I remember 9/11. I watched the towers fall. I watched the U.S. president vow revenge. But what I remember most—what really stuck—was the confusion. Americans asking, “Why would they attack us? What did we do to them? Don’t they love freedom?”

It was like a mirror had cracked. A nation told all its life it was the greatest on Earth suddenly forced to confront how the rest of the world actually saw it.

For Canadians, it was heartbreaking. Yes, for the obvious reasons — the horror, the grief, the thousands of lives extinguished — but also because we watched our closest friend wake up to something we'd already known, something we saw, simply because our news didn’t point only inward.

And now, with Trump’s new threat to charge Americans 35% more for all Canadian goods starting August 1, it feels like it’s happening again.

This Was a Triumph

One of my favourite video games is called Portal [spoilers ahead]. In it, you’re a test subject in some kind of weird psychological testing facility, guided by a cheerful but sinister AI.

By the end, you destroy the computer running the whole thing. But as the credits roll, the AI sings to you. And the song? It’s not angry. It’s wistful. “You broke my heart and killed me… and tore me to pieces… and threw every piece into a fire.

“As they burned, it hurt… because I was so happy for you.”

We Were So Happy For You

That’s what it feels like to be Canada right now.

America, we’ve stood beside you for more than a hundred years. In war, in peace, in the middle of nowhere when your planes had nowhere else to land. We helped dig your people out of hurricanes. We sent firefighters to your blazes. We cheered when you reached the moon. 

And through it all, we were happy for you. Genuinely. We know how much it matters to America to be #1. And even if we rolled our eyes a little, deep down, we were proud to be your friend.

But now, the world sees something else. A country whose leaders can't or won’t understand complexity. Who flatten every issue into a cartoon: immigrants bad, white Christians good. Trade partners? Enemies. Allies? Freeloaders.

The Boss Fight We’ll Win

These tariffs aren’t economic policy. They’re theatre. The goal isn’t just to hit our bottom line. It’s to rattle our sense of self.

I’ve read Trump’s book on negotiating. It’s clear that he believes the fastest path to dominance is to destroy not just the economics of the other side, but their spirit. It’s all there, right out in the open: tanks in parks, news cameras at mass arrests. Retaliation as spectacle.

This idea that big sticks and economic sledgehammers is all you need to rattle the other countries in the world is so uniquely… comically American.

Canada isn’t a market. We’re a nation. And our values are not for sale—not at 35%, not at 85%. Not ever.

We are a nation built in cold winters, with hard hands and big hearts. I’ve said this before. Canada’s biggest strength as a nation isn’t in trying to be the best, it’s that even in the worst times, we don’t give up on each other.

Obedience Was Always the Test

This video game, Portal, the computer keeps promising cake if you just keep playing along. And then you come across a part of the facility that’s been damaged because a test subject like you, who went before you, was trying in vain to escape. Scrawled on the wall is a warning: “The cake is a lie.”

That’s when you realize it: It was always a lie. The tests, the praise, the chaos—all designed to keep you obedient.

I worry that when this moment passes, America, when your circus leaves town, the damage will irreversible. Your reputation, burned. Your friendships, torn. Your moral authority, scattered, piece by piece into the fire.

And as they burn, it will hurt.

Because we were so happy for you.

We All Deserve Some Good News 😊

• Two friends who first met 20 years ago at the Canada Games unexpectedly reunited during the 2025 torch relay on a bus travelling to Newfoundland. 

• Elon Musk’s net worth took a big hit after Tesla shares dropped, following his call to start a new political party.

• Canadian travel to the U.S. has dropped for the sixth straight month, as the ongoing trade war continues to dampen cross-border trips.

• California will not ban transgender athletes from K-12 school sports or alter its anti-discrimination policies, becoming the second state after Maine to push back against the Trump administration on this issue.

Canadian Animals

• A 10-metre basking shark, one of the world’s largest fish, was spotted off Prince Edward Island’s North Shore by a family returning from a deep-sea fishing trip.

• Man vs. Bear: A B.C. wildfire fighter was attacked by a grizzly bear on the job, but teammates shouted to scare the bear away… and revved chainsaws?

• An orgy of flying ants swarmed Vancouver this week, part of a global summer mating ritual where winged ants take flight, get busy, and then part ways ✨forever✨ (the females start colonies, the males just… die).

Trade War Foibles

• An ad from Quebec’s Eastern Townships tourism office has gone viral, and even caught Sharon Stone’s attention, for offering hugs to Americans travelling to Canada.

• 60% of Canadians now see the U.S. as a top threat, tripling since 2019, as U.S. President Trump pushes a global trade war and talks annexation.

• Looming copper tariffs have sparked fears of mass layoffs and shutdowns, especially in Quebec, home to Canada’s only copper smelter and a major refinery tied closely to U.S. trade.

  • Copper theft is already a costly problem in Canada, and with Trump proposing a 50% tariff on Canadian copper, rising prices could fuel even more thefts like the recent $100K wire heist in northern Ontario.

• Canadians dig in their heels: The CBC has a great piece covering how Trump’s ongoing trade war is fueling a prolonged boycott of U.S. goods and travel.

Science!!!

• We have rocks at home: A chunk of Mars, the biggest on Earth, is expected to sell for up to $4 million at auction.

• DIY diagnosis: Doctors say AI and a doctor shortage are fueling a rising trend in people trying to diagnose and treat themselves online. 

The First Peoples

• In the new season of The Amazing Race Canada, 3 of the 11 teams competing for the win are First Nations competitors.

• Two First Nations players from Manitoba, recently drafted into the NHL by the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens, credit strong family support for their success. 

• A Verdun borough councillor has resigned from Projet Montréal after posting disparaging comments about Indigenous people on social media. 

• An Indigenous mountain goat carving with deep cultural and sentimental value has been stolen from the Upper Similkameen Indian Band in Hedley, B.C., and given its size, it was no easy feat.

Across Canada

• CBC News host Travis Dhanraj resigned this week, saying he was sidelined by the broadcaster and left with “no real choice.” CBC has denied the claim. 

  • Now, Conservatives are pushing for an investigation into the CBC after Travis Dhanraj resigned, citing “performative diversity” and tokenism that left him sidelined.

• Jersey Milk chocolate bars, a Canadian classic since 1924, are being discontinued due to low consumer demand.

• The Toronto Raptors embraced a ridiculous new logo, looking like a 4-year-old’s Microsoft Paint project, created by the popular @nbapaints IG account, even making it their profile pic.

Dystopian Hellscape 

• What’s next, a tariff on air?: U.S. lawmakers have written to Canada’s embassy, complaining that wildfire smoke drifting south is ruining Americans’ summer. 

• Someone using AI to fake being the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted at least five officials, including foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a member of Congress.

• Amazon has asked corporate employees to ‘volunteer’ to help with Prime Day grocery deliveries during its biggest days of the year. 

  • Prime Day profits: $14B+... Delivery team? Steve from Accounting.

• Protest Now, Pay Later: A federal judge has ordered a Jan. 6 rally organizer to pay $2K a day until she complies with a civil court subpoena she’s been avoiding.

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