice but for Canada to pursue diminished reliance on the U.S.,” Mr. Harper said. “There will be significant costs to this effort, but those are costs that I hope and believe Canadians are able and prepared to accept.”

And, Harper said, Canada has plenty to offer to other countries that want to trade with us: integrity.

“This country offers something even more precious than our abundant raw resources and our plentiful business opportunities,” Harper said. “It offers a mindset of respect, of collaboration and of partnership.”

The investment conference, which included meetings with global and domestic private and public sector investors, CEOs and financiers, was set up to push investment opportunities and find solutions to challenges in Canada.

Carney wants to raise $1 trillion in investment funding for Canadian ventures over five years, and the meeting closed with federal officials saying the single meeting was well on the way to that goal, with nearly $500-billion in new commitments.

Days earlier, another former prime minister, Jean Chretien, delivered a similarly unambiguous speech in Gander, NL, at a commemoration of the 9/11 attacks.

“Never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination. And never mistake our kindness for softness. We know who we are and we are proud of it,” Chretien said. “We bow to no one … And the more we are insulted or threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united.”

Chretien, Harper and Carney are doing what Canadians have to do when we’re under attack.

And U.S. President Donald Trump has demonstrated he is clearly willing to attack the Canadian economy on whatever front he can. On top of threats of annexation and promises to crush the Canadian economy to force Canada to submit, Trump, earlier this week when there was news of a potential new relationship between Canadian and the European Union, announced that he would intercede in the process.

“If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe,” Trump said.

This is not the time for political infighting. This is not the time for carping from the sidelines and trying to score political points by undermining efforts to address Donald Trump’s economic warfare.

This is a time for Canadians to put Canada first, to be united in showing that U.S. bluster will be met with steadfast resistance and careful planning. Slowly proceed with negotiations to protect Canadian trade with the U.S. while finding new markets outside America, build new trade links and new partnerships and set new trade goals that don’t necessarily exclude opportunities with the U.S., but also don’t make us more dependent on a country ruled by a president who is as untrustworthy as he is fickle.

Stephen Harper understands that. Mark Carney understands that. And Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew clearly understands that, too.

Point the boat in the right direction with everybody pulling on the same oars and put our backs into doing the hard work that needs to be done.

It’s a message that every politician in Canada should understand — and if they don’t, they should sit down and get out of the way.