Analysis of karen burson’s article concerning food distribution between canada and the united states

When analyzing the article, the author shows that if we have a border shutdown on food distribution between Canada and the United States that it would leave Canada extremely vulnerable to a shortage. It is also mentioned that there are various reasons why we could shutdown the border but we need to be more prepared in the event that something like this occurs. Also, it states that the President of the United States would not hesitate to use our borders as a way to leverage us into an agreement with him. It is very clear that the author is writing this article in Canada and expressing concern about our food supply and how it can all go away rapidly.

The article is written for people who do not understand where the majority of our food comes from and how an outbreak will make Canada a country without food. A priori is a way to understand something given evidence or calculations and that there is only one answer to every question but a posteriori is a way to find knowledge through experiencing or ‘ seeing is believing’ would be the best way to describe it. This article uses both a priori and a posteriori respectively, in regards to a priori the facts line up with a chain reaction of what could happen if something were to happen to our imports however, at the same time we are just speculating and do not know for certain what a disruption to our food supply could have in Canada. Of course, it would be morally and ethically wrong for the US to shutdown the border without any good reason, which is why as mentioned above that if the President were to use this as a political play that we have to be ready in the event he does plan to do so.

The argument made by Karen Burson is interesting because we have a very clear problem that needs to be tended to but on the other hand she only has one reputable and trustworthy source and in some cases it could be enough but, in this case we need more evidence if we were to determine whether or not this could pose a serious threat to Canada. The source provided in the article is from a secondary nature because Wayne Roberts has already analyzed and interpreted what has happened first hand. The evidence is laid out extremely clear and is very easy to understand, she details the issue step by step and raises solutions and safeguards already in place in case something were to happen. In the article, the fact that we rely so much on the US to import our food is a concerning issue however, the argument is flawed because if the borders were to shutdown due to major disease outbreaks or security issues who is to say that the US would not provide aid for Canada.

The evidence provided is a part of another article that states how cities agonize over a single policy and describes how their food is grown, raised or foraged. It does not shine much light onto the author’s argument, which is a potential chaotic trade change relationship with the United States. Understandably, we all know that the President has a tendency to be very impulsive and these arguments could become a reality but the evidence provided is anything but unproven. Ultimately I do agree with what the author is arguing and how we could be at a serious risk if the United States did decide to shutdown the border, however, the majority of what is being said is all speculative and we have no way of knowing what will occur until it really happens.

That being said the overall quality of the article is very clear and easy to understand and it does highlight the key issues, however, the strength of the argument could have better supporting evidence and use more sources to back up the argument.

In summation, we do have a big problem that has to be handled aggressively and given the current President’s erratic and apathetic history, Canada has to be prepared for the worst if we were ever put into this situation.