True story number one. A young boy was trying on a new pair of shoes. The clerk asked, “Do those shoes hurt?” The boy innocently replied, “I don’t know, but my feet sure do!”
This is a true story too, and a bit funny. It was a dark and wintery day. A young woman’s car was off to the side of the road. I stopped to offer help. Pleased at my arrival, she explained that she was stuck, but even shovelling and a pair of traction mats hadn’t helped. I went to the back of her car, suggesting, “Give it another try, but easy on the gas.” The rear tires were spinning. “Ma’am, stop! Your car is front-wheel drive.”
This is a true story. I got stuck in a snow-filled deep ditch beside a narrow rural driveway. I didn’t realize it was so narrow. Almost immediately a big Mercedes came by to offer help. “If you have a tow rope, I can pull you out.”
After I hooked us up, I got into my pickup and said, “Let’s give it a try, easy.” Easy didn’t do it, so he revved his big engine, continuously. He was determined, wasn’t going to be beaten. His tires spun until they were smoking, but eventually both vehicles suddenly lurched forward.
Thanking him profusely, I then said, “I think you’ve damaged your tires.”
“No problem. Not my car. I’ve borrowed it from my buddy.”
This is a true story, but not funny. Because of “Mr. Donald’s” behaviour regarding Canada, Ukraine and much of the rest of the world’s countries, many Canadians have started to boycott America. Some sun-seekers who spend winters in Florida are cancelling their travel plans. Others are considering selling their condos. The rest of us are faced with dealing with the impending tariffs by not purchasing American goods. Easy? No!
This is a true story, but not funny. If we try to avoid American products, we are met with items labelled “Packaged in Canada,” or “Brought to you by a Canadian company,” which imports its stuff from south of what Mr. T. calls “just an artificial line on a map,” or “Serving Canadians Since 1999.”
Domtar is gone from Cornwall. Nestle has left Chesterville. Toronto’s Downsview airfield, Toronto’s Malton and Montreal’s Cartierville airport are industrial ghost lands. The production lines of De Havilland of Canada, Avro Canada and Canadair are gone. We buy products of Boeing, Airbus and Embraer.
Check what’s on the shelves of your local stores, or even on the product labels of your shirts, shoes, shorts, silverware, stereo and sundry other items. Made in Canada? Not likely. Made in China, or anywhere else? Yupp! Not funny!
