Expect More Sprung Structure Camps: THE VOTER

The Voter looks at how she thinks the Trump administration will affect Ottawa:

Military: U.S. president-elect Trump will call on the members of NATO to up their military spending to at least two per cent of GDP. For Canada, finding money for the military will likely mean reducing spending in other areas. What programs will either lose funding or never get funded in order to divert dollars to the military? Will it also mean a movement away from peace-keeping towards more bellicose activities for our forces and what effect will that have on recruitment?

Deporting Hamas and other radicals: It’s unlikely that he would deport radicals to Canada for three reasons. First is what he sees as our porous border and the ease with which they could slip back into the U.S. Second, he won’t want them on his doorstep potentially organizing activities in the U.S. from a safe but very close vantage point in Canada. Third, Canada would have to agree to accept any deportations from the U.S. and it’s unlikely we would take people who could possibly create problems for us. Additionally, a deportation usually returns the individual to a country they have some links to which might be the last country they were in before going to the U.S., the country of their birth and/or citizenship or a country where they had previously lived. It’s unlikely that Canada would fall into any of those categories for most of the people Trump wants to deport.

Drop the EV mandate: Remember that his very good friend, Elon Musk, who has been promised a place in Trump’s administration, is the CEO of Tesla and is going to be in an excellent position to ensure that EV’s are not only not dropped but are boosted. It’s notable that Tesla’s stock rose by 14% in pre-market trading this morning. Trump’s win has already made Musk a ton of money and he’ll be banking on that continuing. Tesla’s stock wouldn’t have soared like that if people believed that EV’s were on their way out. The risk to Canada is what happens to the manufacture of EV’s and their components by firms that aren’t Tesla, particularly Chinese companies, and how much of Tesla’s manufacturing, current and future, will be American-only to shore up the US auto industry.

Influx of asylum seekers: We will soon see that the Barrhaven Sprung structure is the thin edge of the wedge and we will witness the advent of Sprung complexes across the City in multiple communities. When the money runs out to build the tents, the overflow will be housed first in other City facilities and government buildings. That will include community and recreation centres, schools, office buildings, etc. and will, in all likelihood, push any current community uses and programming out the door. Alta Vista councillor Marty Carr supported the Sprung structures partly because they would get the emergency shelters out of community centres in her ward. That may have been a short-lived and illusory victory.

Democracy: In another potential effect on Ottawa, Trump’s win will embolden right-wing elements in Ottawa and across the country and could well influence our political landscape at all three levels of government. What assistance will he, his administration and the Republican Party give, overtly or otherwise, to efforts in that direction? What cost will that ‘assistance’ bring to Canadian democracy and independence?

Tariffs: What effects will Trump’s imposition of tariffs have on the Canadian economy and the cost of living here? He’s said he wants to re-negotiate the current Canada-Mexico-US free trade agreement. It’s important to remember that, in Trump’s lexicon, “re-negotiate” means “impose changes that are favourable to the US regardless of their effect on our partners” and he will probably remove the few protections that exist in the Accord. One of his goals will be to increase Canada’s branch-plant economy and interdependence on the US with the goal of controlling the economic levers of our country. He doesn’t like that we can do things he disapproves of and will be out to put a stop to that.

The Voter is a respected community activist and long-time Bulldog commenter who prefers to keep her identity private.

For You:

How Trump’s Win Affects Ottawa

Time For Transpo’s Amilcar To Go: THE VOTER

City Governance Review Delayed By Budget

Bookmark The Bulldog, click here