Canadian infrastructure, the gift that keeps on giving…
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That explains why my cell service has been shit in Whitehorse this week 
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It’s pretty obvious that this whole “Elbows Up” was nothing more than an empty election slogan. It’s been knees down ever since. I’ve never seen a government do a 180 so quickly as I have with Mark Carney.
We’ve learned that Carney agreed to drop the retaliatory tariffs during the election at a meeting with Trump that was neither released during the election nor widely reported by the media. There was also a Eurasian Group report that quietly came out during the election but not covered which recommended that countries basically cave to Trump’s tariff demands. Now we are seeing the Carney government floating potential policies that have been advocated by Scott Bessent and Stephen Marin for continued access to the American market - increased defense spending, development of critical minerals, participation in the Golden Dome, and most controversially giving the US the right of first refusal to the sale of Canada’s natural resources, which might be the biggest surrender of Canadian sovereignty in history.
Many of the things Carney is proposing are good for Canada IMHO, and confirms that despite appointing incompetent Trudeau retreads to the cabinet, he is for the most part governing as if he were a Progressive Conservative Prime Minister, which is what many privately expected. Development of pipelines, streamlining regulations, a focus on increasing Canada’s sclerotic productivity, and capping Canada’s insane immigration policies are all positive. Even many of the things the Americans are demanding that he’s willing to consider are fair.
His biggest Achilles heel though is his commitment to the insane net zero policy. Canada committing to Europe’s carbon tariff is bonkers. This policy is to impose tariffs on countries which do not have specific carbon reduction policies. If a country doesn’t have specific net zero targets by 2028/9, they will be subject to tariffs. This applies to Europe but not to America. But Europe accounts for roughly 8% of Canada’s trade and the US approximately 80%. I’m all for increasing Canada’s markets in Europe. But if you are applying costs to domestic production to increase access for 8% of your exports that disadvantages your market access to 80% of your markets, that’s nuts.
Also, the Liberals have a minority government. They’re acting like they have a majority. And they are circumventing the democratic will of the country by having Parliament sitting so infrequently.
But but but Pierre Poilievre is mean and scary!
https://x.com/sunlorrie/status/1942269876246020323?s=46&t=o3XUPKxiqJH7KZYdWMCtqg
That is exactly what many people I know voted for - a return to the Chretien Liberals of 30 years ago, no more ‘the budget will balance itself’ nonsense, but none of the baggage that now defines the Conservatives. Even people I know in the Federal government think there needs to be some churn.
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Paul Martin was the best finance minister since CD Howe.
I’m hoping the new cabinet is as serious
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Quit the corporate handouts and tax breaks. These companies make money hand-over-fist. We have to stop serving it up on a platter
Yeah? You spend a lot of time up here?
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Somebody writes some graffiti so the state is to blame?
It the UK responsible for me writing ‘I love Robbie Fowler’ on a toilet wall when drunk in the mid nineties?
Fixed it for you,
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Yup.
Carney has done very little since he became PM. He has proposed several good policies unwinding Canada’s worst PM in 100 years. But re the US, he is getting played.
https://x.com/kevinkleinwpg/status/1953473684863152185?s=46&t=o3XUPKxiqJH7KZYdWMCtqg
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