Trump's threats should remind us of Canada's underpopulation risk

Donald Trump's tariff threats have been a sobering reminder of Canada's enduring flaw: The still-inadequate size and density of our consumer, investment, and labour markets. The challenge of underpopulation, formerly just a hindrance to our living standards and competitiveness, and to the quality of our institutions and infrastructure, has been transformed into a front-and-centre risk by the prospect of demagogic isolationism south of our border. Canada is almost unique in this regard. One analysis, by Bloomberg, of the impact of the 20-to-25-per-cent tariffs the president-elect has threatened to impose on most trade partners, found they would have wildly different effects…