BY HUGH HOLLAND
Prime Minister Mark Carney faces an unprecedented and complicated balancing act both internally and externally.
Internally, he faces separatist movements in both Alberta and Quebec. Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney drew on words he said former Quebec Premier Francois Legault told him about why he left the separatist cause behind in his province to lead a federalist party.
“He realized for six decades Quebec wasted its political energy and that of its elites, focused on an internal political civil war instead of growing their economy, focusing on prosperity,” Kenney said.
“His message was, why would you replicate in Alberta what we failed at in Quebec, which was turning in on ourselves and wasting our resources, our time, and our energy on this internal dispute, as opposed to focusing on growth and productivity.”
Carney has approved a new pipeline to help reduce Alberta separatist feelings and the looming global shortage of oil as US reserves approach depletion in the next 5 to 10 years, provided Alberta agrees to cut emissions from oil production, Canada’s biggest source of emissions. That deal will initially increase emissions from the new one million barrels per day, but ultimately reduce emissions from Canada’s overall 6 million barrels per day of oil production. Internally, Canada still can and should move to replace fossil fuels with efficient renewable energy ASAP.
Externally, Canada’s biggest threats come from Trump’s unprecedented efforts to recruit Alberta oil separatists and to use tariff pressure to move business directly from Canada to the US.
Carney spent 14 busy months making deals with other countries and building the position from which a good treaty with the US becomes possible: the EV and potash deals with China that will help Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan; the deal to supply LNG from BC to Germany; and the Swedish defence equipment contracts.
Trump faces a wipeout in the midterm elections because Americans are increasingly upset by rapid price increases resulting from his tariffs on products from Canada and many other countries. Last month, at the influential Economic Club of New York, Carney said: ”Canada Strong will make America great again.” He appeared to be following the philosophy of Otto Von Bismarck, the quiet but brilliant German strategist who said, “DIPLOMACY IS THE ART OF LETTING OTHERS HAVE YOUR WAY.”
Hugh Holland is a retired engineering and manufacturing executive now living in Huntsville, Ontario.
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