Patriotism and blunt talk could deliver big political payback

It has been heartening to see many of Canada’s politicians park their ideological differences for the greater national good. Voters will long remember those who tried to exploit the crisis for their own gain, and those who grabbed an oar and started rowing.

Premiers including Ontario’s Doug Ford, left, and British Columbia’s David Eby, centre, have rallied around Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to walk away from negotiations with the U.S., which could help their popularity, writes Susan Riley.The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and Aidan Raynor

Opinion

BY SUSAN RILEY

August 31, 2026

CHELSEA, QUE.—This is no time for nit-pickers—a message Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a handful of Conservative MPs and pundits, and diehard Quebec separatists have completely missed.

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