Bullies are usually insecure, inadequate individuals who need to dominate, control, oppress, and abuse others in order to feel better about themselves. They puff themselves up and make themselves look big and scary, when really, they’re just scared, confused, and overwhelmed, deep down inside.

Bullies exist in every walk of life

Bullies exist in every sphere of life. They’re in our families, our workplaces, our schools, and in the political arena.

Because they feel so weak and helpless on the inside, they’re constantly trying to compensate by pushing others around. Because of their chronic and profound sense of vulnerability, they can cause a lot of harm, trying to prove that they’re strong, powerful, and invincible.

Bullying is a form of oppression. It can cause the person on the receiving end to become anxious, depressed, angry, or overwhelmed. It can lead to sleep disturbances, problems with focus and concentration, social withdrawal, and poor performance at school or at work.

Right now, Canada is being forced to confront a horrible bully in the form of the current US president. For reasons that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, this individual has been threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.

After decades of enjoying a special relationship with our neighbour to the south, the US president is throwing it all away and acting like our adversary. This action has the potential to undermine our economy and create terrible hardships for Canadians.

The bully to the south keeps threatening then delaying these tariffs. This tactic serves to increase our anxiety because we don’t know what to expect. It’s a pure bully move, designed to destabilize us, but we are holding fast, regardless.

Canadians across the country are worrying about the implications of these tariffs and the US president’s threats to make our country the 51st state. We’re exhausted by his constant changes in policy. But, we’re not acting like helpless victims. We’re standing up to the bully.

Canadians are not tolerating the bullying

What is inspiring is that Canadians aren’t taking this sitting down. We’re responding to the bullying, as private citizens and as companies; as politicians from the municipal, provincial, and federal levels, and across all parties. -There’s a huge upsurge in Canadian patriotism, with Canadians choosing to buy locally and boycott American products. Our leaders from every party and at every level are inspiring us and giving us hope through their speeches about confronting the bully with strength, courage, and persistence.

The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them. When we cower, they feel empowered, but when we push back against them, they recognize our strength and they back off. I have great faith in the strength of my fellow Canadians. We might be kind, polite, respectful people, but we’re not pushovers and we’re not doormats. We’re not going to let ourselves be bullied and we’re not going to back away from this fight.

Oh, Canada? You bet!

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