By the time youB次元官网网址檙e reading this, youB次元官网网址檒l have had a few sleeps since Donald Trump won a shocking (for Canadians, at least) victory in the U.S. presidential election.

Like those of us whoB次元官网网址檝e scratched our collective heads for months, amazed that someone with TrumpB次元官网网址檚 distinct lack of presidential manner and dearth of knowledge on issues could possibly get this far, the fact he actually won has started to sink in.

While there has thankfully been no loss of life yet related to this result (that we know of), it really is kind of like a 911 scenario, where you keep thinking youB次元官网网址檒l wake up at some point and it will all have been a bad dream, or someoneB次元官网网址檚 idea of a practical joke.

Well folks, it hasnB次元官网网址檛 been. Trump won fair and square, without B次元官网网址渞igging the electionB次元官网网址� and will in January begin his four-year term as the most powerful leader in the Western world. Scary as that may sound to the average citizen and the financial markets, letB次元官网网址檚 remember that U.S. voters put him there.

Sure, the popular vote was a virtual dead heat B次元官网网址� Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton actually held a slight edge B次元官网网址� but Trump won the states he needed to win. Kind of like scoring the big goal in sudden death overtime in four games out of seven.

So what will life look like for us Canadians with a Trump presidency? WeB次元官网网址檙e not entirely sure, as heB次元官网网址檚 given very little real detail on how U.S. relations with their largest trading partner might change. What he has done, and what scares many Canadian business people, is voice serious opposition to free trade B次元官网网址� with Canada, with anyone.

While any move to scrap the North American Free Trade Act would likely be debated in Congress till the cows come home, Trump, the outsider who appears to lack support in the Republican caucus, does have the luxury of having his party control both the House and the Senate.

Thinking about CanadaB次元官网网址檚 role with Trump in the White House made me think about the movie Love Actually, where Hugh Grant plays the newly elected prime minister of Great Britain. In true Grant style, he understatedly does his job. But during a political t锚te-脿-t锚te with the pompous, sexist American president played by Billy Bob Thornton (notice any similarities there?), GrantB次元官网网址檚 PM shows his true mettle and stands up to the jerk.

I hope Canada, led by our own Hugh Grant in the form of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, does the same if and when Trump steps out of line.

A reality TV show host, wealthy real estate developer and neophyte politician whoB次元官网网址檒l soon be starting a new job, Trump has attracted both the curiosity and incredulousness of the legitimate media and the public north of the border. Who knows what personality heB次元官网网址檒l bring to office?

I certainly hope the gauche showmanship he used to get into the psyche of the American people will get put in a box and tucked away somewhere deep in the basement of the White House, and heB次元官网网址檒l somehow learn to be a serious leader. His country, and ours, deserves as much.