Getting Back our Canada
Post 46 | Happy Canada Day
A recent article posed a question about whether Canadians were optimistic or pessimistic about our country’s future.
I don’t tend to think in terms of optimism versus pessimism, so pondered another way to address the underlying sentiment - and it is this. That I continue to see our country’s great promise and potential, despite the many issues currently hobbling us.
If…we stand on guard for thee.
Let’s explore that a bit.
We cannot ignore the damage done to Canada the past decade and much of my writing covers related topics.
The reality is that our current wounds - fiscal, cultural, economic and shattered national psyche - are mostly self-inflicted. If some external or existential forces were truly being exerted upon us beyond our control, I might feel despair owing to powerlessness. But much of our pain has come from being internally led through a minefield of misguided idealism and terrible fiscal management; and manipulated like a Lego set to be dissembled and reassembled on whim.
And through idleness or complicity, we allowed it to happen.
We the citizens own this gem of a country, and no individual or government can tear it asunder - if we care enough. Yet our own self-interest and distraction have contributed to the current disarray, with many Canadians awakening far too late to our governance mess.
Here’s how Canada can make her way back to full promise, and we must play an active part.
Rebuild Canada into a global energy hub leveraging our abundant oil & gas, mining and nuclear capacities. They have been knee capped and demonized the past years, but remain ripe to again be leveraged for Canada’s benefit, and won’t take long to rev up. We remain one of the most responsible and cleanest energy producers on the planet and must free ourselves from the self-imposed carbon penalty box, while delivering critical energy to the world. The world will not burn because of our energy, but the billions who either live in abject energy poverty or who suffer significant energy deficits will be much better off with Canada’s energy available to them.
Our financial, manufacturing and technology industries remain strong and capable of competing globally, but cannot be hamstrung by the hand of government choosing subsidized winners and over-regulated losers. Nor can we continue massive corporate welfare under the misleading auspices of job creation. We can again run a free market economy to drive productivity, growth, employment and intellectual property that does not begin and end with government involvement.
Many articles including Post 22 have addressed our productivity and fiscal health with recommendations for their repair, so will not repeat them here in detail. Only, that we must fundamentally change our philosophy of government’s role - which is to create the conditions for productivity and growth and not to be its primary engine. And while our debt will be a millstone for years we can grow our way back through a strong private sector, international trade and inter-provincial cooperation, while slashing government size and regulations.
Alter the environmental discussion to focus on constructive and balanced biodiversity management. Our environmental health is about so much more than just carbon dioxide (.04% of the air we breathe). We must end the carbon crusade’s productivity killing shackles on our economy, while encouraging a healthy and sustainable environment. A balanced new environmentalism in our country will squelch the damaging singularity of the carbon war - a topic that has been unnecessarily turned into one of the most polarizing cultural issues of our day, while throttling our economy.
In multiple posts I’ve shared my belief that a silent majority of Canadians remain people of goodwill, patriotism and pragmatism. We can again bolster these attributes toward a national vision and unity. I suspect they lie dormant barely beneath the surface of our society, and need only a small spark of encouragement from responsible leadership to emerge in full.
This requires reaffirmation of our history and heritage without perpetual apologies or asterisks.
It includes a properly structured immigration program to welcome supportable numbers of productive and desiring newcomers who add constructively in areas of need.
And it must include a relentless pushback, without fear of retribution, against any who treat Canada like a parking space from within which to foment division. Courtesy and respect is a two way street and we must meet discourtesy or disrespect for our country’s traditional values with unflinching opposition. Being tolerant and kind is not synonymous with being a doormat for those who wish to imprint their warped worldviews on us or take advantage of our goodwill - whether from within or without.
Our proud history of international contribution will not be permanently ruined by one period of feckless foreign policy, no matter how pronounced. We can regain the world’s respect through fundamental actions that contribute to democratic values, and by ceasing performative lecturing. Let us again be the strong silent type and lead through action. This begins with firmly defending our own economic and sovereign security – which will attract like-minded nations desiring alliance and repel predatory ones seeking an easy mark.
Our teaching institutions must be held to account in their use of publicly funded money and cleared of the ideological rot allowed to fester for years. This will not be an easy task but begins by developing a strong citizen voice in how our billions in taxpayer money are used to shape the perspectives and mindset of our younger generations. And the large ranks of university administration must step up as responsible adults to again lead rather than acquiesce to student and activist whims.
Regular readers will know I advocate for pragmatic and responsible governance by leaders who understand the concept of public service and wish to focus on running the country we have, not a pet image of one they believe it should be. We must remain alert to the potential excesses our parliamentary style of government allows as covered in Post 18, and learn lessons from this current period of terrible governance - to not again be so easily led astray by a minstrel selling fantasies.
Our path back to a healthier Canada includes tempering our own demands and asking of our ourselves JFK’s immortal question - how we can serve our country, rather than our hands constantly upturned in demand or fists clenched in grievance.
So, yes, I do believe we have untold promise and potential. It will require much better leadership, focused on managing our country to foundational principles. But it will also require much more from us.
We are a country in which many dream to partake and many have died to defend. And she is a beautiful country worth defending.
Happy Canada Day.
Stay tuned and stay pragmatic.
Another thoughtful and well-written piece. All your writing thus far defines the type of government leadership and strategy we deserve … I say we all sign up and launch the “Pragmatic Party of Canada” … with you as the nominated Prime Pragmatist :-)
This article is so good I shared the link to it in the comments section on "The Line" substack. Today's article of Andrew Potter.