On the third Monday in February eight Canadian provinces will celebrate a special day.
Alberta, BC, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan call it Family Day. Manitoba celebrates Louis Riel Day; Nova Scotia celebrates Heritage Day and PEI celebrates Islander Day.
Although not all Canadians will be off tomorrow, I’d like to wish all Canadians a Happy Canadian Family Day in honour of our Canadian family.
This year a bully president is threatening tariffs to force Canada to become the 51st state. To join the great American family as it were.
This isn’t the first time America has tried to take over Canada.
In 1866 president Andrew Johnson repealed a trade treaty with Britain in the hopes that the colonies would collapse and agree to join America. The ploy backfired and in 1867 Canada, a new country, was founded on America’s northern border.
In 1890 another president, William McKinley, imposed tariffs (even higher than the Trump tariffs) to gut our economy and force us into America’s loving embrace.
What’s that old saying: with friends like these who needs enemies.
Canada boosted its exports elsewhere and in the words of the then Minister of Trade and Commerce “our neighbours are cutting off their own noses to spite us.”
History has shown that when the USA attacks our Canadian family, we get stronger, not weaker.
We have the will and the fortitude to rebuff Trump’s ‘advances’ and build our own future without the assistance of the bullyboy south of our border.
Happy Canadian Family Day!
*This post is based on the Globe and Mail editorial “Trump’s bully tactics are nothing new” Feb 15, 2025, p O20
Susan on the Soapbox 
Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Family Day! Happy Flag Day!
Happy Peace, Order and Good Governance Day!
Mike, what a delightful enthusiastic wish! Thank you and the same to you!!!
You’re welcome! To all of us, you and your fascinated, addicted readers.
Mike:hear! hear!
Perfect post for the times!
Roy: Thank you. You make these celebrations so much nicer!
The only way to stop a bully is to stand up to him. Canada is a strong country and Canadians will stand together against the bully. Once America deals with it problems I will be willing to rethink our friendship but until then I will buy only Canadian products.
Rose: I’m with you 100%. Canada is here for us and we have to be here for Canada. And there are perks. I just discovered Kicking Horse coffee as part of my Buy Canadian effort. It’s fantastic!
History has a way of repeating itself. Sadly, many haven’t learned the lessons from the past. And, then there are those who haven’t the mental capacity to learn because of their Solipsism disorder. DJT is beyond narcissism. Unfortunately, the dimwit is causing chaos!
Peter: Very true.Personally I find that historians like Timothy Snyder bring a level of coherence to the situation we find ourselves in now, but as you said Trump is beyond narcissism and he’s surrounded himself with so many oddballs (and that’s putting it politely) that it’s hard to prepare for whatever horrible thing is going to happen next.
I’ve been extremely disappointed at our political leaders’ humiliating genuflection at the Orange Menace’s every utterance, as though negotiating with an ignorant boor will change his mind. All it does is allow him to sense weakness and keep on moving the goalposts.
In particular, his constant harping on his “51st State” delusion needs to be called out for what it is: a blatant and unlawful attack on our very existence as a sovereign nation. It violates Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter of the United Nations: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” It should engage the operation of Article 4 of the NATO Treaty: “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
We are spending billions on border security measures to solve problems that do not exist, and we are committing to ramp up defence spending even higher than it already is — we are already among the top 20 in military expenditures, according to Sipri.org, despite having a population of only about 40 million people. When does it end?
The tariffs he is threatening are a merely economic threat, one that can be managed with some difficulty. His annexation threats are of far greater significance, and we need much more assertive measures to respond than kissing his ring — or his @$$.
Oh, and by the way, on the matter of Family Day, Dave Cornoyer — Daveberta — published a history lesson on his Substack: https://daveberta.substack.com/p/the-big-family-day-debate-of-1989. It’s well worth a read, especially if one either isn’t old enough to remember it or wasn’t living in Alberta at the time.
jerrymacgp: thank you for this very helpful comment. Sadly Trump is not going to respect the Charter of the United Nations, or any other treaty or pact that America may have signed on to in bygone days. Heck the man won’t even abide by the USMCA he himself signed in 2020 and which he proclaimed was the best free trade deal ever. Then in 2025 he’s whining and complaining about how hard done by the US is.
I absolutely agree with your point that politicians have to stop abasing themselves before him. The Globe and Mail did a story the other day which pointed out that the premiers met with “two senior officials” in Trump’s administration. These were the deputy chief of staff James Blair and the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, Sergin Gor. One wonders how much sway these junior chipmunks have. But when you think about it from Trump’s perspective if he sees Canada as the 51st state and its PM as being analogous to a governor, that would put provincials premiers on the level of mayors wouldn’t it. And yet, there they are engaging in “frank” talks with the president’s minions, hoping that something they’ll say will sway the underlings who will take it upon themselves to talk sense to the Emperor. Not a chance.
Thanks for the link to Cornoyer’s piece. Much appreciated.
A couple of additional points:
It kills me to say this but I am concerned that this new found steely resolve of Canadians and especially Albertans will not last. This assault on Canada will last for years. Everyone talks a good game but once the U.S. starts to bleed this country dry, how many will stand like Horatius at the gate and how many will be begging to join America?
We have a poll showing that 13 percent of Canadians would love to join America and the greatest concentration of those wanting to join America live in Alberta. Add to this mix our Trump loving Provincial Government and their leader, Marlaine-a-Lago, whose adherence to the firewall letter screams separation from Canada. Her actions so far to combat the tariff extortion have been capitulation and pre-surrender, her hero status in Post Media op-eds notwithstanding.
I wonder about the resilience of the people when I recall how many could not even wear a simple paper mask during Covid. Too selfish, too self centered. Are these citizens going to stand up to Trump when they wouldn’t even put on a mask to save lives?
As an aside, what happened to our Allies? Anyone heard from our Head of State? The Commonwealth? NATO? The EU? Crickets.
Jaundiced Eye: I’m more optimistic about Canadians’ resolve. That may be because I lived in the US for 7 years and was there when they declared the “War on Terror” on Afghanistan and the “shock and awe” war on Iraq. They were going to convert these places to bastions of democracy in a precise “in and out” maneuver only to be bogged down there for years. If they start feeling the bite of our retaliatory tariffs and they don’t get what they want (whatever it is) fast, they’ll start pressuring their congressman to push Trump to back off. I figure if we can endure Trump’s tariffs for about a year (that will begin the run up to the midterm elections) we’ll be in good shape because they’ll back off.
As to where are our Allies. Good question. Seems to me, many of them are frantically trying to figure out how to handle the consequences of whatever it is Trump/Putin are cooking up on Ukraine.
As to those 13% who want to join America, I wish someone would run the numbers and tell them how much they’re going to have to fork over for private health insurance, and if they own a business, how much their businesses will have to fork over to provide health insurance for their employees, because that is going to be a whole lot more than what they expect to save in taxes.
‘As to those 13% who want to join America, I wish someone would run the numbers and tell them how much they’re going to have to fork over for private health insurance, and if they own a business, how much their businesses will have to fork over to provide health insurance for their employees, because that is going to be a whole lot more than what they expect to save in taxes.’
Why even bother with these 13%?
Go ahead move but there will be consequences – one being that they lose Canadian citizenship.
I do not care about what happens to them there. It is their choice.
Happy Family Day everyone.
By the reactions of most of our premiers and allies, I say Go Canada Go and let us become more self confident and self sustainable. We have what we need and those that want to bend to Orange Trump, get a ticket and move.
Danielle Smith – you can go and fast, we can even buy you a house down there so you do not have to struggle financially.
With friends like this who needs enemies???
A lot of people. I’ve discovered that even in the heat of everything Trump is doing…and not just to Canada…many conversations about what Canada should do, veer off track into fear of Putin, hatred of Russia……..and China….
Patriotism may rise to defend our country against the Empire we’ve always felt was our ‘friend’….but patriotism is still a bellicose emotion more often than not….and stepping outside a world that’s been divided into 2……..so that profitable wars…of aggression, ethnic cleansing, territory gain, or just ideological differences…….??
Stepping outside of that reductive fear machine is hard. A few more of us should listen to thinkers on the edges of the mainstream media… Richard Wolff was telling us the American Empire was losing to China…before America chose Trump.
Chris Hedges was detailing the fascistic tendencies in the Christian Right over a decade ago. There’s a lot of thinkers on substack that might help us broaden both our views of history and of economics.
Because the difficulty as I see it, is not just standing up to Trump……but eliminating from our ideologies (different from ideas) that sense of entitlement and intellectual certainty that makes us think in US-THEM dualisms….with US often meaning USA.
Let’s use this time to take back some of the industries and essential services we sold off to the foreign money; let’s rethink what a democracy actually owes to its citizens, and please, for the children…….let’s get a rein on the abstract hatred and contempt we’ve been programmed to have for “The Other”.
You know: Those enemies we seem to feel naked without.
Happy Family Day to you as well. Thank you for this historical reminder. We need all the hope and family solidarity we can muster.
The absurd continues in the US and it seems that soon there will be a Russia/US confederation and it is possible we will see Americans celebrating Russia day.
Zelensky body is now being dragged around Kiev by the American president. How can anyone declare publicly that Zelensky started the war is beyond belief. This man should be immediately checked by a psychologist because it is clear that he has lost what any human being considers normal brain functions. He does no longer understand truth or fact. His objective is now the Ukraine resources. Trump is no longer capable of not lying.
So much for the checks and balances of the American political system. It cannot stop a psychopath from taking the country into the abyss. He is now a friend of Putin and an enemy of Europe, Canada, Mexico and Panama. His best friends are dictators.
Furthermore, a unelected very rich person plays the checks and balances like a chess game and so far we know who is winning. If this continues, I am not sure the world will be viable at the end of his 4 years in power.
Yes I admit he has a good friend in Alberta. Of course it had to be Alberta.
I am not sure at what point someone is going to suggest Trump to visit a Psychiatrist but wow he has completely lost any sense of reality.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6655491
OK this is the only place where we can talk about facts so lets get this clear.
RUSSIA started the war in Ukraine. Because of Trumps lies even the Russian Ambassador is now calling us idiots because we do not really understand their lies.
Why no one in the Canadian government comes out and says that Trump is lying?
Where is the House of Commons and all the heroes that defend our nation? SAY IT TRUMP IS LYING. Do we need to invite Greta to come tell us that we a bunch of intimidated bunnies.
If Putin had in any way threatened Canada with a possible forced take over – what do you think the Canadian Government would have done? Well you know the answer. We would all be screaming murder.
Well why is the Canadian government not doing the same to the US? Are we afraid of them? Why are we still in the game with the US when Trump and his little monkey Elon Musk are disrespecting us at every opportunity?
I am proud of being Canadian but I will not be if this show of weakness continues.
Not just in hockey. This is not a joke. Trump will lie about us in order to get all that he wants from us. He will invade us if needed. Does anyone has any doubts by now?
Trump is now willing to negotiate a trade with the Chinese but not with us. Does that not tell you anything? Hello Justin Trudeau and the now melting Pierre Poilievre. So much for his courage. They forgot to mention that he is only good at slogans.
Wake up Canada. With leaders like these we will soon be part of the American/Russian compost pile.
Forget about the US and lets move fast towards our own future. We do not need to be afraid of lunatics.
They are offending us to make us weak and pathetic. Tell Trump to go F…. himself. He is a bully but wait until he sees real reaction. Vance is another one. Neither one of them was courageous to face their own demons but they are telling us we are WEAK. NO we are not.
I find extraordinary that in face of what is going on, no one other than Charlie Angus has the guts to stand up and tell the Americans that if this bully continues we will ask their Ambassador to leave and take his shit with him.
I am embarrassed as a Canadian that absolutely nothing is said or done. The only person so far that corrected Trump publicly was Macron last night.
Where are our politicians. Where is HERO Poilievre (the common sense moron)?
Harper that was one of the signatures in the famous Alberta firewall letter is now pretending to be a proud Canadian. Why is no one saying anything either?
I am beyond furious. I am embarrassed and if you do not have the guts to act then let any citizen do it. I will be more than happy to stand up and tell them what we think of them, if necessary right on the face of the so called best negotiator in the world. He is just a fake total failure taking us by the hand.
Are we going to allow this moron, traitor walk on us and enter Canada as if he is a friend? He is NOT A FRIEND – what else do we need to see? AN INVASION?
I am sorry but why is Justin Trudeau not confronting Trump in public when he lies about us and everything else? Why? Are we afraid of his reaction?
Correct him in public – there is nothing bullies ate more. Do not accept him in Canada territory, he is a felon and a sexual predator. So why are we not doing what is in the law to stop him like any other citizen?
I am sorry but I just cannot understand our weakly position. He is starting to sink in the US and we could very well help get him done and not allow his lies and attitudes towards us. Those Canadians that are afraid of retaliation just go to Florida and take a vacation. There are enough of us here to hold the Fort.
Let us show some Canadian pride and courage.
Call him OUT every single time he lies never mind his monkey Elon Musk. Just ban his cars from Canada and take away his Canadian nationality and if it does not work , ban X in Canada. It would be the best fresh approach ever. We do not need terrorist crap here. If the other Zuckerberg does not behave as well – shut him down.
Countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, Afghanistan took them on and won. You know why? It is called courage and pride in their citizenship. Not just the GDP and unemployment numbers. Its their home and they do not allow these morons to dictate to them.
Apparently Americans are tired of being booed? Well we are as tired to be bullied and disrespected. If the NHL does not like it well stops the games. If I am in any of the games I will boo them as loud as I can.
Americans are not used to be on the wrong side of the stick. Well good luck because you are now and I hope Canadians boo you as hard as possible because that is what you deserve. If you do not like it do not come, we do not need you here.
Lovely – she just cannot stop feeding the rich
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-quietly-issued-an-11-billion-loan-guarantee-for-albertas-biggest-bank-no-one-will-say-why/
For those who have been talking about King Charles III role in this crazy time, got their answer today – the King invited Trump traitor to visit him in Britain. Amazing to me.
Justin Trudeau called the call to ban Trump from Canada ‘irresponsible’ so I guess either I am looking at the problem with the wrong glasses or people just really believe that giving in to a felon egomaniacs to protect economic interests is ‘Responsible’
Trump is a felon and a sexual predator and now a traitor to the Western alliance and should definitely not be allowed to come to Canada. Any show of weakness to this guy is ‘Irresponsible’. I am sorry Justin Trudeau but your regular attitude, fully displayed in your visit to India and now towards the US is what is totally ‘Irresponsible’.
Danielle fest continues, this time with a podcaster.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/03/04/Nate-Pike-Reposts-Breakdown-New-Ruling/