Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Canada Pivots in Response to Trump

I don't usually write about politics, but Canada is at a pivotal moment in its history. A long-standing ally has turned unpredictable, and we are scrambling to adapt to the loss of a relatively stable trading partner.

Carney and Macron deepen ties as Canada turns toward Europe and away from U.S. dependence | PBS News https://t.co/WyfNXzoqzF Carney seems relaxed and happy dealing with Europe instead of Trump. But how close do Canadians want to be with the EU... and all that goes with it?

— earthpages.org (@earthpages) September 21, 2026

People say all kinds of good and bad things about Trump, but even some of his staunch supporters are starting to admit he's going too far. Personally, I’ve always had a penchant for spotting trends before they fully materialize. I saw the shift toward his deliberate manipulation of the system right after he returned from the hospital following his recovery from COVID-19.

Do you remember that moment? He staged the scene like an authoritarian dictator—outdoors, with a helicopter or military aircraft flying overhead. It looked like a scene straight out of an original Star Trek episode where a two-bit tyrant mimics 1940s Earth: almost laughable, yet deeply concerning.

I told people back then that I thought Trump was behaving strangely, but nobody really paid attention. I saw where it was heading.

Before that point, I found him mostly amusing and refreshing. He said what nobody else had the nerve to say and cut straight through the crap. I liked that about him.

If only he had stopped there. Instead, the world is now scrambling to adapt while one of its most powerful nations increasingly resembles the very regimes we once labeled "undemocratic."

Yes, Trump will eventually pass on—we all do sooner or later. But I don't think that will reverse the trend. Look at Rome after Caesar's death: none of the key players wanted to return to the Roman Republic, and they never did. If history repeats itself, it might take the modern equivalent of a barbarian invasion to contain the beast America could become.

Perhaps climate change will shift the scales. It sounds ironic, but as temperatures rise, vast regions of the U.S. risk becoming dust bowls, while Canada becomes warmer, more arable, and economically vital. In many ways, that shift is already underway.

We will still face unusual weather, but the balance of power seems destined to tilt—I think to the North.