text: The author is quite right about the naivety issue, but this is an issue not only plaguing our current PM but generations of politicians and senior federal officials. The fact  is Canada has basically  a very weak portfolio of sovereign industrial capabilities, in particular in the Defense ans Aerospace segment. Canadians in general seem to believe that it is better to buy foreign and even financially assist foreigners rather than other Canadians. We collectively have now less clout in the eyes of the power brokers, including China and the US, than much smaller countries. Not until Canafians realize that we actually have to pay financially (and not only by sending our courageous armed forces in front of danger) and actualy start to work together across provincial barriers, will we stop being perceived as 'benevolently irrelevant ' as a British paper put it a few years ago.