Columnist Mark McQueen's argument on Canada's pipeline scheme is countered by an opinion piece from a star columnist, arguing that Canada should use its leverage in trade and defence policies with the US. The columnist suggests that Canada can effectively counter the US by linking trade and economic policy to continental defence, specifically by giving notice to leave NORAD. No specific numbers are mentioned in this article, but it highlights the columnist's stance on using Canada's unique position in North America as a bargaining chip. This opinion piece takes a critical view of McQueen's proposal, suggesting that it would be a "lose-lose" scenario for Canada.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.85, but every quote it verified points left, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 7914: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-11
Actually there is a third way to win
Mark McQueen gets it all wrong.
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it → be → ?
Canada is not going to be able to replace the U.S. market no matter how hard we try — this is 75 per cent of our trade.
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this → go → trade
Plus, China is reducing its need for fossil fuels, and it would take a decade or more to build the infrastructure to export so much.
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it → reduce → much
And as for doing a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, no deal he agrees to is worth anything since he will break the deal or find other ways to punish us.
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he → do → us
There is a third lane that Carney is ignoring: use all of Canada’s leverage.
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Carney → be → leverage
This means linking trade and economic policy to continental defence.
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This → mean → defence
In short, Canada should give the necessary 12 months notice that we are leaving Norad, as well as cancelling other agreements related to defence that benefit the U.S., including military overflights of Canada.
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that → give → Canada
China has rare earths as their trump card, and Canada is special in that we have something even Mexico lacks — continental defence.
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Mexico → have → something
Trump wants to take control of Greenland, but he ignores that Canada can walk away from being a partner on continental defence.
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Canada → want → defence
Neither Russia nor China is going to physically attack Canada.
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Russia → go → Canada
Russia is not the USSR, and it is bogged down in Ukraine.
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it → bogge → Ukraine
We do not need to spend five per cent on defence.
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We → need → defence
Trump is transactional and is a bully, and we lack economic clout as we have one eighth the population of the U.S.
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we → lack → U.S.
Without risking our national unity, the only way to effectively fight back is to use something he desperately wants as leverage — and that is purely federal power: defence.
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that → risk → leverage
Canada has to stop being a Boy Scout and play hardball.
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Canada → have → hardball
In fact, Canada needs to totally rethink our relationship with the U.S. and our allies and take a “clean sheet” approach because our relationship with Europe is also one-sided.
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relationship → need → Europe
Brian Graff, Toronto
Ford is making us less safe for a few votes
This type of accident was foreseeable.
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type → make → accident
And unfortunately it will recur.
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it → recur → ?
My sympathy goes out to the young victim and his parents who have a very tough path forward.
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who → go → path
We need a law that holds the government responsible when the government imperils the safety of its citizens through the removal of infrastructure put in place to reduce that very situation.
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government → need → situation
A car hitting a pedestrian causes severe injuries; a speeding car kills them.
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car → hit → them
Removing speed cameras and bike lanes — making us less safe — for the sake of a few votes is ethically criminal.
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us → remove → votes
Peter Pinch, Toronto
We’ve seen where hateful political rhetoric leads.
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rhetoric → see → Pinch
It is time to stop amplifying it
Surely in 2026 we can disagree without resorting to referring to others as our “enemy” and saying that we “hate them” over political ideologies.
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we → stop → ideologies
We’ve had years of examples of the effects of such polarized and heated rhetoric, and it’s irresponsible to continue to platform voices who cannot respect others.
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who → have → others
Phil Gaudreau, Ottawa
How to lower oil prices
Oil prices will not start to come down until the Strait of Hormuz is once again allowing a free flow of shipping.
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Strait → lower → shipping
And we’re told by some — Hillary Clinton, for one — that the way to get there is for the U.S. administration to elicit help from its allies.
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administration → tell → allies
Here’s how to make that happen.
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that → ’ → ?
It’s a simple bargain: The U.S. drops all Trump tariffs on all goods across the board — globally — in return for co-operation on freeing up the strait.
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U.S. → ’ → strait
Thus, the U.S. is extricated from its ill-advised war, and the rest of the world is extricated from the equally ill-advised Trump tariffs.
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rest → extricate → tariffs
Jim Lang, Thornbury, ON
It took me years to understand the value of education.
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It → take → education
I want every child to learn that lesson sooner
Keeping young people in school longer and teaching them to apply themselves is a great idea, but it’s only a start.
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it → want → themselves
In our early teenage years, we do not have a fully developed brain.
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we → have → brain
We cannot make proper decisions.
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We → make → decisions
I failed English at an early age because I couldn’t see how it would help me later in life.
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it → fail → life
At age 13, I carried a gun.
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I → carry → gun
Today at 84 I still carry a bullet in my leg from when I was 13.
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I → carry → leg
I left school at 16.
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I → leave → 16
And by 18 I became the president of the largest outlaw motorcycle club in Canada.
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I → become → Canada
Then at 23, I changed.
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I → change → 23
…and 10 more, not listed.
