The following letter was composed on Christmas night, 2024, by one of Canada’s most respected voices: Thomas d’Aquino. The entrepreneur, best-selling author of Private Power, Public Purpose, member of the Order of Canada, and founding CEO of the Business Council of Canada shared it on his social media, and we are sharing it with our readers.
Dear president-elect,
Here we are, less than a month away from your second inauguration as president of the United States. As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas, we’ve been reminded of Christianity’s core message of love, compassion, humility, and peace—a message that all world leaders would do well to embrace.
I, for one, am reminded of a central tenet of our faith from the book of Leviticus—“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” With this in mind, I am thinking about the deep bonds between the United States and Canada:
• Of the magnificent, shared geography of the North American continent.
• Of our shared, longstanding commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
• Of the generous welcome our two nations have offered to generations of immigrants from every corner of the earth.
• Of our shared exploits in the defence of freedom, never forgetting Canada’s oversized contributions in two world wars, in Korea, in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, and now our support for the brave people of Ukraine fighting tyranny.
• Of Canada helping out in a time of need: Canada rescuing and sheltering American diplomats who had evaded capture during the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Iran and offering the safety of our airspace and refuge to the thousands of Americans grounded by the tragedy of 9/11.
• Of the unparalleled level of trade and investment between our two countries, providing millions of jobs to Americans and Canadians alike and employing among the world’s most talented people.
• Of the global institutions and alliances we have built together that have contributed immeasurably to global peace and to our prosperity and security.
• In the world of culture, we jointly celebrate the achievements of the great artists who give meaning to the soul of our continent.
These bonds have contributed to the building of a great nation to your north, “The True North Strong and Free,” as we sing proudly in our national anthem—a nation respected around the world, a nation with the world’s most envied passport.
Given the profound depth of these bonds, it is hard to imagine that you would choose to take steps to weaken them in any way. As I write to you, millions of Canadians are in fear of the consequences of your threat to impose punitive tariffs—tariffs that would damage job creation and investment in America as well as Canada, tariffs that would violate the treaties that bind us together, tariffs that would undermine the work of your visionary Republican predecessors—Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush—leaders well known to me and individuals I greatly admired.
Recently, you have demeaned Canadians with declared aspirations to make Canada a 51st state—interpreted by some as a joke but something that our nation of 41 million people would never countenance, of course.
This has sown confusion and distrust, and it pains me greatly. With respect, the road I see ahead is one where we resolve our differences constructively in the spirit of friendship. You have called for more effective cooperation in border management and drug interdiction and an enhancement of Canada’s contribution to the security of the continent. The vast majority of Canadians support these priorities. Action on all three fronts will serve both Americans and Canadians.
President-elect, all my life I have been a huge admirer of what Sir Winston Churchill called “the Great Republic.” I have travelled to every corner of America. I treasure friendships with countless Americans. I summed up my belief in the relationship and its potential during the negotiation of the historic Canada-United States free trade agreement in the late 1980s when I led Canada’s private sector forces in support of the agreement:
By uniting our two countries in this historic agreement, we are building on a powerful set of alliances between our peoples, our governments and our enterprises that will be the envy of the world. We will demonstrate the huge benefits of an open economy. We will be leaders in technology and resource development. We will continue to deploy our economic strengths in deepening the security of North America.
Under your leadership, beginning in January and unfolding throughout the next four years, I pray that we will forge this path to ever-higher achievements together, in peace and mutual respect.
Sincerely,
Thomas d’Aquino
Photo: Facebook.com
