EYE ON POLITICS: Political unrest growing nationally and internationally
by Kerry Turner
Prime Minister Mark Carney is hoping voters will let him keep his new job when they head to the polls on April 28
After a decade of Justin Trudeau at the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada, Friday March 14th saw candidate Mark Carney sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister, elected by the Liberal caucus to replace Trudeau in a landslide vote. Prime Minister Carney faces the unique challenge of finding a common ground with Canadians in a political landscape that has arguably never been so divided.
Carney announced his new cabinet, which consists of 24 members, a decrease from the 39 who served under Trudeau, and an additional three new Ministers. “We have new ministers with new ideas, ready to respond to new threats and seize new opportunities," Carney said, “Our leaner cabinet will focus on two priorities in particular. First, protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified foreign trade actions. And second, growing this great country by putting more money in Canadians' pockets by ensuring the government spends less so Canada can invest more.” Across the floor, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Pierre Polliviere has openly criticized Carney’s cabinet, highlighting that all current cabinet members were part of Trudeau’s former caucus and that "the same people who ran Justin Trudeau are now running Mark Carney…Mark Carney thinks Canadians are stupid." Polliviere argued that Liberals were attempting to distance themselves from their transgressions under Trudeau, with "a little bit of cosmetic surgery."
On March 14th, Carney’s first order was to remove the consumer carbon tax, explaining that the highly unpopular tax on oil and gas no longer worked for Canadians. However, Conservatives at multiple levels of government, including Conservative Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, have outlined concern that industries will suffer from increases to the industrial carbon tax, ultimately trickling down with increased costs for the consumer. With growing distrust that Liberals will go back on their promise if they secure victory in the inevitable federal election, Pollievere has pledged to do away with the tax entirely - repealing the federal carbon pricing for both industries and the consumer. “There will be no taxes on Canadian consumers, no taxes on Canadian industries,” Polliviere promised at a news conference on March 17th in L’Original. He pledged that industries would be rewarded for carbon initiatives that lowered emissions, “who made products with lower emissions than the world average”.
Outside Canada, Carney’s first week in office saw diplomatic visits to European leaders in France and the U.K. Before returning home, Carney also stopped in Iqaluit, Nunavut. While there is little doubt the geo-political crisis was discussed behind closed doors, Carney highlighted that strengthening our historical connection to our founding partners and indigenous leaders was the priority; a demonstration of our nation's sovereignty and strong socio-economic relations outside of the United States. While the diplomatic visits show a shift in engagement strategy, France and the U.K. have been criticized for not being more vocal to the annexation threats made by US President Donald Trump that “Canada only works as a state”, specifically, “treasured 51st State”. On March 16th, Bob Rae, the Canadian Ambassador to the UN, tweeted a dire warning on X, “This is not about borders, or fentanyl. This is about a colossal land, water and resource grab. The tariffs are intended to weaken so this theft can take place”.
When Parliament reconvenes on March 24th, Carney will no doubt be questioned on the Liberal Party’s plan for Trump amid the looming April 2nd reciprocal tariff deadline. However, Carney warned that there is no easy path forward under the new American President. "It won't happen overnight. There's no magic one meeting that is going to unlock things." Parliament has not sat since Trump took office for a second term on January 20th this year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined a delegation from the Federal Government who met with US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnik, in a meeting Ford called “productive.” The delegation included former Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc, who will shift gears slightly to take on the new role of Trade Minister under Carney. More meetings are expected in the coming weeks, but it appears the President will not be budging on tariffs applied to Canada – "We've been ripped off as a country for many, many years," he said, falsely spinning his old rhetoric that the U.S. is somehow "subsidizing" Canada upwards of $200 billion a year. In reality, the deficit is just over $63 billion, and closer examination of the cause shows that this is largely due to the population discrepancies between the two countries – with each Canadian spending approximately seven times more on American goods than the US does for Canadian goods.
The next federal election will take place on April 28, the potential results of which have been on the radar of the American President, who commented to Fox News “I would rather deal with a Liberal than a Conservative, the Conservative that’s running is stupidly no friend of mine. I don’t know him, but he said negative things. I think it’s easier to deal, actually, with a Liberal. And maybe they’re gonna win, but I don’t really care.” The latest polls show that the Liberals and Conservatives are neck and neck, with Carney leading at 37.7%, according to CBC Poll Tracker.
While the goal post for what needs to be done to appease the American President seems to shift with each post to Truth Social, Carney backed away from confirming that Trump’s ultimate goal is to annex Canada through economic sanctions – Carney stated Trump "wants many things," including a push to bring manufacturing back to the US and an end to the flow of fentanyl across the north and south US borders. However, Carney shied away from mentioning Canada specifically. The President’s actions “call into the question the validity” of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), an agreement Trump himself brokered during his first term in 2016. The agreement is set for review in 2026. Carney stated he is in no hurry to speak with Trump, “I look forward to having, at the appropriate time, a discussion between two sovereign nations that is comprehensive and not targeted at one issue. There's a wide range of issues to be discussed when we do connect," Carney said.
A divided nation we might be – however, "We cannot and should not look first to others to defend our nation," Carney told reporters in Iqaluit on Tuesday, "We are masters of our own house." If the unified movement of “elbows up” and "buying Canadian” is any indication, Canadians won’t be backing down easily from this fight.