Whenever I’m trying to write a column on some particularly acerbic topic, I usually do a Google search looking for background information, especially if the topic is “toxic” and I may end up “on the wrong side” of public sentiment.
After watching the Liberal leadership race close last Sunday and Mark Carney being proclaimed as the next Prime Minister of Canada, I wanted to know just how many Canadians were tuned into the event, thus giving me some idea as to just how concerned Canadians about Trump deciding to use Canada’s leadership for political target practice. Guess what: all I got were rehashes of the race itself – and a lesson as to why newspaper editors sensationalize any event in order to get readership – in this case, by describing Carney’s win as a “landslide”.
Personally, I had Carney winning by over 80 per cent on the first ballot. Why were so many pollsters “surprised” by this margin when you consider just how much money his campaign raised in the much abbreviated campaign period? Even the Conservative Party of Canada wasn’t buying the notion that this was really a “race” for the leadership; when you’re watching a Raptors game and instead of fast food or online betting ads, you’re suddenly jarred into watching a CPC “expose” of Carney looking evil over a reddish/black background comparing him to Justin.
That’s not to say that the Liberals are any better at keeping the “hate” volume turned down; what was it – five seconds, maybe, before the Liberal counter-ads made it to the airways, showing CPC wannabe Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre drooling over a “future” map of Canada with his good friend and ideological “thespian” Donald “The Apprentice” Trump after we’d been “annexed”? Yup, the election campaign has already started.
If that’s not enough, Friday’s Herald published an Op Ed piece written by former Calgary Herald editor Doug Firby gauging the mood at CPC corporate headquarters as “Carney? Crap”, only to be followed by a “Relax, Jenni. We’ve got plenty of fodder to work with.” Firby, at least, still gives token worship to the unattainable idea of “objectivity” reporters are supposed to have by countering with an equivalent observation respecting Liberal sentiment towards Mr. Poilievre (“Are we sure about this guy? I mean, he’s a glorified banker”, followed by the rejoinder ridiculing the Conservative’s choice for leader, “Chill…look at who he’s running against.”).
Really – do any of us care to go through this barrage of political savagery for the next few weeks while Carney is getting his ducks in order so he can go to the Governor General and say, “Let’s get it over with”? We already know Carney’s mindset is functioning properly, as one of his Cabinet choices, former Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, probably has Trump drooling spit and inventing profanities, but his Team Canada approach is still being handicapped by forces within Canada’s federal-provincial leadership. For instance, take Ontario premier Doug Ford, who goes from “hero to zero” talking from both sides of his mouth, first by slapping an export tax on electricity being provided to three states, than “postponing” this action when Trump’s Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick invites him to Washington to “talk this thing over”.
Lutnick, unfortunately, is about as clueless as to what’s happening internationally as The Apprentice goes about slip-sliding on policy decrees, and can’t understand why it is that Canada isn’t being “reasonable” and expressing “gratitude” for the president “immediately dealing with” the troublesome economic issues facing our two nations. Sorry, Howie; was that a joke, or are you just trying to work on delivery and sense of humour in addressing listening Canadians?
The most bothersome result of this Liberal v Conservative insult contest is that we now have the spectre of having to recognize that a federal coalition of the NDP, Greens and the Bloc could do a better job of forming a Team Canada and addressing Canadians’ needs rather than our two stale-dated, mirror-gazing parties. Not only is Carney being sabotaged by Ford’s flip-floppery, but premier Danielle Smith isn’t even paying minor attention to the 70 per cent of Albertans wanting Canada to have a united front when facing Trump, but is scheduled to deliver a speech and appear with Ben Shapiro at taxpayer expense before PragerU’s followers in Florida come March 27th. Then there’s Scott Moe bemoaning China’s tariffs on Canadian canola, when five years ago, were his party to have begun taking climate change issues more seriously, he could introduced programs for our smaller farmers to diversify into market garden production to take advantage of California’s diminishing influence on this market, while simultaneously supporting food sustainability programs our northern citizens are demanding.
What we really need in Prince Albert is to have a politician who is NOT running in our next election such as Charlie Angus, who can speak without being bound by party policy as to the serious danger Trump’s agenda poses to Canadians. Imagine just how much such a speech, presented before a collection of attendees there to listen to ideas instead of regurgitations once embraced past generations, yet now being rendered irrelevant by politicians whose ideas have yet to expand to a twenty-first century mode.
I truly would like to see Canadians again embrace some form of a futuristic dream. For instance, what would be “wrong” if we, instead of hyping high-speed rail between The Big Smoke and Quebec, made this a reality for all of Canada? Our steel mills certainly wouldn’t complain, and just think of the money we’d save not having to expand our international airports every few years.
What SHOULD BE the intent of this mission is to provide an “Average Canadian” with the opportunity to explore this country, its diverse citizenry, and rekindle the reverence we should have for its opportunities for all of us. This idea may sound like suspiciously like Sir John A. MacDonald’s economic intent, but everyone should be entitled to being right about something at least once in their lives in seeing their personal dreams of fulfillment coming true.
