Our new PM needs to maintain focus at home while exercising every opportunity to meet European leaders on every possible front, for the purpose of learning what might work here at home. I visited 14 countries in Europe a year ago, and saw so many possibilities for transit and housing, in particular. What hurts us here is the stacked government, with responsibilities spread out to be beyond manageable. All it takes is one mini-Trump (and we have several already, like Ford, Smith, Moe, Houston) trying to own and control more than they should, for political gain, to ruin the whole works. Somewhere along the way a new structure is needed, whereby there are boundaries put around these individuals. Government reform? Sure. Election reform? Absolutely. Checks and balances? Let's put some of those in, too, and ENFORCE them. Today, our checks and balances allow too many people to run rampant as politicians, working to line their own pockets, and those of their friends, through shady, back room deals. This needs to stop. Start with provincial transfers. They should come with strings attached. Money transferred from the federal level to the province, for the purpose of upgrading something like healthcare, needs to be managed so that it is used against the intended purpose, not for making a hole in the ground and an exotic water park, which very few of us will ever see or use. That needs to end. Likewise trying to dictate how the federal government needs to act based on the sales of oil. That oil is going to run out, or be unsaleable, and the rest of the country will have to bail them out. Again. Put an end to it.
Play nice, as a COUNTRY, or get the hell out and let someone else get the job done. Or we'll end up no better than the basement dwellers.
Carney has a lot to do. I hope that he's getting help from real, decent people, and not just those trying to grift their way through life.
The governmental apparatus is layered : Provincial, Federal, First Nations. Each must be consulted before any project is ready to go. It’s just too slow and a lot of projects die on the way. I agree with every word you said and thank you for pointing it out.
I agree with a streamlined approach but it needs to be balanced with those considerations. What Doug Ford is doing is not the way to go and I hope the Feds notice,
Electoral reform would be nice. More actions after acknowledging marginalizing First Nations is another. Not playing politics that led to Freeland resigning in protest is another. That said, he is gone and it is time to make sure Mark Carney stays the course and is held to account if appropriate.
Thank you for writing this. I am in complete agreement. Especially around transportation. I live on Vancouver Island. Constant money is being spent on the main highway that runs up the east side. It is becoming wider and wider and less safe. Yet for years, there was rail service. The tracks still exist, but the powers that be say it is “too expensive” to refurbish.
Canada is not a monolith. We have provinces, which largely govern the areas discussed and many of them having been voting Conservative for a long time. And conservatives largely see the USA as the model, not Europe. Lack of ambition may be true, but that is the case with capital too, largely satisfied with rent seeking monopolies instead of competing globally. But a part of that is getting stomped on by the Americans when we get too uppity. See the Avro Arrow or that Bombardier plane that Boeing killed in the cradle.
If Europe is so far ahead in green technology, why was Germany coming to us for our natural gas when the Russians cut them off? The rest of the world is clamouring for our oil and gas.
Because they can’t depend on cheap Russian natural gas as they did in the past. Germany went all in on Russian gas without realizing what would happen if things went wrong.
I am a European living in Scotland... Canada isn't far behind Europe or the UK at all! And don't think I don't know Canada! We are setting of again to Canada tomorrow for 50 days, and have been doing that for years!
Try to catch a train or a bus in the UK! Many areas don't even have a train service and those that have, are unreliable! Try getting to where I live with public transport is like a trip around the whole of Scotland. If you leave early morning in Glasgow, which is approx 1 hour by car, you might be lucky to arrive by 7pm... On a Saturday or a Sunday, you won't be able at all!
We have some villages that don't have any public transport at all, nor taxi service etc. Luckily, there is a real community spirit in those villages, and everybody gives lifts in and out of neighbouring villages to go shopping or buys shopping for others. Saw the same thing in remote areas of Canada
You ignore the fact that Healthcare distribution is entirely up to provinces per s. 92 of the Constitution Act. Which allows provinces like Alberta and Ontario to use healthcare funding for other uses, because you lay it at the door of the feds. Not a thoughtful essay.
Our new PM needs to maintain focus at home while exercising every opportunity to meet European leaders on every possible front, for the purpose of learning what might work here at home. I visited 14 countries in Europe a year ago, and saw so many possibilities for transit and housing, in particular. What hurts us here is the stacked government, with responsibilities spread out to be beyond manageable. All it takes is one mini-Trump (and we have several already, like Ford, Smith, Moe, Houston) trying to own and control more than they should, for political gain, to ruin the whole works. Somewhere along the way a new structure is needed, whereby there are boundaries put around these individuals. Government reform? Sure. Election reform? Absolutely. Checks and balances? Let's put some of those in, too, and ENFORCE them. Today, our checks and balances allow too many people to run rampant as politicians, working to line their own pockets, and those of their friends, through shady, back room deals. This needs to stop. Start with provincial transfers. They should come with strings attached. Money transferred from the federal level to the province, for the purpose of upgrading something like healthcare, needs to be managed so that it is used against the intended purpose, not for making a hole in the ground and an exotic water park, which very few of us will ever see or use. That needs to end. Likewise trying to dictate how the federal government needs to act based on the sales of oil. That oil is going to run out, or be unsaleable, and the rest of the country will have to bail them out. Again. Put an end to it.
Play nice, as a COUNTRY, or get the hell out and let someone else get the job done. Or we'll end up no better than the basement dwellers.
Carney has a lot to do. I hope that he's getting help from real, decent people, and not just those trying to grift their way through life.
Yes much work to do to learn and adapt those elements to Canadian needs
The governmental apparatus is layered : Provincial, Federal, First Nations. Each must be consulted before any project is ready to go. It’s just too slow and a lot of projects die on the way. I agree with every word you said and thank you for pointing it out.
I agree with a streamlined approach but it needs to be balanced with those considerations. What Doug Ford is doing is not the way to go and I hope the Feds notice,
Not for long;
With Carney at the helm, we have a PM with both Canadian AND European sensibilities.
We are likely to see the best of both worlds going forward.
Trudeau’s government accomplish ALOT though. To suggest otherwise is a disservice to all of Harper’s crap that Trudeau undid.
Electoral reform would be nice. More actions after acknowledging marginalizing First Nations is another. Not playing politics that led to Freeland resigning in protest is another. That said, he is gone and it is time to make sure Mark Carney stays the course and is held to account if appropriate.
I hope so considering enough of us were burned by Trudeau and still recovering from Harper
Thank you for writing this. I am in complete agreement. Especially around transportation. I live on Vancouver Island. Constant money is being spent on the main highway that runs up the east side. It is becoming wider and wider and less safe. Yet for years, there was rail service. The tracks still exist, but the powers that be say it is “too expensive” to refurbish.
Ontario has similar problems. This expert has a more detailed take on the situation - https://substack.com/home/post/p-165835713
Canada is not a monolith. We have provinces, which largely govern the areas discussed and many of them having been voting Conservative for a long time. And conservatives largely see the USA as the model, not Europe. Lack of ambition may be true, but that is the case with capital too, largely satisfied with rent seeking monopolies instead of competing globally. But a part of that is getting stomped on by the Americans when we get too uppity. See the Avro Arrow or that Bombardier plane that Boeing killed in the cradle.
Culture of complacency and American dependence really did us in. Now it is becoming a liability as the US goes rogue
The problems mentioned above, also exist in the UK and mainland Europe! Don't think Canada is lagging behind!
If Europe is so far ahead in green technology, why was Germany coming to us for our natural gas when the Russians cut them off? The rest of the world is clamouring for our oil and gas.
Because they can’t depend on cheap Russian natural gas as they did in the past. Germany went all in on Russian gas without realizing what would happen if things went wrong.
We're far behind when compared to Europe
I am a European living in Scotland... Canada isn't far behind Europe or the UK at all! And don't think I don't know Canada! We are setting of again to Canada tomorrow for 50 days, and have been doing that for years!
Then where is the rail service? Even bus service has been cut back.
Try to catch a train or a bus in the UK! Many areas don't even have a train service and those that have, are unreliable! Try getting to where I live with public transport is like a trip around the whole of Scotland. If you leave early morning in Glasgow, which is approx 1 hour by car, you might be lucky to arrive by 7pm... On a Saturday or a Sunday, you won't be able at all!
That is a problem in other parts of Canada. Ontario is lucky in that regard but we still need to make sure the government does not break the province
We have some villages that don't have any public transport at all, nor taxi service etc. Luckily, there is a real community spirit in those villages, and everybody gives lifts in and out of neighbouring villages to go shopping or buys shopping for others. Saw the same thing in remote areas of Canada
Metrolinx in Ontario doesn't want to improve their rail network -https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/the-trillium-investigations/how-metrolinxs-plan-to-deliver-european-style-train-service-went-off-the-rails-10786705
The bus is not very reliable over here either. Doug Ford broke Ontario.
I want to believe you but things are really broken in Ontario. Maybe things are great in other parts of the country as noted.
We have family in Ontario. Situation in Waterloo is better than situation in many parts of the UK
Good to know because the GTA has been a trainwreck thanks to Doug Ford
You ignore the fact that Healthcare distribution is entirely up to provinces per s. 92 of the Constitution Act. Which allows provinces like Alberta and Ontario to use healthcare funding for other uses, because you lay it at the door of the feds. Not a thoughtful essay.