Emad Barsoum

For years, I’ve been saying Canada needs to branch out when it comes to trade. The idea is simple, and it’s something most of us have heard before: don’t put all your eggs in one basket—even if the basket is being held by family. Canada’s economy has always leaned heavily on our neighbors to the south. Almost three-quarters of what we export still ends up in the U.S. That partnership is important—no doubt about it—but the trade tensions and tariffs in recent years are a wake-up call.

Canada is entering the electric-vehicle era whether we like it or not. The real question, however, is not whether EVs are the future. It is whether Canada is preparing for that future with discipline—or rushing toward it and hoping the country adapts later. The discussion around importing electric vehicles from China is often framed as a simple equation: more supply means lower prices and faster adoption.

Every new year arrives carrying hope. Hope is personal: better health, stability, dignity. Hope is shared among families and friends. And hope, on a larger scale, is national—a quiet expectation that the country we work for will, in return, work for us. For hardworking Canadians, expectations are not extravagant. Most families are not asking for luxury or privilege.