This artist agrees to standing in the back of the room of world events, with no seat at the table other than casting an eye, pointing a finger and painting a picture.
Excerpted from National Observer: Linda Solomon Wood Opinion 26/09/03
Donald Trump’s trade war is accelerating Canada’s retreat from climate policy.
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When trade talks between Canada and the United States broke down on August 22 and Trump imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on almost $30 billion of Canadian goods, Canada had to respond.
And it is responding. Prime Minister Mark Carney is standing up to Trump. I admire him for that. Canada cannot allow an American president to threaten our economy every time he doesn’t get what he wants. We need new markets, new trading partners and far less dependence on the United States.
But something else is happening in the rush to protect ourselves.
Climate policy is getting trounced.
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When building more fossil-fuel infrastructure is framed as standing up for Canada, opposing it becomes politically harder. When weakening climate rules is framed as protecting Canadian jobs and sovereignty, climate policy starts to look like something we can no longer afford.
Economic sovereignty and climate policy must not be presented as opposing choices. Just as we need to tackle housing costs and public health, we need to keep both climate action and economic independence on our list of priorities. Otherwise, we are solving one massive challenge by making another harder.
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Digital collages from Boreal Smouldering Series/2026 ,Allan Harding MacKay