Canada’s Fight Against Donald Trump’s Tariffs: When Winston Churchill addressed the British people on June 4, 1940, the United Kingdom stood alone, its allies scattered, its military reeling from defeat. Yet Churchill’s words that day transformed fear into defiance, uncertainty into resolve. His speech was not just a call to arms—it was an unshakable declaration that Britain would fight against tyranny on every front, no matter the odds.
Today, Canada faces no military invasion. But we do face an economic onslaught: the persistent threat of punitive tariffs that can be imposed at will by an American president who sees trade not as a partnership but as a weapon.
While Trump has paused his threatened tariffs for thirty days, the reprieve is tenuous, as he continues to find new justifications to impose them. Canadian workers, industries, and national prosperity remain at risk. And just as Britain refused to kneel before Hitler’s war machine, Canada must refuse to bow before Trump’s economic brinkmanship.
To understand the spirit we must summon today, we must first recall Churchill’s original words:
“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
“Even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
Churchill’s defiance in the face of existential threat is the same resolve Canada must show today. Trump’s tariffs are not just an economic nuisance—they are an assault on the principles of free and fair trade. They disrupt supply chains, raise costs for consumers, and threaten jobs in key industries such as steel, aluminum, and agriculture. Canada has never been a nation to accept subjugation, whether military or economic, and we will not start now.
“We shall go on to the end. We shall fight these tariffs, we shall fight them in the courts and in the media, we shall fight them in the markets and on the factory floors, we shall fight them with growing confidence and growing strength in our industries, we shall defend our workers, whatever the cost may be.”
“We shall fight them in the tariff space, we shall fight them in the auto plants, we shall fight them at the border crossings and in the halls of trade negotiations. We shall fight them in every forum where fairness must prevail—we shall never surrender.”
“And if, which I do not for a moment believe, this country were to succumb to Trump’s unjust tariffs, then our allies, our trade partners, and all those committed to economic reason would carry on the struggle, until, in good time, economic common sense, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of an economically integrated North America.”
Canada is not merely a bystander in the global economy. We are builders, innovators, and leaders. Our economic strength is not dependent on the whims of a single foreign leader, but on the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of our people. We have weathered crises before, from financial collapses to energy shocks, and we have emerged stronger every time. This moment is no different.
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Just as Churchill’s Britain would not fold under fire, Canada will not fold under economic coercion. We will stand firm, not in defiance for defiance’s sake, but because our future and our prosperity depend on it.
We are a trading nation. Our history, from the fur trade to the modern global economy, has been defined by our ability to forge partnerships, navigate challenges, and rise above economic adversity. No tariff, no economic strong-arming, no bully will change that fundamental truth.
The world is watching, and history will remember. Canada does not yield. Canada does not surrender. Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
About the Author: Dr. Andrew Latham
Andrew Latham is a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities and a professor of international relations and political theory at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. Andrew is now a Contributing Editor to 19FortyFive. You can follow him on X: @aakatham. Latham now writes a daily column for 19FortyFive.
