Staff Reports
At a recent Canada Strong & Free Network conference in Ottawa, a sharp panel made a simple point: the United States and Canada must stand together to meet the growing threat from Communist China. The panel featured Jamil Jivani, Member of Parliament for Bowmanville—Oshawa North, and Matthew Boyle, Washington Bureau Chief for Breitbart News. Their message was blunt. They said economic policy, trade talks, and national security now overlap like never before.
What the panel said in plain terms
Jamil Jivani told the crowd a “Canada First” policy should mean stronger ties with the United States, not cozying up to Beijing. He warned that Chinese firms have gained a foothold in North American rail manufacturing and said the figure is roughly $4.3 billion in contracts — a number he attributed to his remarks at the panel. Matthew Boyle framed the rivalry as “the fight of our century,” a choice between Western freedom and a Chinese model where the party calls all the shots. Those are big claims. The $4.3 billion number should be treated as an attributable claim until procurement records are checked. But the trend they pointed to — more Chinese-linked work in critical sectors — is a real national-security worry.
Why this matters for U.S.-Canada relations and supply chains
Call it Fortress North America or common sense. When key parts of rail, telecom, and manufacturing are tied to foreign state-directed firms, both countries are weaker. Supply chains that cross the border mean what hurts one country can hurt the other fast. That is why trade talks and USMCA reviews matter. It is also why lawmakers have already moved to block federal funds for some Chinese-linked vendors in the rail sector. If Ottawa and Washington ever wanted a joint project with purpose, securing supply chains and protecting critical infrastructure is the place to start.
What leaders should actually do — and what they shouldn’t
First, Canada and the U.S. should finish the trade work that actually helps North American factories, not reward cheap labor abroad. Second, both governments should demand transparency on who wins major rail and infrastructure contracts and why. Third, align rules so state-directed firms can’t play one market off the other. And no, “consulting Brussels” is not a plan — nor is letting Beijing write the terms. Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump should stop treating this like a polite debate and start treating it like the strategic problem it is.
Conservative activists and voters should welcome this frank talk from Ottawa. The panel’s message is not flashy. It is a call to protect jobs, defend freedom, and secure North America. If politicians on both sides of the border keep shrugging, the choices Matthew Boyle warned about could become reality. So speak up, demand facts on those rail contracts, and push for a real U.S.-Canada plan to counter Communist China’s reach. That is the sober, hard work that will matter for a long time.
