There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring us together, a trope that’s been proven true over the past few weeks as Canadians from across the political spectrum have come together to raise our middle fingers in the general direction of Donald Trump and his 25% tariffs. Calmly and politely, in the Canadian way.
It has come in the form of a million social media posts, Canadian politicians speaking on American tv shows, official statements from parliaments, and resolutions from municipal councils, ours included. Some have noted the irony in how much one man’s bluster has managed to bring us together and undercut the divisive narratives of our own populist politicians. At its heart, populism feeds on the things that divide us and the idea that we are being disrespected because of our flaws or divisions, telling us that if we get behind one particular leader we can be respectable and respected again; now the open disrespect of someone from outside our country has sparked our sense of national pride.
Seeing how quickly these narratives can flip on the sheer idea of arbitrary tariffs (that have yet to materialize) and rude remarks underscores to me just how emotionally driven we are. Our sense of who we are is tied up with our sense of where we’re from, so it should be a deeply rooted and integrated part of our identity; and yet we’re seeing that it can be flipped like a switch with the right provocation. Can Donald Trump tell us who we are? Apparently so.
This should give us pause, make us cautious about the political narratives we engage with. We’ve seen historically just how effectively someone can manipulate an entire population by playing on their sense of national pride, amplifying their senses of pride or shame to get a response. I’ll pick an easy example. Prior to World War II, Germans were feeling the shame of having lost World War I, and suffering the economic punishments of the harsh treaties that ended the war. Hitler was able to tap into the widespread feelings of shame, and then re-stoke national pride. The result was an overstated patriotism, and ultimately, a toxic nationalism.
Patriotism is defined as devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country. That can be a very good thing: as we’re seeing, our sense of patriotism, awoken by Trump’s goading remarks and threats of tariffs, has helped Canadians overcome our internal disputes and present an (almost) united front. But patriotism can become a problem when our devotion to our country leads us to overlook problems or flaws or actions that are problematic. A healthy patriotism remains critical of our country’s flaws in devotion to not just what our country is today, but to what it should be. In the past, Canadian patriotism has led to white-washing our history, glossing over the genocide of Indigenous peoples among many other things that should rightly evoke some shame, compassion, and reconciliation. It is not patriotic to erase history selectively, creating a fictional nation worthy of the devotion we’d like to hold for our country.
Nationalism is defined as “identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.” Again, this isn’t a problem at first blush; but by the time you get to the end of that definition, you can see where it might become problematic. Trump’s sense of patriotism prompts him to “make America great again” (as if it ever was, or wasn’t), but that gets enacted through an approach to nationalism in which he understands greatness to mean dominance of others. There is no economic benefit to imposing 25% tariffs on their closest neighbours and allies, which will hurt Americans at least as much as it will hurt Canadians; the benefit is in the sense of “winning” it inspires in the nationalistic patriots who support Trump. To them, their nation is only truly great if it’s winning, and the easiest way to win is to pick fights with people who don’t want to fight back.
We could talk about American patriotism and nationalism throughout their history, and I think there are arguments to be made that Americans have always had a stronger (and more toxic) nationalism than Canada has ever had. Still, there’s nothing inherent about individual Americans that makes them particularly prone to toxic nationalism; and yet it’s shaping their country in very dangerous ways that are having negative impacts on the whole world right now. One of the ways that it could have a negative impact is that it just might spark a similar rise in patriotism and nationalism in us.
So far, our surge in patriotism is a good thing. But it has already emboldened some of our politicians toward populist messaging of their own, in attempts to funnel that surge in patriotism toward their own ends. I received a text message from Doug Ford’s campaign the other day, telling me that he will protect us from Donald Trump. Never mind that international relations are a federal-level issue, and that there’s no evidence that Doug Ford’s bluster on American television has any effect on Trump at all. And yet, Ford is making political hay from Trump’s threats and goading, trying to frame this election as seeking a mandate from the people of Ontario to go to (economic) war. Wearing a baseball cap with a patriotic slogan on it, just like Trump. Whether or not that’s wise, it’s likely to work.
Standing up for ourselves is a good thing. But how far can we go down the road of patriotism before we fall into the trap of nationalism? We’re proud to be Canadians, and that’s lovely; where it gets a little less lovely is when being proud of being Canadian is primarily expressed in being proud that we’re not American. If we lean into that feeling, how long before we’re mostly just proud of our superiority over the United States? (If indeed we have any?) Should anyone be proud of living in a nation whose national identity is wrapped up in a superiority complex?
We have much to be proud of, and we don’t need Donald Trump or Doug Ford (or anyone else) to tell us why. And the best way to avoid getting swept up in populist narratives and the strong emotions of patriotism, which can lead to dark places, is to have a clear sense in our own minds of what we, as individuals, love about our nation. What makes you proud to be Canadian? What makes you proud to be from Ontario, or from Brighton? Those are the things worth supporting, and protecting.
I’ve already pointed out that defending Canada in a trade war is not a provincial responsibility, though it’s not that there’s nothing Doug Ford (or whoever might replace him after the election) can do; the premiers of every province can focus their efforts on things that can make our provincial and local economies, and the national economy, more resilient. They do the things they can in their own provinces, such as supporting the workers and small businesses who will be worst affected by the tariffs; and then work together to do bigger things, like removing inter-provincial trade barriers to make trade within Canada flow more easily. These kinds of steps are very practical. They don’t carry nearly the same emotional tone as making stern statements that express our patriotism, but they’re much more effective.
How do we do that as citizens? I’ve seen a lot of efforts online to organize consumer boycotts of American goods, and there’s some good to be had there: it involves organizing Canadians to work together toward a common goal, laudable in itself. But if you want to make your dollar stretch, don’t worry so much about tracking the source of every product you consume; spreadsheets about which products have how much Canadian content is a good way to break your brain, and I’ve seen several that are factually incorrect anyway. The simple way to direct your money in a way that will best support Canadians is to go to a small, local shop for any goods you need. Spending your money locally means that your money will almost entirely stay local, no matter where they source their goods from; whereas even if you purchase Made In Canada products, if you do it at Wal-Mart your money will still largely be leaving the community, if not the country.
The other thing you can do to express your patriotism is make an extra effort to vote this year. We’re already in the middle of a provincial election, and we’ll have a federal election this year too. Look for information on what the parties intend to do, look for information about your local candidates, and watch out for comments from any candidate that are intended to get your heart pumping by tugging on your sense of pride, or shame. Look for a campaign narrative that speaks to the country you want to live in, not just in times of conflict but also in times of peace: do we want to be a province or nation that’s defined by standing up to bullies, or one defined by how we work together in friendship? We can still choose the latter, even with a bully next door. The tone that wins out in an election tends to be the tone that carries through the term.
And above all, remember to look out for your literal neighbours. Without our local connections, our patriotism is just a feeling about a concept of Canada. Canada is not just a concept: it is the people who live here, and the land we live and depend on. Reconnect with them, I promise it will lead to a better sense of love of country than any populist nationalism could offer you.