Defend Canadian independence and people’s sovereignty

• Pull out of the USMCA Free Trade Deal, NATO, and NORAD

• Adopt a trade policy of multilateral and mutually beneficial trade with the world

• Adopt an independent Canadian foreign policy of peace and disarmament

• Act now to expand EI to cover all unemployed workers for the full duration of unemployment at 90% of previous earnings

People’s Needs, Not Corporate Greed and War

Since the Republicans took control of Congress and Trump became President on January 20, the danger of a global war has increased significantly. Trump’s announcement that Gaza would be annexed by the US military, with the Israeli military organizing the forced removal of all Palestinians, is ethnic cleansing and the latest crime against humanity committed by Israel and the US in Gaza.

Trump’s proposed annexation of Canada is also illegal under the United Nations Charter and international law. It violates the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which affirms Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination and self-government. He has similarly proposed annexing Panama to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland to expand US military presence in the Arctic and exploit Greenland’s rare mineral resources. Trump’s negotiations with Russia are not about peace in Ukraine but about securing US access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth once the fighting stops.

Likewise, Trump’s drive to annex Canada is about gaining control over its vast energy and mineral resources, forests, lumber, fresh water, food production, and land—most of which are on the unceded territories of Indigenous Peoples. It is also about securing control of the Arctic, its emerging trade routes, and US militarization of the region, particularly in relation to Russia.

Trump’s 25% trade tariffs on Canadian imports will lead to mass layoffs, plant closures, bankruptcies, and permanent unemployment and poverty because nearly two-thirds of Canada’s trade is with the US. The free trade agreements have so deeply integrated Canada’s economy with US policies that the impact of these tariffs will trigger a deep recession, affecting US industries and workers as well. Retaliatory Canadian tariffs will not be enough to offset these devastating effects.

Shamefully, both the Liberals and Conservatives have always supported free trade and corporate control in North America. The first proposal came from Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent in 1948 with the Abbott Plan, which subordinated Canada’s economy and trade policies to the US. Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney forced the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) through after a major struggle with labour and people’s movements leading up to the 1988 election. He followed it up in 1992 with NAFTA, adding Mexico to the deal. Liberal and Conservative governments have continued supporting these agreements, as have the NDP and Bloc Québécois, who have only called for minor amendments rather than full withdrawal. The Communist Party remains the only political party that has consistently opposed free trade and called for Canada’s withdrawal.

Trump’s campaign to erase the Canada-US border is the next step in North American economic integration, which has never been just about trade. From the beginning, free trade was about imposing a North American corporate constitution that granted supranational corporate bodies more power than national governments, with US imperialism in control. That is who Trump represents.

That is also who Alberta Premier Danielle Smith represents, as she actively defends US oil interests over Canadian sovereignty. She is part of “Team Canada,” working to shield US energy companies from any Canadian counter-tariffs that might be levied in response to Trump’s trade war.

The shift toward far-right policies in the US is a symptom of US imperialism’s declining global influence. It is not the US but China that is experiencing record-breaking economic growth and expanding its international trade and influence.

Imperialism is a decaying system, but it remains powerful and extremely dangerous. Trump’s demands that Canada accept annexation and increase military spending to 5% of GDP annually are demands that lead to war. Meeting the 5% demand would increase Canadian military spending by $73 billion per year, diverting massive amounts of funding away from healthcare, education, childcare, housing, job creation, and environmental action. Similar cuts to social spending and surges in military budgets will have disastrous consequences worldwide.

Across Canada, working people are outraged by Trump’s attacks. They are making their voices heard at sports events, through letters to the editor, phone-in radio shows, boycotts of US imports, demonstrations, and calls for municipal resolutions against US economic aggression. This is the people’s sovereignty in action—what Parliament should be listening to and acting on.

Instead, the government is rushing to appease Trump, agreeing to spend $1 billion on unnecessary border security. This will be paid for by cutting vital public services, including healthcare, education, and housing. Parliament, along with provincial and territorial governments, must be forced by mass labour and popular action to stand with working people and expose the corporate interests behind Trump’s agenda.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who falsely claims to lead a “workers’ party” when speaking to workers, is closely aligned with Trump’s quasi-fascist movement. Poilievre’s endorsement by billionaire Elon Musk reveals his true allegiance—not to working people but to the billionaire class.

The role of labour and progressive movements in defeating annexation and war is crucial for protecting Canadian independence and people’s sovereignty. A broad coalition, with labour at its core, must be built to force Parliament to act in the public interest and reject corporate sellouts.

The Communist Party calls on the Prime Minister and Parliament to act now by:

• Withdrawing from the USMCA Free Trade Agreement
• Adopting a trade policy of multilateral and mutually beneficial trade with the world
• Withdrawing from NATO and NORAD and cutting military spending by 75%
• Adopting an independent Canadian foreign policy of peace and disarmament
• Reallocating military funds toward healthcare, childcare, education, housing, environmental action, and job creation
• Opposing the “Canada Free Trade” deal promoted by US and Canadian corporations, which would eliminate inter-provincial trade regulations that protect workers’ health and safety, fair trade, and supply management programs that Trump wants dismantled
• Expanding Employment Insurance (EI) to cover all unemployed workers for the full duration of unemployment at 90% of their previous earnings

The fight to protect Canadian independence and workers’ rights is a fight for democracy, peace, and a future free from imperialist control.

Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada