Canadian Identity, The Fat Orange Golfer Guy, Canadian Leadership, and the CPTPP, the EU and Canada
There are several things on my mind these days, Canadian Identity (apparently, we don’t have one), The Fat Orange Dictator’s threats, Canada’s leadership, or lack of it, Canadian unity, a possible Canada/ CPTPP / EU economic alliance, and an alternative to NATO
Let’s start at the beginning.
Canadian Identity
Contrary to a lot of Canadian pundits, I think Canada has a very strong and clear identity. Canada is often described as a mosaic, a tapestry of cultures, ethnicities, religions and national experiences. Canada is a complex assortment of people co-existing in a peaceful, respectful, common effort to create a nation that projects to the world an example of tolerance, rationality, creativity, ambition and, when necessary, strength. A people committed to compromise, debate and negotiation, before conflict. But a people un-afraid of defending our country, our sovereignty, and the sovereignty of our allies. Canadians are people you can depend on to come to your aid when needed and to speak truthfully and honestly when necessary. That is Canada’s Identity.
The Fat Orange Golfer Guy (FOGGY)
I’m about up to my ears with Foggy. One day, maybe his bombast will over inflate, and he will simply blowup like the cartoon character that he is. Meanwhile Canada and the rest of the sane world need to deal with his insane tirades. I will only speak for my opinions with respect to Foggy and Canada.
Foggy is a bully. Canada should treat him as such. He says that his country needs nothing from Canada. Instead of trying to appease him, Canada should simply take him at his word. He doesn’t need anything from Canada so don’t give him anything. Restrict all those things that he doesn’t need, oil, gas, electricity, lumber, critical metals, rare earth metals, transportation, and our military purchases, not through tariffs, just by gumming up the works. Delay shipments by putting in place additional, time consuming regulations or inspections. We do want to do everything we can to protect Foggy from illicit drugs or scary non-white people hiding in shipments crossing the border. Add cost through added export duties and border inspections. Cancel any and all orders for military equipment from U.S. companies. Anything we can do to help Foggy look as powerful as we can for his MAGA followers.
Canada’s Leadership
I must admit, if I only listened to what Prime Minister Carney said, and how the (bought and paid for) Canadian legacy press portrays his actions I would be impressed. In that Liberal minded echo chamber Carney is ‘Captain Canada’ standing up against the arch-villain, (Foggy). Carney will negotiate away unfair tariffs and accept nothing less than respect and what is best for Canada. Carney said Foggy respected Canada and had quit with the 51st state BS. But almost immediately Foggy made a liar out of him. Foggy threatens and Carney caves. Carney’s, “I’m the great negotiator, the Trump whisperer, the great world banker, persona, is wearing thin very quickly and appears more fiction than fact every day. Meanwhile (here in Canada) because no one seems to know where his home is, he has provided no budget while committing billions of dollars of our tax money. His cabinet is a complete remake of Trudeau’s except, with the most incompetent ministers being promoted.
While Canada suffers what Carney has called an existential threat, he decides that a three-month Holliday is the best approach. The logical things that would actually help Canada, like oil pipelines to our east and west coasts so that we can ship oil to Europe and Asia. That he is against. (Oil pipelines BAD). Oh wait! Brookfield owns several pipelines in both the U.S. and Canada, including a west to east coast pipeline from Texas to New York, that Carney negotiated. Oil pipelines that make money directly for Carney? (Oil pipelines GOOD). Canadian Leadership?
Canadian Unity
Alberta and Saskatchewan are seriously talking about severing relations with Canada. That prospect terrifies me. Not that I blame them one bit. In fact I totally support their grievances. But the thought of Canada without them is equally terrifying. Not just because of the economic aspects of losing the western contribution to Canada’s GDP, but for what Canada would lose in it’s culture, and identity. Quebec is Canada’s anchor to its past, its European heritage and its European vibe. Alberta and Saskatchewan are Canada’s link to the future. They are Canada’s untethered visionaries, our capitalists, the most ambitious among us. Canada without our western provinces wouldn’t be a G7 country or a G20 country, while the western provinces as a new country may. Carney has already capitulated to Trump, he had better also capitulate completely to Smith and soon, or what is left of Canada may well end up the 51st state.
Canada and a CPTPP/EU Alliance, and NATO 2.0
I read recently that there were moves toward an economic alliance between the members of the CPTPP ( the Transpacific free trade alliance) and the EU (European Union). I also saw an article suggesting an EU, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Philippines led alternative to NATO. A new economic block and a new defence treaty organization, neither including the U.S. My dream come true.
The GDP of the European Union combined with the CPTPP treaty nations would exceed that of the current U.S. GDP by about 4 trillion dollars.
Militarily, the alternative to NATO, based on current defence budgets would fall far short of the U.S. defence budget but would be about $400 billion, roughly equal to the combined defence budgets of Russia and China. Considering the current plans in all of the countries cited to join an alternative defence treaty organization to increase defence spending, the new organization should easily match any Russia, China alliance.
There, my thoughts. I am a Canadian.
