Who To Choose?

While I and many others consider the possibility of a Mark Carney-led Liberal Party, there are some obvious hurdles. While his appearance on The Daily Show, which I wrote about yesterday, may help, according to Leland Cecco, 76% of Canadians in an Abacus poll could not identify him.

But that may change, if letter writers and pundits are any indication of things political. The Star's Linda McQuaig has this to say about Carney:

Among possible contenders for the Liberal leadership, Carney seems the best bet to take on the menacing Donald Trump. Carney is smart, unflappable and has experience dealing with foolish loudmouths. His international stature as a respected former governor of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada might even intimidate the ignorant American bully. 

Unlike conventional central bankers, Carney used his influence to push hard for climate action, serving as UN Special Envoy for Climate and Finance, and pressuring financial interests to divest from fossil fuels. Carney has also condemned “staggering wealth inequalities,” and criticized Canada’s corporate elite for sitting on “dead money” rather than investing its enormous profits in Canada.

Carney ... has actually stood up to the establishment; in 2019, he enraged then-president Trump by advocating scrapping the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency — a reform that would threaten U.S. global economic and political dominance.

Carney has never held elected office (whereas Poilievre has done nothing but hold elected office). So Carney will be compared to political novice Michael Ignatieff, who was crushed in the 2011 federal election. But Ignatieff was a pompous lightweight (he publicly insisted it was George W. Bush’s deep commitment to democracy that motivated him to invade Iraq). Carney is no such fool. 

Letters to the editor reflect some thoughts on Carney after his Daily Show appearance:

When a former central banker walks onto The Daily Show and actually kills it, you’d think we’d celebrate. Instead, critics such as Tonda McCharles dismiss Mark Carney’s viral moment as a low-risk no-show. 

Let’s be clear: comedy is a high-wire act, especially for someone eyeing the Prime Minister’s Office. One awkward pause, one failed joke, and you’re a cringeworthy meme, immortalized on the internet as a loser’s punchline. Given that Carney is a banker fighting the stuffed-suit stereotype, his appearance with Jon Stewart was a revelation. An economist with a spreadsheet mindset stepped into the arena of comedy — and somehow walked away having won the audience’s approval. That’s a big deal.

While Trudeau prorogued and Poilievre complained, Carney showed up with actual substance wrapped in wit. He demonstrated a depth of economic knowledge that went beyond the tax-cut talking points conservatives recycle every election, but without putting everyone to sleep. He framed climate change as a solvable crisis without sounding like a doomsday prophet. And he managed to be progressive without merely parroting a script. That’s leadership without the usual political theatre.

The cynics can sneer all they want. Carney has shown us that maybe, just maybe, the current Canadian political race has been altered. Perhaps Poilievre is no longer a sure thing: progressive Canadian voters now have a real chance to avoid political disaster.

Tony D’Andrea, Toronto

Mark Carney and Jon Stewart appeared to have so much fun sparring about the Canada-U.S. relationship this week on The Daily Show. When asked what he thought about the idea of turning Canada into the 51st state, Carney told Stewart, “You’re attractive, but we’re not moving in with you. It’s not you; it’s us.”

Carney was funny, humble, well-spoken and knowledgeable about Canadian affairs and politics. He displayed his skills as an economist and banker, and I believe he would be the perfect prime minister to deal with President-elect Donald Trump’s massive tariffs. Carney was the governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and helped get the United Kingdom through Brexit as governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.

It was wonderful to see two men so quick on their feet!

Ellie McCaig, Kitchener

Will any of this make a difference in the next federal election? Your guess is as good as mine, but my suspicion is that the predicted decimation of the Liberal Party may be mitigated by a leader who stands in sharp contrast to the shrill, dour, aphoristic and repetitive PP,  a man who seems to take pleasure in cutting down our country, not unlike the shrill schoolmarm who, by accident, receives an invitation to a party and casts a very wet blanket over all the festivities.

I Was Impressed

While you have probably heard of Mark Carney's appearance on The Daily Show, his performance with Jon Stewart both surprised and impressed me. He was loose, funny and, most unexpectedly, engaging. Now I certainly realize that celebrity without cerebration is popular amongst those allergic to critical thinking, it appears that with Carney, you might get both.

Would he be a more effective Liberal leader than Chrystia Freeland? I have no idea, and the fact that he has no direct political experience and has never held elected office weighs heavily on me. I'll just have to see how things develop, but offering such a contrast to the dour, humourless PP definitely works in his favour.

The following video is about 19 minutes long, and few likely have the time to watch it. But dip into it for a few minutes and see what you think.

You can watch the entire interview here.

Content Warning

You should be advised, even belatedly, that looking upon this picture of Danielle Smith, Don Trump and the always obnoxious Kevin O' Leary can be damaging to the soul. At least it was to mine, surprised as I was to discover that even at my age, I am still capable of darkly imagining the collective fate that should befall them.

O' Leary was there as a kind of amicus curiae of the Trump kangaroo court, offering his 'good offices' to facilitate an American-Canadian economic merger. Smith was there to ostensibly talk up Canada as an energy powerhouse - no need for tariffs on oil and gas.

Moving on from the detritus depicted above, an antidote of sorts to my ravaged psyche arrived in the form of some letters to the editor from real Canadians, a few of which I reproduce below:

Canada must be prepared to shut our doors 

We need to let it be known that we will react immediately if the U.S. Head Fool implements his threats against Canada. The U.S. will be in a nasty position when he does his usual foolish stuff but we need to be ready to immediately shut our doors. This includes our exports of fuel, water, etc … so that Americans realize they made a huge mistake bringing the old, crooked guy back. Stand up Canada, support your governments and make the U.S. understand their mistake.

Chris Andrews, Vaughan, ON

 

Why no comment from Poilievre on Trump’s diatribes?

Threats, insults, and misinformation by Donald Trump towards Canada on a daily basis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly have put up a fight for Canada. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, an insulter and bully to Canadians, curled up cowardly in a corner. Instead of making a meaningful comment, he is busy preparing to go to Trump’s inauguration to suck up to Trump and Elon Musk. I have no doubt whatsoever, that Poilievre, Danielle Smith, and Scott Moe will sell out Canada to Donald Trump. They have the same ideologies as the Republicans — they do not believe in climate change or vaccines; they support religious extremists and conspiracy theories and align themselves with racist groups and personalities like Tucker Carlton. Where are you Poilievre?

Taij Chand, Toronto

And there is this missive from The Globe: 

In the early 1970s, Canada considered diversifying trade relationships away from the United States.

The concern was that the U.S. had undue economic and cultural influence over Canada, which made our great nation vulnerable. The “Third Option” did not materialize and instead free-trade agreements with the U.S., and eventually Mexico, were established. Through these agreements, Canada has become even more reliant on the U.S.

Fast-forward to the present and Donald Trump is threatening significant trade tariffs. We should reconsider the Third Option. We should undertake various actions such as joining the European Union, restarting trade negotiations with Britain, creating a bilateral-trade agreement with Mexico and developing new trade opportunities with other Commonwealth nations and emerging economies in Africa and Asia. If successful, our trade relationships would be diversified.

The best way to insulate the Canadian economy from Donald Trump is to make Canada less reliant on the U.S. for trade.

Lance Alexander Toronto

Oh, I almost forgot to include a picture of yet another rogue at the Trump love fest who, I understand, is a refugee from the woke police in Canada and currently residing in the home of the free and the brave: 

Some Refreshing Candour

Whatever you may think of Jean Chretien's political legacy, one thing to remember is that he charted his own course. That was made abundantly clear when he refused to join George Bush's "coalition of the willing" to invade Iraq all those years ago, something Stephen Harper said he would have willingly joined.

On his 91st birthday, Chretien has penned an essay in The Globe and Mail that is both refreshing and a much-needed antidote to some ot the efforts that have been made to thus far appease the avarice and imperialist aspirations of the incoming felon-president-elect, Donald Trump.

While acknowledging that those efforts have  had some value, at least in terms of stressing the costs to both countries of tariffs, Chretien writes of the need for what he calls a 2025 Plan B:

Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.

We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.

We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.

We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.

Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.

Chretien also calls out the corrosive spirit that has infected Canadian politics to the point where we are making ourselves even more vulnerable to international predations:

The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.

That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.

I'll close with Chretien's parting words, which seem particularly apt in these turbulent and troubled times:

 I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.

Vive le Canada!

 

That It Should Come To This

Who would have thought, eh?

H/t Moudakis

Also, I do hope Canada is planning a more robust response to the bully than is being reported thus far:

Canada is looking at levying retaliatory tariffs on a wide range of American-made goods including orange juice, ceramics such as toilets and sinks, and some steel products as part of a targeted response should Donald Trump proceed with a threat to impose a 25-per-cent tax on all products from Canada.

It doesn't sound much like the mouse that roared - more like the cat that meowed. 

The Assessments Begin

H/t Moudakis

That the days and weeks ahead will see detailed assessments of the Trudeau legacy, both good and bad, I have no doubt. I shall leave most of those to the professional pundits, but today I'll offer just a few thoughts. 

There were many things that Mr. Trudeau did very well, not least of which was shephereding us through the Covid pandemic, the very pandemic that seemed to be the catalyst for the unhinged, who never forgave him for enacting restrictions on all of us for the sake of public health. They certainly epitomized the dumb in freedumb. You can readily read in the media other of his achievements, including the NDP pressure-induced childcare reforms and the beginnings of pharmacare and dentacare.

I heard yesterday a Brock professor characterizing his time as one of disappointment. There were so many promises of better days, sunny ways when Trudeau first took office, but, as I have expressed elsewhere in this blog, it didn't take long for the old Liberal arrogance to reassert itself. For me, that was acutely reflected first in the abandonment of his promise that 2015 would be the last election under the first-past-the-post protocol. Simple to understand, his promise of a ranked balloting system would have, in my view, induced greater democratic participation and less political cynicism. it would have been a system wherein the individual could feel her or his voice counted for something.

Yet Trudeau blithely jettisoned that promise. Here was his disinguously-expressed regret at his press conference yesterday:

 

The sanctimony of his statement rankled. First of all, he went into the election promising that reform. Secondly, he was elected, among other things, on that promise. Thirdly, he had a majority government, and implementing that reform would have been relatively easy. Majority governments do many things that they didn't campaign on (think Doug Ford and the Greenbelt in Ontario), so to suggest that he couldn't move without the support of the other parties is but a pathetic excuse for betraying his oath. And finally, just how much effort did he put into getting the support of the others? Not much, in my recall. 

The next few months will indeed be interesting ones. With PP puffing and huffing at the door, many will be watching closely the Liberals' efforts to salvage not only their reputations but their electoral lives.

An Acerbic Assessment

I'll start by saying that I have little use for Pierre Poilievre. His schtick, which largely revolves around catchy rhyming phraseology ("Axe the Tax'" Hard Time For Hard Crime",  "Jail, Not Bail", the enigmatic but non-rhyming "Let's Bring It Home", etc.) instead of substantive policy articulation, is an insult to all who expect their intelligence to be respected. I will admit, however, that thus far it seems to be working for him, if the polls are any indication.

The following video of his recent sit-down with the always aggrieved and, quite frankly, unwell Jordan Peterson, is worth watching. In it, journalist Rachel Gilmore parses some of PP's proclamations during the interview, exposing his shallow/misleading thinking for what it is. If you don't have time to watch the entire nine minutes, I would recommend viewing the last three minutes, which are certainly revelatory.

You can read more about the interview here.