The latest incursion into American airspace is forest fire smoke from Canada. An invasion, according to President Trump. And the man with a tariff for every occasion does not disappoint
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable! I will call the Prime Minister,” promised Trump. “(…) This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
America really needs to watch that border – take an eye off it for one second and Canadian smoke comes pouring across, undeclared and visa-free. And as the nursery rhyme says, be it houseful or hole full, you cannot catch a bowlful. Put ICE on that, America – or rather, pour a little something over ice and relax. People have been breathing in the immediate environs of woodsmoke for thousands of years, mostly as a way to avoid freezing to death, and so far the human race remains unextinct.
Some northern communities have been evacuated, but at time of writing the Ontario fires have seen no casualties. Sadly, that is more than can be said for the ongoing fires in Colorado, where just a few days ago, on July 12, a Canadian helicopter pilot died battling an out-of-control blaze near Aspen – a tragic reminder of the closeness that still exists between the two countries, despite the political scorekeeping and the news narrative.
Ah, yes, the narrative: nothing makes the news in Canada if it doesn’t happen in Toronto, and it certainly hits the news cycle in America with a greater splash if it happens in New York City or Washington, DC first. Canada has forest fires every summer (in large part due to the natural life cycle of evergreen forests and lightning strikes), but this year’s fires are special, not because they’re so much more dangerous but because they’re in Ontario and the wind is blowing south. When the sun is darkened in Toronto, city-dwellers and journalists feel the end is nigh. Amplify that reaction to the power of 10 for when it hits New York City, and maybe even more for DC.
Far worse than the dimming of the sun is the dim reaction of Canadian politicians. The ever-humorless Doug Ford, premier of Ontario, commented “If there’s some politicians out there chirping away, well maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Trust Carney to bring everything back to climate change”
Perfectly true, as far as it goes. Canada has sent quite a bit of help, including waterbombers, to quell forest fires in the US. But before Ford gets too carried away with the “American friends”, maybe he should allow American alcoholic beverages back onto Ontario store shelves. Do friends ban friends’ wine and then ask them to literally walk through the fire?
As for Prime Minister Mark Carney, cry us a river (it’ll help dampen down those flames). His obsession with climate change has driven us nearly out of our heads. “Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States,” Carney told reporters on July 16 in response to queries about the fire situation. How sanctimonious. Trust Carney to bring everything back to climate change, when so much of the bad feeling we see today between Canada and the US is due to Carney’s own fanning of the flames of anti-Americanism in a cynical bid for power.
A little Canadian humour could do much to defuse the tension. It is a pity that the Canadian electorate appears to have overlooked a ready wit, one of its finest national characteristics, as a qualification for office. Fortunately, there is more to the Great White North than its political class.
As for President Trump, wildfires, like so many other problems, know no borders. Canada and the US need to find a way to keep working together. Trump is pretty good at taking down sanctimonious politicians – but as fellow-American Post Malone would say, picking up the pieces is the hard part. Has he got a tariff for that?
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