Respect Your Choice - While I have a Different Choice - Neither choice makes us more or less a Canadian.

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I come from a public policy background.  I have worked with all three levels of government and understand the challenges in making good decisions.  I also understand the degree to which ideology and virtue signalling have moved to the front of the line as opposed to what is right and good policy.

Every election has two elements.  The time in which it is held, the problems and challenges, issues of the day, and crisis. Second, are the leadership and platforms of the parties and how they respond.

I believe leaders own the wins and the losses.  Harry Truman had a plaque on his desk: “  THE BUCK STOPS HERE.”

Leaders run on their record, their background, and history.  Not just selected components; the wins or what looks good, but the whole thing.   Beyond the resume and policy, I look for truth, humility, the ability for self-criticism, to be introspective, and relate to the average person.

Most leaders ascend to or are born into an ivory tower.  It is a bubble where groupthink occurs, and the air is filled with how great and smart you are.  The good thing about being in opposition is that you have to get out on the ground, in the communities meeting with people.

Trudeau was elected Prime Minister in 2015.  At that time, the Liberals were my choice.  I felt there was a need for a change; to deal with reconciliation in a meaningful way, bring clean drinking water to all First Nations, and shore up our social fabric.  

Another important consideration was economic and how Canada was going to respond to the first Trump presidency.  In that regard, the selection of David MacNaughton as Canada’s US Ambassador was a key consideration.  Having worked with David for 10 years, I knew he was the best choice. 

In 2019 and 2021 I voted against the Liberals. So why the change.  

The answer is silence. We saw scandal after scandal.  Groping a reporter, blackface, SNC Lavalin, We, Dali Lama, going surfing instead of honouring  the very first National Day of Reconciliation. Celina R. Caesar-Chavannes, Raybold, Philpott and much more. 

These issues from my perspective speak to the moral foundation of the party.  Silence from within that party and its supporters was deafening. Staying in power was more important than anything else, particularly the needs of the people.  

At the same time, over 100 churches were burned to the ground, there has been a massive rise in anti-semitism, violence and threats against Jews.  Crime has risen, there are no consequences and police calls for reform ignored.  

The World Bank analysis has shown that without population growth, our GDP has continue to decline, we stopped building and replaced it with punitive policies to restrict our resources and innovation and significantly increased the tax burden.  The Civil Service grew by 40 percent.

Immigration is critical to the future of Canada, but out of control immigration has created massive damage.

It has played a major role in the housing crisis.

It has impacted the health care system. Ontario’s population has increased by over 1 million people in the last 24 months.  The health care system could not absorb this demand. 

But silence from within the party and the rank and file. 

We need to remember 150 days ago, the party stood behind its leaders and its core platforms on immigration, resources development, and taxation, including capital gains. 

Finally, there was pressure from within, but only when the polls showed the Liberal Party would be decimated in an election if he continued to lead.  

In the last 60 days, we have seen a complete abandonment of the very platform and values the Liberals stood on against all criticism since 2015.

Katrina Gould correctly diagnosed that they had lost touch with the people. But again only when she was running for the leadership whose polls were in free fall. 

Less than 6 months ago, we were not Canada, it was Turtle Island. If our nation was mentioned, it was an afterthought with distain. We were characterized as a “post-national state with No Identity” We were declared a Genocidal State and for over 160 days, our flag was flown at half mast.  The process of eradicating our history, our past, was underway, and if you were called occupiers or colonists.  All with silence and tacit approval of the government. 

All of a sudden, we have elbows up, and Canada is not for sale.  

Internationally, our credibility and respect are gone or at least damaged.  As we have travelled through Europe, the conversation is “what’s happened to Canada?”  Hectoring, shaming, and virtue signalling to other countries is one thing.  But also not offering up critical resources, as the EU rallied behind Ukraine and needed to replace Russian oil and gas over environmental concerns.  

So does Mr. Carney own the past?  In part, he does after all; he was Trudeau’s advisor.  Canada is $2.1 trillion in debt with a deficit of over $40 billion, a number that was a supposed guardrail which was blown through in the last budget.  

Western alienation is very, very real. It has been building for over 50 years, but has reached a breaking point in the last 10 years.  This is not just Alberta; it includes Saskatchewan; it is one of a crisis that will re-emerge within the next 6 months. 

Mr. Carney is a knowledgeable and respected economist and has provided important advice to Prime Ministers in both England and Canada.  His advice would be important and helpful as Canada works its way through the trade war, restructuring our own economy, navigating the storm of a potential recession, and rewiring our economic partnerships. 

He is not a saviour, he is not infallible, and there are equally respected economists available within and external to Canada that need to be sought out for advice. In crisis, relying on one advisor, perspective, or analysis is dangerous.  It is also important to recognize that there is more to this environment than simply economics, as people’s jobs and lives will be impacted.  

As president of the Bank of England or Bank of Canada, those are not democracies.  The Boards are appointed and provide advice to the President.  Yes, there is leadership, but it is far different to lead a country that has a diversity of interests, needs, and problems.  It is a far bigger playing field.  

Government is very unwieldy, and every new Prime Minister learns on the job.  In this regard, Pollievre has served in Cabinet and in opposition; he understands the workings of government and the compromises, transparency, and accountability that come with it.  The Bank President does not have any of that, nor do they have to do that with multiple oppositions in the light of day of the public, press, and opposition in Parliament.  

We are now but 60 days since Mr. Carney became leader and Prime Minister.

Given the decision I made in the 2019 and 2021 elections to vote Conservative, my interest was focused on Mr. Carney’s leadership and new ideas.  His qualifications as an economist are rightly suited for the times.  We must remember he is but one vote in Parliament and he needs a cabinet to support and bring forward the agenda.  

While the Trump threats were top of my list, so was the economic weakness and paralysis that has limited Canada’s ability to respond.  The structural weakness of our economy and the division that exists at many levels within our country.  This is the impact of the last 10 years of Liberal government.

My vote remained open.  But I was looking for clear signals/initiatives that there was a shift in thinking.  

TThe Conservative Leader has been extensively road tested, questioned, challenged, and more across the country; he understands the divisions.  Mr. Carney has not lived in Canada and has not had the same level of scrutiny. 

Within 2 weeks, he has abandoned every major blank of Liberal policy in place for the last 10 years.  Whether gas tax, immigration, or capital gains. But there was nothing new.  Every new plank he has put forward has been taken from what the Conservatives have championed for the last 2 years.  In the debates, he has stated he “is not Trudeau,” and Trudeau is not here. So the Conservatives did diagnose the problems and put forth policies to put Canada on track. 

Yes, Carney signed a paper cancelling the Gas Tax.  But it was a lie; the legislation was never repealed as it required an act of Parliament and be signed by the Governor General.  What he did was to lower the tax rate to zero.  The legislation still exists.  

In BC, he said build pipelines; in Quebec, maybe then, stating they were not a priority. He has not released his financial interests. He has not taken responsibility for supporting Brookfield Head Office to the US, something he championed with the Board and wrote a letter to shareholders to support. 

He has failed to take a strong, unequivocal stance on anti-semitism and could not take a clear and decisive action on a candidate who wanted to turn an opponent over to the Chinese. 

Most importantly, he had a very real opportunity to build bridges in Canada, particularly with the West.  In selecting his Cabinet, it was the same people who built, defended, and stood on the platform he abandoned.  

Groucho Marx has a great quote: “ Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them…well, I have others”.

Yes, Carney is new and unlike the previous Prime Minister, understands budgets don’t balance themselves.  

But the whiplash of change of policy and direction of the Liberal Party, which is still that which existed 90 days ago, is breathtaking. 

In selecting his Cabinet, he did two things which solidified in my mind a decision to vote Conservative.  He could have appointed an interim Deputy Premier or Senior Cabinet Minister from the West.  It would have sent a signal and started the bridge-building process. Rather, the party attacked the Alberta Premier.  In selecting his Quebec Lieutenant, he picked Guilbeault, who has done more to put fuel on the fire of western alienation than anyone.  He decided to use divide, suggesting pipelines in the west and the opposite in Quebec. 

While Trudeau is gone, his Cabinet and backroom people are all standing behind Carney in the shadows.

Canada has many challenges: rebuild and rewire its economy, build new trading partnerships, and re-capture its credibility and trust on a world stage.  It must tackle its finances, which are not sustainable, and respond to the tariff war. 

On these issues today, in 2016 (Trump 1), we have used the Team Canada approach successfully.  It is rare that the Premiers are united, and they are not today.  

Carney is not the Lone Ranger, the saviour, nor will he be the smartest guy in the room.  

Dealing with Trump is going to be far more than economics and trade.  It will be figuring out his end game, what his win is.  This is from a person who is a narcissist, egotist, and maybe more. It is understanding his weaknesses. It is far more than a negotiation.  It is understanding his weaknesses and his internal vulnerabilities.

Personally, Trump’s collapse will come from within. Recession, higher prices, falling dollar, growing public satisfaction, that will lead to his abandonment by MAGA voters and those who prop him up.  It will be the Supreme Court and the markets.  The polls today, decline of the American dollar, protests in the streets and stock market all are signalling the collapse

Canada will be part of a larger coalition, a new world economy.  It will be about the relationships of the industry associations, governors, and states, which have been largely cultivated by the Premiers. 

Pollivere is not perfect and does not have the expertise of Mr. Carney.  But he has spent years going back and forth across the country; he has lived the Canadian experience.  Yes, he has been in the ivory tower of government.  

I get that people don’t like him, but I think he is earnest and understands what needs to be done to get Canada back on track.  

I noticed that public sector unions have endorsed Carney, while major Police Associations are supporting the Conservatives.  Pollivere has stated clearly that we need to reduce government, first consultants and then through attrition, while protecting services.  

I will ask you this.  Carney has stated that the threat is Trump and the impact of tariffs on jobs.  There will be pain, job losses, and a potential recession.  Why should all the pain be carried by the private sector worker, who is paid less, has fewer benefits, and pensions than the public sector? After all, it is Team Canada.  

A post tried to equate Pollivere’s policy to use, if necessary, the Not With Standing Clause to keep multiple killers in jail.  The courts are not elected, and they, along with the Liberals, are responsible for the rise in crime and revolving door of bail.

Again, the Liberals used the tragedy at Ecole Polytechnique as a basis for gun control.  Fourteen women were killed. The Supreme Court overturned the life sentence for the killer on the basis that it was cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution. Should Banardo, Olsen, and Picton’s sentences be cruel and unusual?

I would also mention that Not With Standing is part of the Constitution. It has been used 12 times by Quebec, many of which have been to remove the rights of English-speaking Canadians and impact freedom of religion.  Again, where is the outrage?  Again, silence. 

Canada is not broken, but it is not living or realizing its full potential as a nation.  It is divided, and I believe that there is a very good chance of a constitutional crisis within the next 6 months.  I believe our way forward is to rebuild the economy, be bold, and use our resources in an environmentally responsible way.  

We need to take the shackles off business, let it thrive.  We need to reduce the tax burden.  Our resources are the bargaining chip with the US and the means to rewire our trading relationships. 

Yes, Mr. Carney is a very able economist, and his advice is valued.  He is not a leader; I don’t believe he will bring the country together.

Yesterday in Port Moody, BC, both CBC and Global journalists had a lengthy and pointed exchange about Carney’s conversation with Trump.  He had stated that there was NO discussion of sovereignty.  It now turns out that was a complete lie.  If anything, Canadians deserve TRUTH.  Mr. Carney finds it far too easy to avoid truth.  

I want Canadians to feel and be proud, regardless of the province they reside in.  The baby boomers had done very well at the expense of our own children.  They will own the debt and deficits.  The ability to pass down wealth will be critical to their future.  We must remember that the Liberal Government commissioned 3 studies/reports to look at ways of taxing capital gains on primary residences, something the Conservatives have opposed.