The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Writing to Americans, What Would You Say?

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

The question is simple, "if you were writing to an American friend, what would you say about the current situation between our two countries?"

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, it's your turn. The question of the week, if you were writing a letter to an American friend, what would you say right now? That's coming right up. Good Thursday. It's time for your turn. And a random ranter, too, and the same question, same issue for both. It's basically, if you were sitting down writing a letter to an American friend right now,

what would you say about the situation our two countries find themselves in? And I'm not talking about the hockey game tonight. You know what I'm talking about. And once again this week, lots of letters from coast to coast to coast. So we better get right at them if we're going to get all of them, or certainly most of them, that we've chosen for this week read out. First one comes from Rob Bjarnason in Carberry, Manitoba. That's a couple of hours west of Winnipeg.

Dear neighbor, who's going to stand up for truth, alliance, and the rule of law? I hope it's you and your great country. We're all in trouble when divisive, inaccurate words and actions are supported. We are stronger together. Jason Cook in St. Albert, Alberta. Most of my American friends are well-educated and live in blue states, so I'll turn your question around and paraphrase what they've told me. They are already aware of how Canadians feel

and are outraged by the actions of Trump's regime. The best analogy is that they are a captive spouse in an abusive relationship and I find it difficult to know how to help them. To an American I didn't know, I'd have a simple question. What kind of American are you? The caring, compassionate kind who correctly sees America's capability to be a force of good and reason in an increasingly polarized world, or the self-interested, angry kind who let their rage drive poor decisions. I wouldn't expect a truthful answer, of course, but hopefully the question,

what kind of an American are you, would stimulate some soul-searching. Jackie McGlade in Charleston, South Carolina. Dear American friends, I don't think you understand what's happening here. Let me make it clear and put it in simple terms. Your neighbor with whom you have had a good relationship for a long time tells you they want your house. You've gone through tragedy, adversity, hard times together. They feel they can better manage your household than you can. They want to come into your house,

go into your refrigerator, take your food, totally make themselves comfortable in our home without a thought about what we have gone through to our own house, the history behind our house. How would you feel? Elizabeth Prosser in Bracebridge, Ontario. That's cottage country north of Toronto. Our longest and most important relationship is being threatened by those who seek to gain power by dividing us.

As a Canadian who has traveled to your country many times, I know we're not all that different. We work hard, want to give our children a good start in life, and want to know if we are sick, we can see a doctor without fear of wait times or costs. Everyone wants a chance to succeed in both of our countries. We need to unite our voices and tell our leaders we won't stand for the divisive policies they are implementing. Both of our countries can benefit from a fair and equitable trading system. Let's remember to be kind and respectful to one another. Joseph Mack in Toronto. Dear American, I know based on our media's opinion that it appears

most of us hate Trump. However, this couldn't be further from the truth from real Canadians. No, we're not happy with being the 51st state, but we like Trump and his fight against censorship of free speech and fixation on identity politics by the left. See, we've had a mix of letters, but that mix is heavily one way. But Joseph Mack, we're still glad to have heard from you as well. Chris Wilson in Barrie, Ontario. I know this may seem a little odd, but I'd like to thank your Democratic Party

for allowing Donald Trump to be elected President of the United States for a second time. You would think that after going through a global pandemic that the Canadian government would have prioritized and acted on policies and national infrastructure strategies for the self-efficiency and betterment of our country. It's a sad reality that it is taking an individual like Donald Trump to hold our government to account. My fear now is that an unelected Prime Minister of Canada with another ill-advised Emergencies Act initiative will give Donald Trump the excuse he needs to annex Canada.

Tony Mara in London, Ontario. Where is your voice? Do you actually agree with the actions being taken by Donald Trump and his gang? Excuse me, I had to cough there for a sec. I've got a bit of a cold this morning, so you may hear the odd sniffle. Back to Tony Maher's letter. Look down the road a bit do you really believe there's a happy ending for america and the american people coming how many american people are benefiting from all of the chaos and calamity that is being caused after only one month of trump's presidency

and what about around the world do Do you really believe that Canada should be looked at more like an adversary rather than a friend, an ally? Do you really think Putin and Russia are going to make better allies? Remember, Hitler dismantled Germany's democracy in 53 days. We all know where that story led, and the devastating long-term cost to not just Germany but the entire world. How long will it take Trump? Given a chance to go back in time and undo the actions that led to the rise of Hitler, the Nazis, World War II, the Holocaust, and the death of millions, how many people would make more of an effort to stop all of that from happening?

If you and your friends disagree with Trump's direction and what is happening, speak up, take action, find your voice before it's too late. Tony Baza in St. Catharines, Ontario. Dear friend, you may have heard that Canada is being repeatedly called out by President Trump as a real contender to be the 51st state. That will never happen. I visited the U.S. on many occasions, and I hold the U.S. and its people in high regard. But I love my country even more. Forgive me if I stop visiting you.

I just don't want to spend a nickel in the U.S. Garth Wilson in Bowmanville, Ontario. That's near Oshawa. Dear neighbor. Remember, these are all letters, imaginary letters, that you would write to an American friend. So here's Gareth's. Dear neighbor, we've always been respectful, but we're growing tired and angry with the lack of respect coming from your administration.

Our military history is well documented, and the commitment to our allies has been unquestioned throughout our young history. Canadians have never started conflicts, but we have fought and died supporting our allies, and many of you know that firsthand. Canadians quietly do many things that support your country. We're strong, but not pretentious. We bring the materials that allow your farmers to farm and builders to build and provide precious metals to help your military complex build your military equipment. Collaboratively, we build the cars and trucks on all our roads, and our tourist dollars are valued across the United States.

Your president says you subsidize us, but you know that's not to be true. I can tell you, your president is lying to you, but only you can actually make that determination on your own make no mistake you will never have a better friend than the one you have in canada jonathan young jonathan writes from brussels belgium he's originally from Nova Scotia. Dear Joe Sixpack, we get it. You're an immensely powerful and influential country. Canadians

eat your food, watch your films, listen to your music. But we are not you. We are stuck with you, quite literally. We are a peaceful and cooperative people. Our history is not yours. We are a peaceful and cooperative people. Our history is not yours. We are good neighbors, so please don't ruin a great relationship.

If you want to know about us, come up and visit. Discover the place and the people. You'll see what a loyal friend and partner we are. Just don't push it. Laura Plant, Chilliwack, B.C. As my friends in the U.S., I want you to know what is happening in Canada right now. Canada got a wake-up call, and we are answering it.

As a nation, we are rallying together, preparing for an economic war we don't want to fight, cancelling travel plans to the U.S. and demanding that our grocery stores buy and advertise made-in-Canada products, all while trying to figure out who is best to lead us as we face a pending federal election. Our culture is actually changing before our eyes in ways many of us could never have imagined. Okay, I've just got to take a break and blow my nose. Hold on.

I'm back. This next email is from someone who's given us his name, but for professional reasons, and I acknowledge this every once in a while, not often, but for professional reasons, we'd rather we don't use his name. He's in Vancouver. Here's his letter.

It's very short. You have shown us what you have become. We will remember. Carl Raskin in Ottawa who says, I actually did write to Americans. I did it as a comment to an online article in the New York Times. Here's what I wrote. Well, Mr. Trump has accomplished what I always thought was not possible,

turn Canada against the United States. Canada, the nation that sheltered American diplomats during the Iran crisis, the country that took in thousands of airline passengers on 9-11, has been stabbed in the back by a president who has no sense of history. The other day, the American national anthem was booed at an NHL hockey game in Montreal, just to give a small example of the sentiment that is quickly spreading across Canada. How sad. Ann Harmer in Garden Bay, BC. It's about three hours from Vancouver along the Sunshine Coast Highway. Gorgeous area. To my American friends and family who voted for the current administration,

you may think I have no right to comment on the situation in your country, as America ceased to be my country almost 60 years ago, but watching from north of the border as events are moving at an alarming pace, I must at least make you aware of my concerns. From here, it looks as if the United States is being sucked down into a negative whirlpool, a force that might yet be stopped, but only if its citizens are prepared to stand up now in resistance. With caring in my heart, may I suggest, if you are obtaining your news from just one source, please consider being open to news from independent or publicly supported news outlets.

The nightly PBS NewsHour and news programs on national public radio come first to mind. For views from outside the U.S., consider the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and The Guardian, and independent writers and podcasters such as me. And please know, if the unthinkable should happen, I'll offer you a place of refuge in my home. Cindy Bond in Burlington, Ontario. And here's a very short letter.

I thought you were smarter than this. Colleen Patrick in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. To some of my closest friends, I was deceived by Donald Trump. Ten years of being one of his most ardent supporters and defenders in Canada. Mostly defender. But I had faith he was being true. And by making America great again, it would benefit my friends and also my country and even the world.

What a deceiver. It's all about him, not your country. Beware, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they speak about themselves. Most true and honest people barely say a word about how great they are and how they are the only ones to be a savior to a situation. They go about their work not looking for praise but for a positive result, considering every situation, their co-workers, their neighbors. That is not Donald Trump.

You will see it soon. I saw it early enough to know I can't even hear the word Trump anymore. You'll see it too. But thank God that is your country, not mine. My country is Canada. I'm thankful to him for one thing. I realize I love my country more than anything. Thank you, Donald, for that. John Fort writes, A dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. He's living in Victoria and wintering right now in Florida. I have many opportunities to talk with Americans about the current situation from a Canadian point of view.

Two words, incredulous and fearful, come up regularly. We understand that every country looks out for its self-interest, but find it difficult to understand how Americans can't see the big picture. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is the perfect analogy. Whether for revenge or greed or ego, what the U.S. government, Trump, is doing will ultimately hurt both countries. And the fear is that if the U.S. goes through with its plans, Canada doesn't have the resources, either economically or militarily, to defend itself.

What I would tell Americans is to realize what their leader's long game is and to take action before it's too late to prevent the replay of 1935 Germany. I can't believe we're saying that. You know, I can't believe the things that have happened in the last while, but that's what's happened. Julie Smith Allen in Lethbridge, Alberta. My dear American cousin, our fathers fought beside each other in the First Special Service Force in World War II. Your father from Colorado and mine from Manitoba.

By war's end, they were brothers, and we like to say that made us cousins. When the force disbanded in France in 1944 and they called for the Canadian soldiers to fall out, many men watched in surprise because they didn't know who was Canadian and who was American. It had never mattered because they were all the same. We're in for a bumpy ride, cousin, but we'll weather the storm because we're family. Our fathers and our countries have bonds that Trump can't break. Jim Jarvis in Oakville, Ontario. So I did write to an American friend based on Mr. Clark's suggestion.

Remember, it was Joe Clark who had this suggestion a couple days ago. Write to an American friend. So Jim writes, My friend is a highly engaged person in their political scene and not a Trump fan. I emphasize the crippling effects that tariffs would have on both countries, mostly ours, and hoped he would make it known to his member of Congress

that he was dismayed at such treatment of longtime friends and allies. His response went something like this. Yes, the majority of the U.S. population would be with you on this. Also, we may be in a constitutional crisis if Trump defies the courts that are placing restrictions on his executive orders. I'd sum up his answer as, we've got bigger fish to fry at the moment. In fact, this is me speaking now, in fact, as Americans debate whether they're already in a constitutional crisis

or whether one is just possible, many of them agree with Jim's point, or Jim's friend's point, that what's ultimately going on to be the fork in the road is how Trump reacts to the courts if a case is decided against him. Will he choose to ignore a Supreme Court order? is how Trump reacts to the courts if a case is decided against him. Will he choose to ignore a Supreme Court order? If he does, no one is sure what would happen after that. Dennis O'Sullivan in Mississauga, Ontario.

To my American friend, this year has become one of existential crisis for Canada, my country. Your new president has galvanized us, and we've set aside many of our internal partisan differences to come together in a way none of us could have imagined just six months ago. While we share so much in terms of culture and history, children of a common mother, as inscribed on the Peace Arch, each of us have matured in our own way. Just as a side note, the Peace Arch is about 40 kilometers south of Vancouver on the

exact U.S.-Canada boundary, where Interstate 5 on the U.S. side becomes Highway 99 on the Canadian side and commemorates the Treaty of Ghent that was signed in 1814, ending the War of 1812. The surrounding park consists of Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side and Peace Arch State Park on the American side. Back to Dennis's letter. But our history has been marked with a sense of respecting our differences, not suppressing those. The outbursts of President Trump are not only denigrating, but a marked departure from past leaders and an unwelcome one to us.

The first volleys of his, essentially to abrogate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, are aggressive ones. President Trump called this deal the greatest ever trade agreement just five years ago when he signed it. If Canada has contravened its provisions, there is a dispute resolution provision contained in that agreement. So why hasn't President Trump used that? Had his complaints been genuine? The obvious rationale is that he seeks no resolution to issues but would rather inflict economic pain. Well, make no mistake, Canada will endure.

Canada survived the Great Depression and two world wars. Canadians will sacrifice to maintain our autonomy. Rocco Barbieri in Montreal. My dear American friend, I'm writing to you today in the hope that you can help me understand why your president, and by extension just over half of the American voting public who handed him the keys to the White House last November, have such little regard for my country, Canada. For my entire life, I'm 78, Canada has been your biggest trading partner and eager supporter of your economy through our consumption of American goods and services, a loyal ally in terms of war,

in times of war, and your helpful friend and collaborator in times of peace. Basically, we are family. And for as long as I can remember, many of us have taken much pleasure in both visiting your beautiful country and also in welcoming you in ours. But now I feel both betrayed and perplexed. I feel betrayed by the hostility and utter lack of respect for our sovereignty, expressed almost daily by your president. And furthermore, your Congress seems unwilling to disagree with him. I'm perplexed at the relative silence of average Americans in the face of this potentially very impactful insult. I fear that our long-standing friendship is now in peril,

and I sincerely wish it wasn't. As patriotic citizens of our respective countries, I believe we need to speak out whenever and wherever we can in the defense of this friendship. Percy Phillips in Porta Superi, Manitoba. My cousins, I write to you with the shared knowledge that we have a great uncle buried in the military cemetery near Nashville who fought on the Union side and that our grandmother was born in the U.S. and who immigrated to Canada with her parents as a little girl.

Tariffs have recently been announced by President Trump, are paid for by the importer at the border, and ultimately by the consumer of the goods. A 10% tariff is a change in trading relationship between the U.S. and Canada. A 25% tariff, initially puzzling, that has been announced for Canada is now considered a declaration of economic war, and if implemented, an existential threat to our sovereignty. Stay informed and stay in touch.

That brings us to the halfway point in today's Your Turn. A lot of letters, a lot of thoughtful letters. Almost all from one side on this issue, as you've noticed. Almost all, not all. Let's take a break, come back here to the Random Ranter, who's kind of on this same thread, and he's really worked up,

as he has been for a number of weeks now on this issue. And then we'll get back to more of your letters, because there's a lot more to come. Okay, we'll be back with the Random Rancher right after this. And welcome back. You're listening to our Thursday program, which is your turn. The question this week was, if you were writing to an American friend, what would you say right now about the situation we find ourselves in?

More of your letters coming up in a moment. But first of all, our friend, our friend the random ranter, who, as many of you know, has been worked up about this issue for the the last month or so and he is no less worked up today. Here we go, the Random Ranter for this week. Let me just start this rant by saying this. NATO is dead. It's not worth the paper it's written on. Moving forward, we can only really count on ourselves. If Trump's disregard for Europe and his absolute betrayal of Ukraine hasn't convinced you of that, then I'm not sure what can. America should feel ashamed. I mean, I could use my words

and marvel at how Putin is so able to assert his dominance over Trump. I could talk about how Putin seems to be playing chess while Trump is still trying to figure out how checkers work. Or I could say it like it really is. Trump is a puppet to the point where he couldn't be more of a puppet if Putin had his hand up his, but I digress. Look, Trump might sell himself as the negotiator-in-chief, but the art of Trump's Ukrainian deal couldn't be uglier if he'd painted it with a turd. And as if being Putin's puppet wasn't bad enough, Trump seems to be acting as his mouthpiece too. His parroting of Russian talking points is shameful treachery. To say Ukraine started the war? To call Zelensky a

dictator? That's next level gaslighting, even for Trump. But why should we be surprised? Trump's moral compass doesn't point anywhere but his wallet. For all his talk about masculinity, of being a big tough guy, he's nothing more than a coward capable of only punching down. His attacks on diversity and wokeness prove that he's as insecure as the trolls and bros that support him. I mean, who's the snowflake? Someone that respects others, or someone who feels threatened by anything and everything other? I can't say it enough. What's going on in the states right now is reprehensible. But it's the lack of response by regular Americans that I find most disturbing.

I mean, the silence to the south of us is deafening. And I don't think you can write it off as just a failing of the Democrats. It's more than that. America is really showing an overall lack of human decency right now. The whole world seems alarmed by what's going on, but the American people, they seem solidly indifferent. It's really out of character. I mean, I've always thought that in the face of Trump, when push really came to shove, we could count on the American people to embrace their rebellious nature and fight the power. But it seems the opposite may be happening.

They may be embracing it. I mean, how else are people sitting silently while they're getting egged by inflation, facing the pointy end of tariffs and watching hundreds of thousands of their neighbors lose their jobs trump is cutting their social programs suppressing their rights attacking the press and then shamelessly lying about it in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary and yet there's little to no substantive pushback look the whole world desperately needs the American people to come to their senses, but no one needs that more than us. Canada is directly in Trump's crosshairs. Maybe it's for our water, our minerals, or our forests. Maybe it's just to aggrandize Trump's ego by expanding his empire. It's probably all of it, but no matter what it is,

someone needs to check Trump before the kingdom of America starts truly testing out exactly where the limitations of their power lie. Trump's already proven it's not going to be the courts, it's certainly not going to be Congress. So that just leaves the people, the same ones who elected him in the first place. All I can say is wake up,

America. Don't be patsies. Before Trump can subjugate anyone, he'll need to subjugate you first. And so far, he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it. There you go, the random ranter. And as I said, he's really worked up about this. And he's not being shy in some of the things he has to say. Which is the whole idea behind Our Friend from the Prairies. It goes about his daily work, which has nothing to do with international diplomacy or politics or anything like that, but he sure has strong views.

Okay, back to your letters for the second half of the program. And guess who's first up? Marilyn Wallace, Fanny Bay, British Columbia. I feel so disheartened about what is happening to the centuries-old relationship between our countries. I know that you must be feeling that way too. Your president says that Canada has been very abusive to the U.S., often falsely claiming that we need to be subsidized by you. Incredulously,

he also sings the praises of Putin and wants a better relationship with Russia. Your current leaders are mounting an attack on us with threats of economic warfare and annexation, and the silence is deafening. American media rarely includes much Canadian coverage, so I'm writing to implore you to become aware of the perils. Tell anyone who will listen. While there is still a chance, let's work together to stop the wanton destruction of the goodwill between us. Mariam Hamou in London, Ontario.

Mariam is a former city councillor in London. She didn't write a direct letter to Americans, but wrote to describe a recent U.S. experience. I just came back from a quick trip to Orlando this past weekend to get a few days of sun with some family. As my sister and cousins and I got into the Uber going to our hotel, the first thing the driver said was, Are you ready to be our 51st date?

Now, we aren't your typical white Canadian travelers. We were five fully Canadian born and highly educated hijabi wearing Muslim women. We look different than we sound. We're regularly underestimated. He thought he was going to have fun with us. Instead, I had some fun with him. He very much wanted us to love the freedom he has and bragged about how much he loves guns. He even went so far as to open his glove box to tell us he has a handgun. I laughed and told him my sister and I went skeet shooting as children. That's true. And then my uncle gave a loaded gun to my three-year-old cousin in front of us in Syria. And we've been to Middle Eastern weddings in Syria and Lebanon where AK-47s were handed around to be shot up in the air. And because of that, I'm happier when kids don't have access to guns. There was a strange power

struggle with his white man-ness, his words, with five visibly Muslim women, but he still wanted five stars. The experience left me wondering how many more in America are okay with the concept of manifest destiny or are actually pushing this original agenda. Don't be surprised if your American friends just keep their heads down and go with the flow. Tyranny is afoot and people are falling in line. Move with caution. Brian Miller in Montreal. First off, I would try to address my letter to that roughly 20% of Republican voters who are not MAGA purists and who have some discomfort with Donald Trump

but think he can get things done. I would say to them, let's make a deal. I promise to try to see your point of view that it takes a distasteful disruptor to lift things up by the ankles and shake them around to get results. If Trump manages to improve the border situation, end foreign conflicts that have smoldered for decades, grow the U.S. economy, strengthen alliances by browbeating and mocking countries to spend and do more, cut the deficit, help get inflation under control, I will have to begrudgingly concede some of your arguments. It would be sad and worldview-shaking for me to doubt that values of

respect and dignity just don't cut it anymore. But in return, I need them to look at the same facts and start looking at them quickly. If it turns out that he does not solve the border issue, that foreign conflicts worsen under his erratic style, that the economy does not move off the trajectory it's been on, that allies chafe and work to disconnect themselves from the U.S. while China extends its interests, if the deficit is not solved and inflation ticks up, maybe the view that he is a

clever disruptor is wrong. Maybe he's just a disinhibited narcissist who's damaging the U.S. short, medium, and long-term interests. If this is what comes to pass, will you re-examine your worldview and how will you vote next time? Got a sneeze break. Excuse me once again. Boy, this sniffle-off goes, let's come on quick. Basically come on in the middle of the show. Okay. Anne-Marie Klein in Toronto.

Anne-Marie's a regular writer. I would suggest to American friends that they broaden their sources of news to include foreign media, both Canadian and global, including CBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian. Their own media is bending the knee to Trump

out of fear and a curry favor to keep access, which keeps them in the dark about the effects and consequences of their government's actions on them and other countries. Rhonda Ehrenberg in Winnipeg. I've been fortunate to spend the last number of winters in Arizona.

I'm disheartened to say that most of the Americans I come into contact with, while friendly enough, are entirely ignorant about what their government is doing to their closest ally. The message I would like to give them all is simple. America first does not need to come at the expense of everyone else. Sean Bartlett in Cupid's Newfoundland. Have you heard of that? You should have.

It's the oldest continuously settled British colony in Canada, settled in 1610. It's on the west side of Conception Bay. I would say to my American friends that we have shared history of standing side by side in good times and bad. We have both always known that we can rely on each other. Right now, your president

is spreading falsehoods in order to undermine Canadian sovereignty in an effort to bring Canada to its knees. We all know that his goal is to obtain our vast resources, such as critical minerals, energy, and water. Please remember what our two countries mean to each other and speak up.

Donald Trump will be gone in four years. Okay, we'll see. So don't let him destroy the wonderful relationship we've shared for centuries. Our children deserve to grow up in a world where we can coexist in peace and mutual prosperity. Elizabeth Buffett in Sydney River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I received an email from my son, and I think my best action would be just to copy his email and forward it to all my American friends. No further words would be needed. Here it is. My family, wife, 19-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter, decided we should go to the Four Nations hockey game in Boston this week. Canada was playing

Finland and we got to the game very excited about being there and supporting Canada. Unfortunately, there was a full row of Joe Rogan bros behind us that's streaming throughout the game. F Canada. They used all four letters. And what kind of retards would wear Canada jerseys? This was directed at my wife and kids. And in case you think it is just Canada,

a lovely young couple from Sweden was in front of us and got absolutely berated from the beginning of the game to the end with comments such as, F you nipplehead and go back to Sweden. Of course there are always a few, but our whole section loved it and we're egging them on to do more. After this experience, we've cancelled a booked golf trip to the U.S. and vowed to boycott the U.S. in all ways for the foreseeable future. We advise you to do the same. The U.S.A.

is currently a very dangerous country. Joshua Winters in Surrey, B.C. Dear America, goodwill is a lot like trust. It's lost in buckets and gained in drops. Once you've lost the goodwill, not just of our nation, but of others, good luck getting it back. Just like the song lyric goes, sometimes you don't know what you've got

until it's gone. Shale Palawal in Ottawa. I have several family members in the U.S., many friends there and business associates. I've come to know during my career. My message to them is simple. Tariffs are bad for Americans and Canadians. They already know this and already know

it is ultimately the American importer that pays the tariff and passes that along to the American consumer. My circle of family, friends, and associates also know that Canada will never become a part of the United States. The same cannot be said for the average American. We had a funny incident recently. We were vacationing in Scottsdale, Arizona, and were shopping at a local Safeway grocery store. My wife and the cashier were commiserating about Trump's buffoonery when the bagging clerk chimed in. I was told Canada wanted to become part of the United States long before Trump became president. My wife set him straight in no uncertain terms and told him nothing could be further from the truth.

Pete Quinn in Ottawa. Trump's early executive actions and public words have scared me witless. There are a number of alarming things I can imagine possibly happening. Annexation of nearby allies by economic or military force, extortion of access to minerals, energy, water, or strategic lands for military purposes from friend and foe alike. Abandonment of alliances, particularly NATO, leading to likely wider European war, alliances of convenience with other autocrats to subdivide the globe, and eruption of major conflict in unexpected places in global succession struggles as power vacuums appear. At home in the U.S., I could see either civil war or a severe and violent crackdown on dissent,

along with the false declaration of a national security emergency as a basis to suspend elections and dispense with the pretense of liberal democracy. Please write back soon and explain how I've got this all wrong. Marilyn Sewell in Paris, Ontario, about an hour east of Stratford, by the way. Dear American friend, while we can't individually control our nation's politics, we can use our own spheres of influence to make our communities a better place while we live in unsettled times. Just like buying it locally helps our economy,

demonstrating leadership in being compassionate and innovative community builders, we can shine a brighter light into what feels like very dark and uncertain times on both sides of the border. Richard Swindells in Mono, Ontario. I mailed a friend in the States last week and I thought I would share his responses and my thoughts on them. On tariffs, it's clear that they are not top of mind. He and most Americans have more pressing

Trump issues of concern. His issue is education and university funding. On geographic expansion, he thinks most Americans think Trump is not serious about the 51st state, Greenland, etc. I think he's wrong. So do I. On geographic expansion, he thinks most Americans think Trump is... Sorry, I just read that. On U.S. polarization, he has many Trump acquaintances,

but discussions of politics with them is pointless and do not occur. They must feel the pain of Trump's agenda to react. Peggy Ann Pino in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia. That's part of Greater Halifax. I would tell them that they'd better wake up and quickly. They almost cannot afford to stand by quietly while their legal and social systems are dismantled. Realize that there are a lot more Trump-minded far-right Americans

that are for these drastic changes than they think. America as they've known it is quickly being dismantled and will totally cease to exist if they don't speak up now. Debbie Fletcher in Sutton West, Ontario. That's on Lake Simcoe, a little over an hour north of Toronto. We have friends who live in Colorado. One has chosen to remove herself from our Facebook group after Trump's inauguration in January.

Quote, I feel helpless and all I know to do is to not support the oligarchy and disinformation pipelines that allowed this to happen. So many Americans already know. John Minchell in Comox Valley, BC. The situation of how Canadians feel is primarily threefold. First, the tariffs. Canada has been a good and reliable friend and trade partner to the U.S. for over 100 years. And we are angry about being treated as an enemy. Second, the 51st state issue.

How would you feel if we suggested the USA should be the 11th province of Canada and called Trump the premier of said province? Third, there is a feeling that the U.S. is just trying to steal our resources. As a result, Canadians are justified in attempting to defend ourselves however we can. Vive la Canada. Denise Flick in Trail, British Columbia. Getting down to the last few letters here. Hello, dear USA friend. I was excited to hear that the USA is considering taking on Canada as a 51st state.

Imagine how being a woman in the 51st state of the United States of America could change my life. Imagine. My life expectancy in the U.S. would be 77.43 years. Here in Canada, it's only, oh, it's 81.3 years. Okay, but I can more easily own a handgun in the United States. Safety first. My chances of being killed by handgun violence in the States is only just over four in 100,000. Oh, sorry, in Canada, per 100, thousand is less than one. Healthcare in the USA must have better outcomes. USA higher maternal and infant death rates. Over 50% of bankruptcy claims in the US are blamed on medical debt. Many of us in Canada do end up with some dental bills. We should do something about that for low-income renters.

Wishing you all the best friend. Now that I have really considered the results of becoming the 51st state, I don't suppose you and your state would like to become the 11th province? Imagine. We had a few letters from Americans. We've heard some of them already, but the first from Bud Taylor in Richmond, Virginia. I'm not doing this week's question. I ask people about the Canada issue every day. The answer is, I didn't know. And I don't care, as long as I can go to Quebec City and Whistler. Skiers, I guess.

Susan Waddell, St. Marie's, Idaho. That's north central Idaho. As an American that listens to and appreciates your podcast, I ask you to please not judge us all by the actions of our unbalanced administration, who has wreaked havoc in more than our two countries. I live in the forest in rural Idaho and love my frequent trips to your beautiful country. I feel now I'll need to hide my license plate Okay, here's the last one. It's from a Canadian. Austin Ziegler in Toronto. That's the last one. It's from a Canadian.

Austin Ziegler in Toronto. That's what he says. This isn't original to me, but it's accurate and captures my feelings as an immigrant from America. Roses are red, violets are blue. Stop trying to annex us, and we won't effing boo. Well, as you can see, there is a feeling across the country, certainly expressed in these letters. And I don't think they're out of whack with the surveys and polls that I've seen on this issue.

People are upset. they're angry. They're upset mostly that two great friends are having a serious difference here, based on the desires of one person and his immediate followers. You know, I worry about tonight. I worry about, you know, listen, I thought the game the other day between America, the U.S., and Canada was a great game. I mean, the fights were the fights.

I worry about how things will play out tonight. Not necessarily on the part of the players, but what may be happening in the stands and in other places that are watching this game. You know, there's a great tradition of sports in both our countries. And in many ways, this game has taken on more than sports. So I hesitate. I'll be watching, you know, obviously. Like millions of Canadians will watch tonight's game. I don't know who will be there in the stands.

I don't know how it will play out. I don't know what we'll witness. I just hope at its core we witness a good hockey game, no matter who wins. No matter who wins, there's going to be more games, more tournaments in the years to come. The fact that the U.S. hockey culture has become, in many ways, similar to the Canadian hockey culture and abilities, that's a good thing. Let's keep it to hockey.

Here's one off-shoe dog we'll say, you know, about this whole thing and about Canadian pride and patriotism. It wasn't that long ago that I and, you know, many of my friends were, I kind of hesitated when we looked at the Canadian flag as a result of the way the flag was used during the trucker convoy and that whole issue. We felt that the flag had been taken over by those who weren't patriotic,

or at least had a different kind of patriotism than most of us have. That's changed. The flag's back up there. People are proud to carry it and wave it and post it on their bags and cars and what have you. It's a whole different thing now when you see a Canadian flag passing by than we had just a couple of years ago. And, you know, maybe that's been one of the pluses

of what we've witnessed in the last while. Okay, going to wrap it up for today. First of all, apologies for the, you know, the sneezing and the breaks I have to take to get through this. But boy, once again, your letters are just fabulous. You know, somebody wrote to me the other day. He was complaining about the fact they can't do comments on the YouTube channel.

Which, you know, apparently we're looking at again trying to figure out that. You know what it is. Comments on vehicles like that. There's so many that are clearly anonymous. They're clearly bots. And it's just kind of pointless. This is our comment section. Thursdays.

You get it. You get the show. And look what comes in when you ask for name and location. People write their true thoughts. They think through what they're going to say. You know, their energy and their passion comes through. There's no question about that. But it's written in a way that we can all share and we can all react to

and we can all think about. So thank you for that. Okay, tomorrow, it is Friday. Good talk. Chantel and Rob will be here. And as we always say, there's lots to talk about. And we'll do that. In almost 24 hours.

Thanks for listening today. Talk to you tomorrow.