NANAIMO – At a press conference in Nanaimo, B.C., Green Party co-leaders Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May, along with Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidate Paul Manly, outlined how Canada can emerge from the “dumbest trade war ever” with higher productivity, more employment, and a healthier, more resilient economy.
While the Greens support retaliatory tariffs, they also recognize that a trade war will damage both economies and hurt workers on both sides of the border. To protect Canadian workers, communities, and resources, the federal government must purchase Canadian resources at the price set for current exports and divert them to Strategic Reserves held by Canadian Crown corporations. These sectors—including forest products, aluminum, and potash—would not be subjected to U.S. tariffs. Instead, workers will be protected, and resources will be either held in reserve as prices rise, used in Canada to best build our economy, or exported to countries that are reliable partners.
“For too long, Canada has been known as ‘hewers of wood and drawers of water,’ reflecting the reality that for centuries, Canada has promoted unprocessed exports of everything from raw logs to unprocessed bitumen,” said Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May. “Now we could be described as ‘wasters of water and scrapers of bitumen.’ Productivity lags when unprocessed exports dominate over value-added industries. Unlike Sweden, where forest products are exported as furniture, Canada’s economy suffers by allowing transnationals to ‘rip and ship.’ It is time to end raw resource exports.”
The creation of Strategic Reserves is a non-budgetary transaction, essentially an asset-swap with negligible impact on the Government of Canada’s books. Additionally, Greens propose a bond issue—”Saving Canada Bonds”—where Canadians can invest in securing Canada’s strategic resources.
“Canada will remain firm and united in the face of economic bullying,” said Jonathan Pedneault, co-leader of the Green Party of Canada. “ It is high time we stopped acting like a colony and seized control of our resources for the benefit of Canada and its workers. We now have an opportunity to establish Canada as a truly independent nation and the Canada we’re fighting for is one where we truly leverage the hard work of loggers, miners and resource-industry workers for the benefit of all Canadians instead of that of global transnational corporations.”
At the press conference, the Greens detailed their plan to protect Canada’s economy. Full details and Parliamentary Budget Officer costing will be included in the party’s official platform.
“Our ‘rip and ship’ practices need to stop,” added Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidate Paul Manly. “We’re shipping raw logs into the United States when we should be processing them at home. More than ever, we need this lumber to build more affordable homes for Canadians—not to mention creating made-in-Canada jobs.”
As Canada faces mounting economic uncertainty, the Green Party is offering a bold, forward-thinking plan to strengthen domestic industries, protect workers, and build a self-sufficient, sustainable economy. Instead of reacting to crises with short-term fixes, Greens are committed to long-term solutions that put Canadians first—ensuring that our natural resources serve the public good, not just corporate interests.
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Fabrice Lachance Nové
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