The Current Margaret Atwood: Canadians either ‘sorry or you’ll be sorry’
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Sep 8, 2026 
Margaret Atwood, the acclaimed author of The Handmaid’s Tale, and Stephen Marche, a Canadian essayist and cultural commentator, explore Canadian identity during a trade war. They discuss sovereignty, economic dependence, cultural confidence, mutual aid and building stronger global ties. Economist Joseph Steinberg weighs the risks of retaliatory tariffs and the challenge of protecting Canada’s interests without deepening the conflict.
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Canada’s Sovereignty Debate Has Deep Roots
- Canada’s current sovereignty concerns echo earlier periods when deeper economic integration exposed the country to external pressure.
- Margaret Atwood connects today’s trade conflict to the creation of Canadian cultural institutions in the 1960s and the free-trade debate under Brian Mulroney.
Diversify Trade Without Ignoring Hard Tradeoffs
- Diversify trade while balancing environmental goals against the revenue Canada still gets from oil.
- Margaret Atwood frames the challenge as deciding how to proceed rather than debating whether Canada can act.
Canadian Politeness Can Hide Resolve
- Canadians are redirecting spending toward domestic travel and Canadian products as national solidarity rises.
- Margaret Atwood warns that politeness can look like weakness, pointing to Canada’s formidable wartime record as a corrective.
