Explanation
Canada, brace yourselves. Anything can happen in politics these days. And we need to be prepared for anything, especially big events that we haven’t experienced in a long time.
For months, the nation played a guessing game about when or if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would announce when he would step down. It was discussed as if it were the most significant event imaginable. And in a sense it was. After all, the resignation of a sitting prime minister is a big deal.
But Prime Minister Trudeau’s impending resignation was portrayed as if once that issue was settled, everything else would be resolved – the political change we were faced with was the prime minister’s resignation and his replacement. After that, everything went back to normal.
it’s not. There is a palpable sense of fluidity there now. Trudeau’s resignation may be the first in a series of major events, not the last.
A major ongoing example is the incredible drama that has arisen from relations between Canada and the United States in recent months. First, there was the threat of tariffs from President Donald Trump, who did not impose them on his first day in office but said they could be imposed on February 1st. Regardless of whether the tariffs materialize, the threat itself is a cause. Significant confusion arose, leading to infighting among federal ministers and conflicting responses from Canada’s prime minister.
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But that was just the beginning of President Trump’s provocation to absorb Canada into the United States and make it the 51st state. At first, this statement was taken as a joke, but as it continued to be said, people began to take it seriously. Canadians sat in conference rooms and around kitchen tables debating whether they wanted to be part of their southern neighbor and what that meant.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a big-picture conversation about the future of our country. No matter what you think about the actual policy proposal, the policy itself is sound. When you have to react to a big idea, no matter what that idea is, you become more open to the possibility of other big ideas. Once people start freely venting about things that seemed so outlandish a few months ago, they’ll start talking about other things as well.
For too long, Canadian politics has been small and old-fashioned. The scope of policy ideas we discuss is narrow. The platforms on which political parties campaign tend to be aimed at tinkering with details, such as raising or lowering tax rates slightly, as opposed to large-scale change.
But if we don’t want to become the 51st state, we need to try harder. The only reason President Trump can speak broadly about such a move is because it is clear that Canada is an underperforming asset due to Canada’s lack of energy and vision.
Although our country is geographically one of the largest countries rich in natural resources, we do not take economic growth, national security, and national identity seriously. To use business parlance again, we are a poorly managed asset that could easily be turned around with the right people and approach, but because we don’t, we’re vulnerable to a hostile takeover that buys us for 10 cents. It’s vulnerable. dollar. Use it or lose it.
It also doesn’t take much time to use properly. Just keep using it. If we bring our resources to market, strengthen our borders (especially in the Arctic, which is vulnerable to Russian and Chinese aggression), and foster a sense of national pride that makes our people feel like this is a country worth fighting for; You can start shooting. on all cylinders. Then there will be no talk of taking over us.
The willingness of our public and private institutions to fall prey to a “woke” agenda has made us an even smaller nation. That agenda was a distraction that caused us to focus on petty infighting and division as opposed to unity and prosperity for the benefit of all.
Similarly, how we became addicted to anti-growth climate change fervor. That contributed to our smallness.
President Trump is determined to make his second term historic. The White House administration appears ready to act quickly and decisively to achieve that goal.
Canada can also choose to sit in the back seat and just watch the parade go by. Instead, let’s get in the game ourselves and accomplish big things.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
