The tariffs are coming. We all know this isn’t really about fentanyl—only 19 kg of the U.S.’s supply comes from Canada, while close to 10,000 kg was seized at the U.S. border.

Even if we solved this tiny issue, Trump would find something else—maybe he’d complain that the snow in NYC is due to cold air from Canada and slap us with another tariff.

Trump’s playbook is simple: weaponize everything at his disposal to get what he wants.

He’s imposing tariffs on everything from us. We can debate whether to slap tariffs on orange juice or hair dryers in response, but that won’t materially change the outcome. How we react now is just noise—he holds all the leverage anyway. Canada will suffer in the short term, no matter what.

But we shouldn’t let a crisis go to waste. This is a golden opportunity to fix systemic issues that were previously near impossible to address—like interprovincial trade barriers. Yet even fixing that won’t solve the root problem.

Stepping back, the real issue is one of the first principles of leadership: Optionality.

Having alternatives always provides leverage. This principle applies broadly—not just to negotiations, but also to fundraising, supplier relationships, operations, company survival, M&A, and beyond—including leading a country.

Trump understands leverage better than most. This isn’t just about negotiation—even if we reach a deal this time, any agreement with him isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

As a country, we are far too dependent on the U.S., and Trump knows it. Only by addressing our lack of optionality can we deal with him—and future U.S. presidents—on equal footing.

There is no quick fix. Only a new, decisive, visionary Prime Minister can guide Canada out of this mess.

The only way forward is to leverage what we do best—energy, natural resources, AI, and more—to create true optionality. As the world shifts toward intangible assets, ironically, our proximity to the U.S. is becoming less of a hindrance to diversification.

We must control our own destiny. We cannot allow any single country—U.S. or otherwise—to hold us hostage.

Only optionality can make Canada strong and free.

P.S. This blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given.