At this ‘hinge moment’ in our history, it is time for Canadians to write the next chapter for ourselves.
TSN reporter Rick Westhead’s book, We Breed Lions, is a must-read for parliamentarians, hockey players, parents, coaches, and officials. Perhaps the House Canadian Heritage Committee should ask Westhead, who triggered its study into safe sport, to present what he has discovered through his dogged investigation.
If we are to achieve the ambition Mark Carney laid out so eloquently and clearly for Canada to set out its own path as a middle-power, we also need to start asking ourselves questions about risks to our policy sovereignty. Donald Trump’s newest threat to put a 100 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports if Canada makes a trade deal with China is such a threat to Canada’s policy sovereignty.
Several things made these missions of the past unique: led by the prime minister, joined by cabinet ministers, premiers, and hundreds of business leaders, they created a marketing buzz wherever they touched down.
First, to achieve the generational pivot the times demand, Canada needs government operating at its best, with focused federal political leadership, bold policies, federal-provincial alignment and government-business collaboration—something that has been lacking in recent years.
Canada could revisit its industrial policy and consider a new defence, dual-use, industrial policy. This would take advantage of the government’s already-announced commitment to ramp defence spending up to five per cent of GDP over the next decade.
As Canadians head to the polls, federal party leaders should examine Doug Ford’s enviable electoral success and borrow a page from his ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and cheerfully.
The top issue in the next election will surely be the economy, but the second matter of public discourse should be protecting our national sovereignty.
As a recent World Economic Forum report observes, ‘The next decade will usher in a period of significant change, stretching our adaptive capacity to the limit.’
History shows that this bout of economic nationalism will pass, but just how or when is unknown. What is known is that nations need to plan for the risks of economic nationalism as it plays out in the U.S., China, and in Europe.
For Canadian politicians, the lesson out of the U.S. midterms is that extremism on the right or left is not the answer for the majority of voters.
