It’s time for Canada to remove itself from its vulnerable position where more than 75 per cent of its exports go to the United States, writes Amina Gerba, an independent senator for Quebec.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and erratic decision-making have rapidly weakened the United States’ leadership in North America and across the world. This unpredictable and harmful behaviour has made it imperative that the international community learn to operate with greater independence from Washington. Canada, in particular, is highly vulnerable to America’s new foreign policy pursuits and must reduce its economic, cultural and military dependence on the U.S.

In the past few months, Canada has been thoroughly let down. Trump has shown the U.S. is no longer a reliable, trustworthy and level-headed trading partner that respects its historical allies and that wants to build on proven success — from supply chains to fair negotiations — in good faith. The Trump administration’s trade war with Canada, waged through excessive, unjustified and inconsistent tariffs, is destroying the foundation of our countries’ economic relationship.

It’s time to remove ourselves from this vulnerable position where more than 75 per cent of our worldwide exports tie us to one customer — even though that customer is the world’s leading economic power. As we know: When the U.S. sneezes, Canada catches a cold.

We must expand our economic footprint beyond North America. For 30 years, I have advocated for Canada to diversify its markets across the globe, particularly in Africa. This moment in Canada-U.S. relations proves we must fully commit to this strategy and accelerate our efforts. It will be challenging and costly, but undoubtedly worth it in the long run.

With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Africa is on the cusp of significant economic transformation. The agreement creates a single market encompassing 54 countries and more than 1.3 billion people — projected to grow to 2.4 billion in 20 years. It will boost intra-African trade, enhance competitiveness for Africa’s economic players and increase foreign direct investment. Canada must take notice and step up its financial and trade relations with African countries, in line with its newly released Africa Strategy.

Canada can draw inspiration from fellow G7 nations like Japan and Italy, which have proactively helped their businesses tap into the vast opportunities present in emerging African markets.

Since 1993, Japan has hosted the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), a platform designed to foster collaboration between Japanese businesses and African nations. In 2022, TICAD convened eight times. This initiative underscores Japan’s commitment to strengthening economic ties with Africa, facilitating direct investments and promoting sustainable development across the continent.

Italy recently unveiled the Mattei Plan, a strategic framework aimed at bolstering the country’s economic relations and investments in Africa. A cornerstone of this plan is a fund for African growth and resilience, a joint investment by Italy’s National Promotional Institution and the African Development Bank. With a five-year budget of €400 million (almost $625 million), channelled through private equity and venture capital funds, the initiative will target sectors such as food security, small and medium-sized enterprise development, and sustainable infrastructure.

The Canadian government must emulate these models and collaborations and help our companies diversify their markets across the world. Africa finally has the means to bring in capital and business. We can’t miss this window of opportunity. There’s no better strategy. It is imperative that we assert our independence in global, economic, military and technological affairs and reduce our vulnerability to the U.S.

Amina Gerba is an independent senator for Quebec and co-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association. For nearly 30 years, she has served as an economic bridge between Canada and Africa, fostering business relations between the two regions. This story was originally published March 18, 2025 in the Montreal Gazette.