Tom Soeldner: Protecting our relationship with Canada protects us all

By Tom Soeldner

Across Canada, sports fans are booing the United States national anthem in response to President Trump’s attacks on Canadians. Our long-standing positive and productive relationship with our closest friend, ally and trading partner is at risk thanks to Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty, economy and national pride.

Within our families, workplaces, neighborhoods and nations, relationships matter. Relationships, like the one between Canadian and U.S. citizens, define who we are.

At this point, however, why would Canadians cross the border into the United States unless absolutely necessary? From Maine to Washington, major economic disruption looms, especially in local communities that rely on Canadian visitors.

The Peace Arch in Blaine, Washington, symbolizes peace and friendship between our two sovereign nations. Inscribed on the American side are the words, “Children of a common mother” and on the Canadian side, “Brethren dwelling together in unity.”

Spokane, Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, Colville and Kettle Falls, Omak and Okanogan, and others are part of the international economy. Businesses depend on Canadians and a welcoming border. Our relationships transcend the international boundary.

No one has a good explanation for why Trump is going after our northern neighbor. The president gleefully and disrespectfully refers to Canada as the 51st state and calls its prime minister “governor.” The U.S. has adopted punishing tariffs on Canadian goods that are destructive to the economies and security of both nations. Our president seems more interested in self-absorbed dominance than with a well-tested and trustworthy bond.

Former Prime Minister Trudeau explained Trump’s attacks on Canadians before leaving office, “The (illegal drug trade) excuse that he’s giving for these tariffs … is completely bogus, completely unjustified, completely false. What he wants to see is a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that’ll make it easier to annex us.”

Our president’s insulting posturing has continued with his “pausing” the nearly completed bi-national effort to modernize the 1964 Columbia River Treaty. The original treaty is an engineering agreement to manage the Columbia River for only two purposes: hydropower and flood risk management.

Forty percent of Columbia River water entering the Pacific Ocean comes from Canada and that percentage is likely to increase because of climate change. The 1964 treaty resulted in three major water storage dams in the Canadian portion of the watershed. These dams destroyed river valleys together with their fish and wildlife, local farms and economies, and Indigenous cultural values and resources, all without input from the affected people and all primarily for flood control, agriculture and navigation in the U.S.

With the worsening climate crisis, the timing and quantity of Canadian water flowing into the U.S. is increasingly important for returning salmon, agriculture and navigation. The two countries have spent 10 years at the negotiating table and were in the last stage of finalizing a new modernized Columbia River Treaty. And now our president wants a “better” deal although in this case, Canada holds the water “cards.”

U.S. citizens must step up to salvage the relationship between our two nations. Here are three steps you can take:

• Contact your senators and representatives, especially Republican lawmakers. Let them know that attacking Canada is wrong and bad for business.
• Send a message to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair) saying that the Great Lakes, Columbia River and other shared waters and historic partnerships must be protected and indigenous rights respected.
• Work with your local Chamber of Commerce and faith leadership to address the damage and ensure that both nations honor the peace and friendship we have enjoyed for two centuries.

Tom Soeldner, of Spokane, is a retired clergyman and educator who helps to coordinate the One River, Ethics Matter project and volunteers with the Sierra Club’s Columbia River Team.