Blog

The following piece by Cambridge Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Greg Durocher – which appears in the spring edition of our INSIGHT Magazine – looks at the current economic turmoil caused by the U.S.’s approach to trade and outlines the important need for fiscal certainty in order for businesses to flourish. 

I know with certainty that I am not alone when I said on more than one occasion this past winter, whether it was related to the COLD or SNOW, that “enough is enough”.  Honestly, just as I was getting used to climate change, things changed again. 

However, I concluded the snow was okay after I took my four-year-old grandson skiing at Chicopee and thanks to my old – oops - good friend (Chief Excitement Officer) Bill Creighton, I was reminded that I wouldn’t have been able to have those precious moments without snow. 

But I do think we can all agree we have had enough of the ‘White House game’ going on south of the border. It would be fine if the chaos there stayed within the confines of the U.S., but sadly it dribbles over every other border in the world, except for Russia for some unknown reason (that’s a lie, we all know why). Surely it can’t be because there is no trade between the U.S. and Russia, after all, U.S. President Donald Trump even imposed a 10% tariff on the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, whose only inhabitants are non-trading penguins.

Trump plays a very routine developer game I call the ‘squeeze’ or the ‘press’ (sorry to all my developer friends, I know you’re not like that). This means he looks at the opportunity and exaggerates it beyond what he knows the client or seller is going to accept and then backs off a little, which allows them to express some relief. Let’s first propose what I want to do, then let’s propose what THEY don’t want me to do. 

You see, when a city is entertaining a development, the zoning bylaw can restrict height and density and in order to balloon the development, lots of engineering questions must be answered, traffic measures are investigated, and some of the issues city leaders may say the development will create have to be mitigated by the developer.

Trump creating a development deal

So, a consultant is hired to make sure the right answers get to city leaders so then there is no 'planning' reason to reject the development. It is costly, not in any way illegal, but obviously pushing the envelope wide open. 

That, however, is the developer's job; they own the property, and they have every right to ask for permission to build anything they may want. In the end, it is the planning principles and the Planning Act that will guide any decisions. 

Trump is just basically creating a development deal, putting all the pressure on the other person, and finding his most lucrative path forward. In this case, he’s doing it for the U.S. but also finding a lucrative path forward for himself, his family, and his already rich friends. 

I’ll give you a stat you won’t believe, but it is correct. His much talked about One, Big Beautiful Bill Act, as we all know, had tax measures in it and was intended to give a massive tax break to the American people. Well, in that bill, the billionaires in the U.S. will benefit EACH to the tune of $110,000. However, the average American worker will benefit to the tune of only $1,000 – more than one hundred times less. Trump’s plan has always been to enrich himself and his friends. There are nearly 1,000 billionaires in the U.S. and all of them have seen a significant increase in their wealth over the last year. 

Trump also basically declared sovereignty over Greenland, warning the U.S. would take it one way or the other. It reached the point where allies of Denmark were planning military operations in Greenland, to ensure they were positioned to defend it from any potential U.S. invasion. 

There is no factual reason why the U.S. needs to own/control Greenland. On April 27, 1951, a treaty was signed that solidified the defence of Greenland within the NATO framework, allowing the U.S. to operate military bases.  The U.S. has recognized Danish sovereignty over Greenland since 1917, and the 1951 agreement reaffirms that Greenland is part of the Danish Realm. 

However, what Trump really wants is access to that country’s mineral deposits, which the agreement would also allow, BUT the environmental requirements that Greenlanders impose make it very difficult to get at them. 

'Sane centre' politicians are needed

If the U.S. had full control, they could then set the rules, which is really what Trump wants. But have you noticed post World Economic Forum in Davos, how the Greenland ‘push’ is mostly gone? Others stood up to him, which is something a bully can never handle.

Chaos is the order of the day for Trump, and he seems determined to ensure that no human being escapes some of his ‘wrath’. However, as I mentioned, the concerning part is that the only one escaping his wrath is Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has had no tariffs applied but have been providing intelligence to Iran in its defence of the U.S./Israeli attacks, so it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand Trump’s position on Russia. 

Trump’s chief Middle East dealmaker – Steve Witkoff - has spent plenty of time in Russia, as has his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump promised to stop the Russia/Ukraine war within 24 hours of being elected, and that was nearly 10,000 hours ago. Putin appears to be the only world leader Trump fears.

A Toronto area MPP recently asked me what’s the one thing businesses would like to see right now. I was very blunt and said there is only ever one thing a business asks for from government, and that’s ‘certainty’! And the one thing that all politicians always deliver is ‘uncertainty’. She seemed to appreciate my candor, however, I’m not sure if she agreed with it or not.

As I write this, we continue to contend with yet another war in the Middle East. First, let’s pause and think about the people caught in the middle, which by the way is most of those living in the Middle East. Sure, the oil sector might like the conflict because it's raising prices, but this will negatively impact the economy worldwide as politicians continue to inflict more uncertainty for business, which frankly seems to be the only thing they seem to do well. 

Hopefully, the mid-term elections in the U.S. in November may result in much needed changes, but we still must be prepared to endure Trump for another three years.

For the sake of business, politicians need to move back to the sane centre where most of us reside. It’s the place where we care about people and our communities, and care about our businesses. 

We just need government to care as well. 

I read a statement recently from someone who said, “I don’t claim to have every solution, but I do know, listening isn’t a weakness, caring isn’t a performance, and speaking up for people who feel unheard isn’t stepping outside my lane, it’s standing right where I’ve always stood”. 

I agree with that statement, which is why I don’t mind standing up to say enough is enough.

Click here to check out a digitial copy of the 2026 spring edition of INSIGHT.