COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – ‘Canada First’ has to mean building Canada

There has been no shortage of political theatre surrounding the latest Canada–U.S. trade discussions.

Premier Wab Kinew has called U.S. President Donald Trump a “bad person” who is “not to be trusted.” We have heard tough talk about fighting back, catchy slogans and plenty of commentary designed to generate headlines.

But after all the press conferences and political posturing, I keep coming back to a much simpler question: What are we actually doing to make Manitoba and Canada stronger?

There is one part of this situation we cannot control and another part we absolutely can.

We cannot control who Americans elect as their president or every decision made in Washington. What we can control is whether Manitoba is one of the best places in North America to invest, build a business, develop a mine, expand a farm, manufacture a product and create a job.

Unfortunately, that part of the conversation receives far less attention.

The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner by an enormous margin. More than 70 per cent of Canada’s merchandise exports still go to the United States. We share a massive border and our agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transportation and supply chains have been interconnected for generations.

Here in southern Manitoba, the United States isn’t some distant foreign market. They’re our neighbours, customers and suppliers.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t diversify. We absolutely should be aggressively pursuing opportunities in Europe, Asia and emerging markets around the world. But diversification should mean adding customers, not pretending we can replace our largest one.

We’ve heard a lot about “Canada First.” I like the idea, but “Canada First” cannot simply mean putting a maple leaf on a political slogan.

If we really want Canada First, let’s start building Canada.

Develop our natural resources. Get mines into production. Build infrastructure. Manufacture more products here. Expand food processing and agriculture. Encourage entrepreneurs to start businesses and existing businesses to grow.

And most importantly, get government out of the way.

Government cannot order businesses to become more competitive, but it can stop making them less competitive.

Taxes matter. Regulation matters. Permitting timelines matter. Energy and transportation costs matter. Every dollar a business spends navigating unnecessary bureaucracy is a dollar that cannot be invested in equipment, wages, expansion or innovation.

Every major project that spends years sitting in a regulatory process represents jobs, investment and tax revenue sitting on the sidelines.

This isn’t theoretical for me.

I’m not only an MLA serving as the Opposition Critic for Economic Development and Agriculture. I’m also a farmer and business owner.

When the legislature isn’t sitting and the cameras are gone, I go home to many of the same realities faced by people across rural Manitoba. There are bills to pay, equipment to repair, crops to grow and market, employees and families depending on businesses succeeding, and decisions that have to be made while costs continue rising.

When your costs increase, you can’t hold a press conference and make them disappear. You have to make the numbers work.

That’s why I get frustrated watching political leaders focus on personalities and theatrics while ignoring what is directly within their control.

Premier Kinew cannot control Donald Trump. But his government has considerable influence over whether Manitoba is competitive.

I don’t agree with tariffs on Canadian products. They hurt businesses, workers and consumers on both sides of the border. But insulting the President of the United States isn’t an economic strategy either.

You don’t have to like Donald Trump to recognize how he negotiates. He looks for leverage and weakness and is perfectly willing to exploit both.

Canada’s best response is strength.

A stronger economy, more investment, more energy production, more mines, more manufacturing, more agricultural processing and more customers around the world give Canada leverage.

So yes, let’s diversify our trade. But let’s also recognize that the United States will remain our most important trading partner for the foreseeable future.

And let’s focus relentlessly on what we can control.

Lower taxes. Cut red tape. Open the floodgates to development. Build things. Grow things. Mine things. Manufacture things.

Then let’s sell them to the United States and every other customer around the world willing to buy them.

That’s what Canada First should mean.

As always, you can reach out with questions or concerns at any time. You can reach me at info@konradnarth.ca or by phone at 204-434-6736.