We broke up with the USA.

 

We had decided weeks ago that we were headed towards a break up with the United States, but we were taking our time figuring out what that would look like and how to realistically do such a thing.  We have so many ethical differences and every day there seemed to be a new WTF?! situation coming from our southern neighbour. But then the United States launched a full scale trade war with Canada on February 1, 2025, breaking the free trade treaty that is in place between our countries until 2026. They enstated an Emergency Act to get around the legalities of the active agreement and pushed a false narrative about drug smuggling, illegal migration and a trade deficient.  

Almost everything about the whole situation is out of control, so in an effort to focus on what we CAN control, we decided to pull our family's spending dollars from US interests as much as we can. We started with wrapping up our social media accounts and cancelling our subscription services. We will no longer buy products made in the USA when we grocery shop. We will look for Canadian alternatives to our clothing, household products, outdoor products and everything else that we purchase and if we can't find a suitable Canadian replacement, we will look to other countries or we will go without if it's not a necessity. We also will not be crossing the USA border again for at least the next 4 years. I don't know what comes after that but our hard earned travel funds will not be spent in the USA.

For us, this isn't about politics. People can have differing political views and that's ok, it's good actually. This is about an out of control bully, (not to mention a convicted criminal, sexual offender, liar, narcissist, con man, etc) who will do anything for money and power at any cost to anyone other than himself and the billionaires that he plays with. And it is about a system and all the people that are allowing everything to unfold the way it is unchecked.  Personally, the United States is filled with good memories, places I visit often and people that I love, but honestly, I don't think I will ever look at it the same again.

If Canada could move, we would. Unfortunately, we are conjoined in a way that physical separation isn't possible. The trust in our allyship and friendship has been fractured and it's forcing Canada to look at how we do things and I hope it pushes us into a hard lesson about diversification and building stronger ties with our other allies. The actions of the United States are going to cause stress on our economy and theirs; on our families and theirs, but the actions of the United States are not going to break Canada. Seemingly unbeknownst to the bully in charge, Canada is a sovereign nation and you can not just "absorb us". Canada is not for sale.

I know that not everyone is going to respond to this situation in the same way as we are and that's ok. People need to make decisions for themselves that they can live with. I hope that whether you are Canadian or American you make choices for yourselves that fit with who you are and are in line with your integrity. I know that can feel impossible, but even small things can make a big difference. And if you are ok with all that is going on in the United States, please don't tell me, just quietly remove yourself from my world. 

Take care of yourselves, friends. I think this is going to be a long and bumpy ride.

Oh Canada, I stand on guard for thee... the true north, strong and free.