I don't think anyone in their right mind would suggest that we build up our military enough so that we can defend ourselves effectively against an American attack.

The reason being that it would just be too ridiculously expensive, and it is unlikely it will be necessary any time in the near future.

Well I feel the same way about the dairy industry. We are preserving our dairy industry so we are not "strategically vulnerable". But it comes at a cost. An actual cost in dollars, and also a cost in the quality of products available to us.

And what is the actual risk to us if we can't produce our own dairy? If we have sudden hostilities between us and the States, it doesn't matter one bit if we can produce our own dairy. We are still screwed.

Is it to protect us against rising prices because of trade tariffs? That is nonsense. We are already paying high prices because of trade tariffs. It is just those tariffs are imposed by our own government.

In practical terms, how are we actually protecting ourselves by raising our prices so we can produce dairy in Canada. Strategically, what good does it do us? Really?

If we allow foreign competition, and half our dairies go out of business because they aren't good enough, how does that actual hurt Canada strategically. What is the realistic scenario where we say "Damn, I wish we still had those poor quality dairies."