I’ll wait to see what sort of deal Canada may have negotiated with the United States, but as to its fundamental character? Donald Trump is a man whose word is worthless. His signature is worthless. His most solemn promises are worthless. Nothing could be more obvious.

A “deal” with Donald Trump is in no sense a deal as the word is ordinarily understood. It is merely a convenience for the present, to be discarded as and when he chooses, for any reason.

So would any deal Canada has negotiated be entirely worthless? Not necessarily.

Neville Chamberlain has been reviled for generations as the fool who thought he could buy peace with concessions and Hitler would be as good as his word. That portrayal is not at all fair. In reality, Chamberlain did not have popular support to draw a red line and go to war if necessary. So he did the next best thing: He made ever-greater concessions to buy time — and used that time to prepare for the war which he well understood was a rising probability. Look at the chart below.

If Canada signs a “deal” with Trump, that’s how we must understand the moment. Whatever the “deal” is, it will not be a deal in any meaningful sense of the word. It will not dissolve uncertainty. It will not eliminate the threat of more and worse aggression.

But it will buy time we can use to restore the strength we foolishly allowed to ebb in past decades. And build towards a more independent, more ambitious future.