Oshawa: From Auto Town to Democracy's Front Line

Trump's tariff war is creating huge uncertainty in the manufacturing belt, particularly in auto towns like Oshawa. The people there know they are the front line. But not just the front line over jobs — the front line to defend democracy.

The threat to Oshawa is a threat to Canada.

The Resistance Tour was in Oshawa recently. I came to lend support. But I must admit that I also came because I needed the shot in the arm, the inspiration of seeing people standing together.

A reminder of what we’re fighting for.

The resistance rallies have become a key part of the work my team is doing. The Resistance Tour takes resources and planning, and the time I spend on the road puts pressure on other parts of the work I could or should be doing.

But it matters.

It matters because showing up helps build the kind of grassroots resilience that our nation is going to need in the fight ahead.

No one is naïve enough to think that we are going to get a gentleman's agreement with Donald Trump or that life will go back to normal. We are only seven months into the Trump regime, and his threats against Canada continue to escalate, while on the domestic front, brutal concentration camps are being constructed.

We can't say just how far it might go, but it is guaranteed that if we stay silent, it will get much worse. Like it or not, Canada is the front line.

Here is my speech from the Oshawa tour stop. I invite you to click the photo to watch and share.

Much of my work is about helping people understand the moment we find ourselves in — providing the frame and language. It’s about what we do, every day, in our own lives and communities to fight back against authoritarianism and disinformation.

Here are a few things I believe we need to do:

1. Stop doomscrolling

   We need to rewire our brains. That starts with disengaging from the bots and AI toxicity of the digital realm. These tools are designed to divide, exhaust us, and drain our spirit. Reclaim your focus.

2. Get out and get active

   We have allowed our sense of community and social obligation to wither. We’ve become increasingly isolated from each other and isolated people are frightened people. Connection is power. When we come together, we shake off the fear that fascism feeds on.

3. Take on a task at a local level

   Join a group. Volunteer. The far right succeeded because they mobilized their base to get involved in everything from school board meetings to targeting libraries. We need to meet that with strong, visible, positive counter movements of engagement.

4. Keep the boycott strong

   It’s working — and it started here. Canada was the spark and the world has joined us. The U.S. is projected to lose $29 billion in tourism revenue this year. Trump needs to feel this hurt where it counts, in the American bottomline.

5. Hold your politicians accountable

   Ask your representatives where they stand. Don’t let your elected officials off the hook. We have to keep the heat on politicians not to fold to Trump’s threats. Political courage isn’t optional right now, it must be a requirement.

My time in Oshawa reminded me of something important. Against the immense power of the United States, we have some real strengths making up our advantage — we are unified, whereas they are divided. We are fighting for our values and our country while they follow the dictates of a chaotic narcissist.

If I'm going to be in the trenches, I'll do it with people from Oshawa any day.

Keep kicking at the darkness.

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