Friday, November 22, 2024

Political Leadership Void


In talking to my friend Gary today, I offered the opinion that even though he is the putative next prime minister, PP will not have what it takes to deal with the demented agenda that will in all likelihood be the 'crowning achievement'  of the ape the U.S. chose as their president. Perhaps PP would be well-advised to consider this advice from  Gord Wilson of Port Rowan:

Will Canada’s leadership find the courage to stand up to Trump?

Donald Trump cares little about maintaining good relationships with any country or international organization that opposes his agenda. To be sure, he and his choice of ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra will demand that Canada bow to his trade demands. Our political leadership should remember that their role is to put Canada first, and in response to such demands, advise Trump, for example, that unless he withdraws his trade demands, we will close the Welland Canal to U.S. traffic, cease the export of Quebec Hydro, cease the shipment of oil and gas, cease the shipping of vital Canadian mined minerals, and enforce our 200 mile limit on the East and West Coasts. Canadian water is another commodity that gives Canadian leadership “push back.” The coming months will tell all Canadians if our political leadership can find enough courage to stand up to an elected bully.


8 comments:

  1. Canadian politicians have been kowtowing to the US ever since Diefenbaker hammered the Arrow. The worst fairy tale is that America is our friend. We can't defend our border against Jethro, Bubba and billybob and their hill billy friends getting all tanked up on Jack Daniels and storming the Plains of Abraham just like Ethan Allen. How on earth would Canada defend itself from the Marines and the US Army Corps of Engineers?

    Mulroney sold us out with the so called Free Trade deal. John Turner was right, Free Trade was about sovereignty and we lost ours to big companies, mostly American. Young Trudeau and
    his henchwoman Freeland continued the sellout.

    When I go to the polls I have to hold my nose. The best and the brightest refuse to stand for office. There are only a few Canadian politicians I respect and none of them live in my riding.

    Toby

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    1. I have to agree with everything you've written here, Toby. I think that our obsequiousness to those in the south will become especially obvious with the incoming administrations.

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  2. obsequiousness = kissing the ring!
    I came to Canada in 1974 and over the years was drawn into the Canadian content argument and in BC the HST argument add a little Petrocan argument .
    I was fooled along with thousands of others into actions that proved to be totally against my well being.
    The Canadian content was possibly the biggest loss we, Canadians, have had.
    The Petrocan con has left Canadians subordinate to USA pricing of our natural resources and Alberta as a pseudo US state.
    Mulroney's NAFTA gave us American stores that replaced Canadian stores with American stores that competed at a level of do or die , almost everyone died , and now we have mega companies that have distorted costs and the cost of living of Canadians.
    We have not been well served!!
    As for the above Canadian reprisals, nice try but wont happen!
    Having subjected Canadian sovereignty to the USA they now control the flow of Produce from Mexico and California for which we totally rely upon.
    We did it willingly when we flooded site C . where farmland was flooded, we do it daily when we allow real estate on valuable farmland.

    TB





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    1. We do it to ourselves, over and over and over, Toby. As for Mulroney, there was nary a carp about his record after he died. If one didn't know any better, one would have deemed him a secular saint.

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  3. In the end, geography always wins. Geography sets the stage and dictates what we must do. Canadian geography is awkward. Our country is immense and it has conflicting regions. The mountains and the coast define BC. Our valleys run north < - > south . We have more in common with Washington, Oregon, California and the Alaska Panhandle than with Alberta. Similarly, the Maritime Provinces have more in common with Maine than Quebec and Ontario. Canada has six distinct regions: The Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, BC and the Northern territories. If our politicians and bureaucrats don't defend Canada geographical stress will pull it apart.

    Toby

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    1. In a book I was reading recently about Canada and the Civil War, I was surprised to learn that one of the c=great impetuses to achieve Confederation was the ever-constant threat of annexation by the Americans. Apparently, Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward, felt it was only natural, given the Americans' belief in manifest destiny. It would appear as a nation, we have not done enough to foster a greater sense of unity amongst our disparate regions, meaning the threat, ultimately, has never really gone away.

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  4. obsequiousness
    When fascism comes to North America no-one is rushing to save us. Opps ... We made the wrong friends.

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