Article content continued

Trudeau has said the situation has not changed. He is clearly in denial. Someone should also tell Michael Chong that his plan to impose a $130/tonne carbon tax is dead on arrival.

Provinces are already experimenting with various ways to reduce emissions. We will see over time what model is most effective and least detrimental to the economy. But it has clearly become unrealistic for Ottawa to impose another layer of government intervention on an already costly series of measures whose effectiveness has yet to be demonstrated.

Finally, Canada is facing increasingly protectionist sentiment in the U.S., with Trump threatening to renegotiate NAFTA. Again, the Trudeau government is woefully unprepared. Through the voice of our ambassador in Washington, the government has said that it is willing to talk, especially about softwood lumber. But what does the government have to offer our American friends in exchange?

One major demand made on Canada during the TransPacific Partnership negotiations was to open our agricultural markets under supply management. In the end, access was only granted to a tiny portion of our market for these products.

Six months ago, I proposed abolishing supply management. The main reason is not to please the Americans; it is to get rid of a legal cartel and to give a break to 35 million Canadians, and particularly low-income families who are paying too much for dairy products, eggs and chicken.

But why not do it also to preserve NAFTA and guarantee an open access to the U.S. market? With this issue on the table, we would be better positioned to ask for a full opening of the American softwood lumber market.

The lesson from last week’s election is not that Conservatives should imitate Trump’s style of politics. It is that we should adapt our policies and take advantage of new opportunities when our neighbours change course. Canada can rise up to this challenge — with the right economic plan.

Maxime Bernier, MP for Beauce, is a Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate.

