Only on The Walters Post

Now, I’m not here to tell folks what to think, I’m just sharing what life has shown me. Take from it what makes sense, leave the rest, but maybe let it sit with you a while.

Now here is the thing… even though I live here in Canada, I think what Trump is doing with tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals is a smart move. Truth told, we should be doing something like this here too. For years, the powers that be promised to bring drug manufacturing back home, especially after COVID hit and exposed how risky it is to rely on other countries for critical medicines. But now it looks like they are backing away again, and that is just plain dumb.

During the pandemic, many countries faced shortages of important drugs and medical supplies because factories overseas were shut down or prioritized their own populations. That showed how dangerous it is to depend on foreign countries, especially ones like China or India, for medicines we need every day.

Depending on other countries to make our medicine puts us under their control. Once they hold that power, they can manipulate us with an “our way or the highway” approach. That is not a position any country should be in.

Trump’s plan to impose tariffs, possibly as high as two hundred percent on imported drugs, is a strong way to push drugmakers to bring production back to the U.S. He is giving them about a year to get their act together before the tariffs kick in. This is about protecting national security and ensuring a steady supply of essential medicines, not just economics. The U.S. Commerce Department even started investigating the pharmaceutical industry earlier this year, calling heavy reliance on foreign-made medicine a national security risk. Which in my mind it is.

Here is the bottom line: making critical drugs right here at home means less risk, greater control, and stronger healthcare security for all of us. Canada needs to take this seriously and stop relying so heavily on imports for essential medicines. By producing them here, we ensure they are available when we need them most and that they meet the highest safety standards.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW