Mark Carney Noticeably an Absent Player in The Canadian Parliament

 Canada is in a moment of crisis in its history. Most people are beginning to see the extent and implications of the continuous economic fallout. Meanwhile, our Prime Minister is conspicuously absent from Ottawa, reportedly travelling around the world to drum up business and promote Canada.  

The problem is that this is why trade emissaries and embassy staff are hired. Showing up for a photo op claiming success when, in fact, the actual paper states a non-binding agreement, and that the only deal is to keep talking, is not a result. It is, in fact, a waste of taxpayers' money so our Prime Minister can look the part on a global stage. Great theatre, but not what Canadians were at all expecting from an “Elbows Up” Mark Carney. 

Two vital statistics came forward while our Prime Minister tap danced his way across Europe, achieving nothing but smiles and handshakes. 

Statistics Canada indicated that the unemployment rate among Canadians aged thirty and under is approximately twenty per cent. It is worth noting that this figure does not account for individuals who are no longer actively seeking employment or receiving social assistance, suggesting that the actual rate may be higher. 

The second crisis stems directly from the Parliamentary Budget Office, regarding the actual number of new housing projects that need to be built. It projects an average of 227,000 new homes need to be completed each year for the next decade, but says an additional 65,000 per year will need to be built to close the housing gap. 

This situation presents two significant challenges for Carney. The first concerns the financial implications of this initiative, as a substantial proportion of these homes will need to be designated as supportive housing or geared toward income-based projects.  

In most Canadian cities, market-rate housing is inaccessible to many first-time homebuyers. It is increasingly being acquired by corporations, which exacerbates issues such as substandard living conditions and homelessness among a growing number of Canadians. 

The second significant challenge concerns the pronounced shortage of skilled trades professionals required to support ongoing development needs. Canada lacks a sufficient number of qualified tradespeople to meet the projected housing construction demands outlined by the Parliamentary Budget Office. 

Additionally, funding for provinces to initiate training for these essential workers at both the provincial and federal levels has not been allocated or considered, and it appears unlikely that this matter has been formally addressed. 

One suggestion, which was met with an immediate reaction from Pierre Poilievre, was that we hire skilled people as Temporary Foreign Workers. One problem is, where are these people going to stay, with already so many Canadians homeless or living in substandard or overly priced living conditions? 

Poilievre, instantly seeing an opening to jump in, dove in with both feet, blaming the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) for the problems facing us today. Sadly, he is hoping that most Canadians forget that the TFWP was initiated by Jason Kenney as Minister of immigration in the Harper Government, with Poilievre's full support and defence. 

What Poilievre has done is leave the door open for a vicious racialized response by the public, putting those of ethnic origin in harm's way.  

Canada's domestic economy is experiencing challenges, independently of the current tensions with the Trump administration. The country is facing a persistent downward economic trend. 

Our political leaders are maintaining existing practices and continuing to employ established rhetorical approaches and public appearances that have contributed to the current situation. 

Mark Carney is dealing with a situation out of control, and it appears he is not prepared to stick around to help Canadians who have been ignored for so long back up on their feet and into meaningful productive careers with a decent and affordable roof over their head.

 

 

Somethings Actually reach publication

 Forever Canadian petition challenges danielle Smith’s independence push - The Stettler Independent

Danielle Smith's Summer of Sovereignty Has Hit a Brick Wall

 

 

Danielle Smith's sovereignty referendum vote has hit a brick wall! Unlike the Alberta Pension Plan Scheme or the Alberta Provincial police force, where the number of surveys answered was suppressed and withheld from Albertans until challenged to be released, this has significant public ramifications and is highly visible to everyone concerned.

Former Alberta Progressive Conservative MLA and Deputy Premier Thomas Lucaszuk has initiated the Forever Canadian movement by leading a petition opposing the Referendum. Upon completion, this petition is anticipated to be the largest single petition ever signed in Canadian history. Residents throughout the province have been participating in person to add their signatures in support of Alberta remaining within Canada. Distinct from online petitions, this initiative carries greater authority, as each signature must be accompanied by a corresponding address and provided in person.

“The business community does not like uncertainty”, Lukaszuk stated in an Interview with the Canadian Press earlier this week. Lukaszuk also put forward that there is a prime example of just what this entails, referencing the two referendums and Nationalist sentiments in Quebec. “There is a reason why the Bank of Montreal’s Headquarters are in Toronto”, Lukaszuk stated. This may not have been the strongest of arguments, but it did do justice to the complete overnight shift of Canadian Corporate headquarters away from the powerhouse which was once Montreal.

Danielle Smith’s advocacy for Alberta’s independence appears to be diminishing in impact, as more Albertans support Lukaszuk’s petition. With three provincial by-elections and the national election of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Battle River-Crowfoot, Albertans have not demonstrated an interest in the sovereigntist perspective. Smith continues to emphasise her opposition to Ottawa during public appearances; however, attendance at these events is declining, and she occasionally receives negative responses from audiences. As she travels across the province this summer to promote her position, it appears that the idea is not resonating with the broader Alberta population.

Smith has relinquished what was traditionally considered the Conservatives' primary strategic advantage—an approach that successive Premiers have employed to heighten public engagement and reinforce regional tensions between Eastern and Western Canada. Notably, Smith appears to have overlooked the changing demographic landscape of Alberta; many residents originate from other provinces or countries. The strategies that resonated when Alberta’s population stood at 2.5 million are increasingly irrelevant in a province now exceeding 5 million inhabitants and continuing to grow.

Smith may also distinctly recall the 1980s, when Alberta's oil sector experienced a significant downturn as OPEC increased production, leading to large surpluses in petroleum. This development adversely affected Alberta’s economy, compelling many residents, including myself, to relocate—primarily to Ontario—in pursuit of economic stability. While many eventually returned, they did so with a strengthened sense of national identity that exceeded provincial affiliation.

Thomas Lucaszuk has notably influenced the political landscape prior to Naheed Nenshi launching his summer campaign. As Danielle Smith continues her efforts to engage Albertans on the topic of independence, she has experienced a decline in support for the UPC, with increasing numbers transitioning toward Nenshi's NDP, which promotes a more inclusive vision of Alberta as a place for all Canadians to work and thrive.

A lack of responsiveness to a dynamic and increasingly outspoken electorate may not benefit Smith or the United Conservative Party. Alberta has evolved, and the traditional East versus West narratives hold less influence for many Albertans. There is a prevailing commitment to shaping the nation collaboratively, with Alberta positioned as an equal leader in Canada’s progress. Should Smith fail to recognize or address these shifts, the prospects for future success of the UCP could be significantly diminished.

My reflections on Dad

 My Reflections on Dad

My father passed away early yesterday morning. My sister contacted me just before lunchtime to inform me of his death, which had been expected for some time. I appreciate her communication, as I may not have otherwise been notified of his passing.

I am aware that there is an expected grieving process following such a loss, yet I find myself experiencing no particular emotion. Consequently, I continually question whether it is appropriate not to feel any sense of remorse or sadness regarding the passing of someone who played a significant role in my existence. In fact, this lack of emotional response is more troubling to me than my father's death itself.

Due to my parents' divorce in 1962, my relationship with my father was often distant and occasionally challenging. The period during which he served as a Conservative Government MLA in Saskatchewan, while I worked in the NDP caucus office, resulted in frequent professional interactions. Despite our positions on opposite sides of the Legislature, that time fostered a mutual respect and understanding. It was then that we began to develop a friendship, moving beyond the traditional roles of father and son.

Over time, my career led me away from the political sphere to Ontario, where I established a family with my wife. It was during this period that my father became less present; our communication decreased significantly, and our interactions were infrequent. As a result, he did not develop a close relationship with my children and, similar to my mother, receded into the periphery of my life. In his later years, he appeared to withdraw intentionally from public engagement, in contrast to the prominent business figure he once was.

At times, I encounter challenges in understanding why my emotional reactions to significant events tend toward melancholy. Despite the transformative nature of this particular event, I do not perceive any notable change in my feelings compared to previous days.

My father dedicated himself to his work as a businessman, farmer, and politician. With his passing, his legacy will be shaped by history. I find comfort in imagining him reunited with his brothers, perhaps observing events from above, until the time comes for us to meet again.

Give him Hell, Harry!

Battle River Crowfoot, as predicted, becomes the most significant non-event in Canadian political history.

 

Battle River Crowfoot, as predicted, becomes the most significant non-event in Canadian political history.

 

Last night, after watching the election results—which seemed predictable—I realised that the trolls of social media would be sharpening their knives at some of my commentary or taking the opportunity to turn their vicious rhetoric not in any way different from Poilievre’s against the voters of the riding calling them sheep, cattle, or any other derogatory term imaginable.

This result was anticipated mainly from the moment Carney announced the by-election. I spent much of my formative years in this riding before serving on Allan Blakeney's staff in Saskatchewan, subsequently working with Ed Broadbent in Ottawa, and later pursuing a career as a mainstream media journalist in Toronto until 1988. In 1997, I returned home to raise my four children, and I returned to this area without hesitation.

People here do things mainly to paint a fiddler on the roof example out of a long-standing tradition. Nothing wrong at all with that, and the members to which they have elected here reflect that same traditional sense of community-based populist politics that was given birth to in the depression by the CCF and the Social Credit movements of the day. This has not changed, and it is highly doubtful that it ever will.

I laughed at those who trolled Poilievre throughout this process and set their affections on Bonnie because that only served to entrench the community and wound up hurting Bonnie more than helping.

One good thing that came out of this was that the whole notion of a sovereign Alberta has been completely thrown out the window, garnering only 1.5 per cent of the vote share. We are Canadians and continue to be proudly so in Alberta, and that is something to praise and recognise.

Like anything else in Canada's political environment today, which plays out more like a night at good old WWF wrestling rather than positive political discourse, Mark Carney's honeymoon with the electorate will soon end, and the long line of social media trolls will be hooking and baiting him with as much hatred as that of Poilievre. This has already started with his decision to order striking Air Canada flight attendants back to work, which the courts will overturn, and his letter praising Donald Trump for the Putin Summit, throwing Ukraine again into uncertainty and instability.

Carney is now beholden to Poilievre to keep him in office and is busy passing as much of the conservative blue book as possible to keep the Conservatives happy. TC Douglas referred to this as a black cats and half white cats coalition, which was from Mouseland and referred to the time of the 1917 Union Government with the Conservatives and Liberals under then Prime Minister Robert Borden.

The next few months are going to be a very bumpy ride for most Canadians, and those thinking that this miraculous change is going to appear are going to be very disappointed, to the point where I think the next election will be another minority, with Poilievre as Prime Minister.

People in this country have become ingrained in this point-and-click mentality that flows even to the expectations of how rapidly changes made by the Government will materialise. It will take years, even generations, to correct the imbalance in both income inequality and economic instability that Canada now faces, which began in the mid-eighties. The problem is in today’s society, if it can't happen now, why even consider?

Politics has shifted so dramatically to the polarisation of opposite spectrums that it has become a battleground of name-calling, trolling, worthless rhetoric and accusations of wrongdoing. We elect Governments to work on behalf of all people to build a society which hopefully will be free of poverty, violence and neglect of one another. Perhaps if our politicians were made well aware of these needs continuously in a constructive manner things may indeed change. 

 

 

Bringing About A Change and Journeying to Stormy Seas

 

Watching the wheels of life pass by, I realised that in less than 5 months, I will have reached my sixty-fifth birthday. Now, for those who don’t know me, I have always complained in between telling stories of my children growing up, the unfair balance of time that has gone by, and how it happened so fast.

 Sadly, my childhood was a time I would have instead let pass by. My starting point most thought was my time in the Navy, or my time working at the NDP caucus office in Regina, neither of which is true. My early twenties were but a host of indecision and painful anxiety. I didn’t know in the slightest what I wanted to do, or which direction was up or down. It would probably be fair to say I was lost in a sea of racing thoughts, and the desperate need to take charge of a life out of control and out of my hands.

A critical decision had to be made: either relocate to an environment conducive to effective evaluation and management of my situation or accept the ongoing risk of remaining in an ambiguous and unsatisfactory state. My journey began in earnest at the intersection of Elizabeth and Bay Street in Toronto, where I arrived with a typewriter secured to my backpack and a cigarette in hand. As I observed the bus departing for the prairies, which I had left behind, I recognised the significance of this pivotal moment.

My Editor was the next person to approach me, having spent approximately fifteen minutes searching for me throughout the bus terminal before discovering me observing my new environment. This marked a significant transition: I was now responsible for myself as I embarked on this new chapter of my life. While this change brought about understandable anxieties, I recognised that it was now up to me alone to address them.  

Adapting to a new situation presented significant challenges; however, Father Joe and Our Place provided valuable support during difficult times. Subsequently, Karen invited me to share my life with hers, marking a transformative period. As our family grew, ongoing adjustments were necessary, and my priorities shifted from personal interests to the well-being of my loved ones. For thirty-seven years, I dedicated myself to what many consider to be a profoundly meaningful undertaking, placing other pursuits on hold.

This morning, as my daughter Sarah left the house to return to her job as a reporter, and Karen left to go to work at the hospital, I was left alone to work on my blog, edit video content, and make changes to the radio station. Upon looking in the mirror, those same feelings I felt in 1985 of being in a life out of control and totally out of my hands began to resurface with all the same anxieties that went with it.

While relaxation and leisure are often recommended at this stage, such approaches do not resonate with my disposition. During these times, I am inclined to reflect on advice, especially that which Father Joe might have provided. Remaining idle is an option; however, I am continuously reminded of experiences from years past.

 My backpack, laptop, and digital equipment stand by as I determine the appropriate moment to proceed. This juncture marks a new chapter in my life, and I am prepared to move forward with purpose.