I don't often comment, though (or perhaps because) I generally agree with both Matt and Jen. But I have to say a few words in praise of this piece. It's painful to have to be grateful to people who genuinely don't mean us well, but here we are. Thank you, Donald Trump, and Fox News, and various other generally unhinged right-wing American (I struggle for the correct name to call them) 'people', who, as Matt points out, seem able to exert some force on Canada's people in power. It would be much better if our system was functioning, so that problems responsibly and sensibly identified were acknowledged, and plans were published regarding how they would be addressed, so that the plans themselves could also be subjected to critical analysis. This doesn't seem utopian, but I join Matt in despair that we can't seem to do it in this country as presently constitued.
At the last election, Canadian voters made a clear statement that we don't want accountability for our leaders, as long as we get a change of figurehead every so often.
Of course the media is bribed and largely controlled, but the rot goes deeper.
It may be annoying that our only accountability comes from Trump, but even he is better than the Gods of the Copybook Headings who come next.
Just to put my hand up as a dissatisfied LPC voter who was ready to leave the party until they changed leaders (ie one of many millions of people just like me who swung the 2025 election)
The reason I did this is because I believe that Carney is so different from Trudeau that he will reinvent the party to be back to kind of a 1990s centrism (Chrétien and Martin style).
I know you disagree, that you think that his book Values proves that he’ll be just as leftist (even if not as ineffectual) as Trudeau. I disagree and I think only time will tell. I’m losing patience with Carney to start to make some hard choices, if we don’t see any movement by end of 2026 I think my vote is up for grabs again.
The fact that you say "up for grabs" proves my point - real accountability is about punishing the guilty, even if you aren't sure the alternative is satisfactory or even better. Were you really confident, as opposed to merely uncertain, that Poilievre would be worse than Carney?
I do give you credit for being more explicit than any of the journalists I am following, who are allergic to giving Carney a deadline of any sort.
I doubt it. Far more likely it will be like covid lockdowns and mandates, where we go from "the status quo is correct and only bad people want to discuss it" to "the new situation is correct and only bad people want to discuss it (but the old, completely different, status quo was somehow also correct)" without ever discussing it.
I basically agree, but I find it fascinating how the electorate can put people in office who make a huge mess. Obviously they don't think that will be the effect of their vote. They think they're going to elect someone who will make things better. Understanding what is wrong with people's thinking is hard sometimes, but worthwhile. Why did the US elect Trump twice? Why did Canadians elect Trudeau 3 times?
The comment that Canada was created as part of a fear of America is spot on if anyone cares to check our history during/after their Revolution (attacking Canada twice), because of the 1812 War and because of all the attacks by Fenians after their Civil War and even some incursions by “others” before that war. Plus all sorts of threats up until about WWI.
We love to imitate them, we watch their media and movies, we travel there to get out of the cold, we love to hate them too when they act like — Americans of a certain type — a type which is in charge down there right now.
So jumping to action when they “really” threaten us is quite understandable — but yes — doing the right thing (particular on our egregiously treated defence portfolio) should not depend on the Yanks’ impatience.
We need to grow up and do so very quickly.
A little less emotion and a little more focus on substance.
I see the creation of British North America in a different light. The Loyalists who fled North - or South particularly if they had slaves - were avoiding combat in the hopes that the British Redcoats would kill off the Patriots so they - the Loyalists- wouldn’t have to do anything. A Canadian military tradition that continues to this day. 🙄.
When the Patriots won the some of the loyalists resettled while others petitioned to return to England or the Southern colonies. Then 80 years or so later the Brits who were tired of the whole mess and getting out of the empire business continued with their inimitable practice of combining tribes who were mortal enemies( ie Upper Canada and Lower Canada (Quebec) into tidy “country” packages. The Middle East and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh being other examples.
Don't blame me, I voted Conservative and I also voted for Alberta Separation... Now Carney is close to a majority without even winning an election. You cannot make this up. The Gov has bought the MSM and there is no 4th Estate, save the Line, Juno, The Hub and at times, the Rebel. Jettison the CBC from the news business, NOW, and cut the papers off of the taxpayer teet.
Wonderful piece. Canada, home of the mediocre, comfortable, the it’s good enough status quo that suits and benefits our well paid, pensioned leadership class just fine. Sadly, I dont think even the threat of Donald Trump could entice our governments to take on the powerful forces ( the Medical establishment, hospitals and doctors) that are preventing reforms in how our ERs, our GPs perform. And our provincial premiers arent frightened enough by the Orange Madman to knock down those bad interprovincial trade barriers. O Canada…
See my comment. These are Transitional Loss Traps, a well known phenomenon by which any change that benefits the broader society causes concentrated harm to those incumbent groups, so they then muster a fierce PR and political campaign to oppose the change. The classic Canadian example is dairy supply management.
Usually only an outside force, a shock to the system, can break these, once the regular population feels so much pressure or fear that they’re willing to risk the backlash (eg sympathetic ads showing family dairy farms getting crushed by American multinationals).
A classic example of a Transitional Loss Trap: taxi medallions. Medallion owners had so much invested in them that the supply would never change and taxi quality was crap, etc. because no politician wanted to take on the medallion owners or lose their bribes/donations.
What solved it? An outside alien-invasion level event: Uber.
I don’t think the current version of Trump (he of the 🌮 bloviating) is enough to break Canada out of our (many) Transitional Loss Traps we’re in right now. Things are going to have to get worse.
I'm not sure Trump cares about our social safety net. He wants us to do our share to secure the Arctic from the Russians and Chinese. With his 51st state talk, he's telling us to get our house in order or the US will have to do it for us. It's too great a security risk to their interests. I don't think Trump gives a crap about us, honestly.
Canada can still be saved. But it’s going to have to get worse before it gets better.
I have often said that an invasion or seizure of Canadian land by any hostile power (most likely to happen in the Arctic) would almost be a blessing in disguise because it would be a sudden wake up call to everything.
The alternative is a steady grinding-down of living standards and stability, a boiled frog scenario where nobody’s personal situation is at any point so bad that they’re willing to take to the streets to demand change, but together we just sink and sink and sink.
We’re caught in a number of transitional loss traps — four of the largest are dairy supply management, inefficient public sector professional unions at the working level, the “backyarded” property owners who don’t want to see their properties lose value and so will forsake all young people who will never get in, and our telco and bank oligopolies.
I think only a shock to the system can break a polity out of transitional loss traps. Everyone has to feel scared enough to overcome the resistance of those who lose in a change scenario. Like, just to pick on the dairy farmers again — they run sympathetic ads and people don’t have the fortitude to ignore them. We have to be scared enough to be willing to hurt sympathetic dairy farmers. (Again, sorry dairy farmers, it’s not just you, but it’s the easiest example.)
I would love to see Danielle Smith stand up and quote Tolkien.
I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them.
Speaking of accountability, how about our Prime Minister not actually encouraging conflict of interest by explaining it’s a great thing for political spouses to have corporate jobs that benefit from government connections.
Matt Gurney has described a cardinal fatal problem causing the destruction of Canada. And so described one of the several cardinal reasons for Alberta separatism.
Sad, scary, and unfortunately all true. I would suggest that a less government whipped media would be a first step to fixing some of the accountability issues but alas money rules.
Nice job, Matt. But your piece stops short of 100% accuracy. We don't really fear "the terror of the guy running the country next door". Complacent Canadians fear, right down to their poopy pants, ANY guy with initiative and determination for change.
Good article. You and Jen have said before that Canada had stopped being a serious country years ago. The Liberals are a cos-play government. Carney can deliver a decent speech at Davos, but things still suck in this country.
That was not a decent speech. That was a bafllegab bs deception aimed at saps. Pay attention to how Carney is now steering the country into penury and CCP servitude.
Politicians, Bureaucrats, Journalists: Stop being Conservative or Liberal or NDP or Bloc. Be honest, have morals, show empathy, value integrity. Just be a good person.
Matt & Jen you come up with some brilliant (and highly entertaining) riffs on the podcast and this was one of the more brilliant. Thanks for developing it a bit more over here. It's on point and a good read.
Oh dear. This is perilously close to inviting the President of the USA to annex Canada as the 51st state! Oh, wait a minute - he’s already suggested that himself. 😂
Cancelling the digital tax doesn't seem to have worked. Zuckerberg is still censoring our media links on Meta. It leaves me to speculate what was really behind the censorship. Well, that's not a big speculation, is it?
You keep doing it Gurney, this time in spades ,namely affirming why I give you my hard earned money ,to whit : "Fixing problems is not a primary Canadian public policy objective. Avoiding awkward consequences is the goal". Damn ,one sentence and you totally nailed it. Next time I'm in YYZ drinks at the Long Bar are on me Sir.
Well written, as usual. This is an interesting piece to follow the excellent conversation with US lieutenant general Mark Hertling on April 7. I am most worried about complacency and apathy -those millions of Canadians (Americans, Europeans, everyone) who don't read well-researched journalism anymore - they aren't deeply worried because they don't get it. That is closer to true despair than what you and Jen are doing here at the line. Your commitment to clear-headed writing, despite the decay of effective reporting institutions, reveals optimism and perseverance beneath your cranky "pessimistic" persona. This kind of vision requires the removal of the bullshit; not recognizing that we're in a hole is irresponsible (our politicians and bureaucrats). Making it worse -(the Alberta separatist faction) digs us deeper. Hertling is right - it will already take a generation to repair this as it is, so let's get to it. Please, fellow Line readers, can we learn from the idiots who voted for Brexit and instead put our energy into thinking about what we want 20 years from now? Let's start making a trajectory to get there.
I don't often comment, though (or perhaps because) I generally agree with both Matt and Jen. But I have to say a few words in praise of this piece. It's painful to have to be grateful to people who genuinely don't mean us well, but here we are. Thank you, Donald Trump, and Fox News, and various other generally unhinged right-wing American (I struggle for the correct name to call them) 'people', who, as Matt points out, seem able to exert some force on Canada's people in power. It would be much better if our system was functioning, so that problems responsibly and sensibly identified were acknowledged, and plans were published regarding how they would be addressed, so that the plans themselves could also be subjected to critical analysis. This doesn't seem utopian, but I join Matt in despair that we can't seem to do it in this country as presently constitued.
At the last election, Canadian voters made a clear statement that we don't want accountability for our leaders, as long as we get a change of figurehead every so often.
Of course the media is bribed and largely controlled, but the rot goes deeper.
It may be annoying that our only accountability comes from Trump, but even he is better than the Gods of the Copybook Headings who come next.
Just to put my hand up as a dissatisfied LPC voter who was ready to leave the party until they changed leaders (ie one of many millions of people just like me who swung the 2025 election)
The reason I did this is because I believe that Carney is so different from Trudeau that he will reinvent the party to be back to kind of a 1990s centrism (Chrétien and Martin style).
I know you disagree, that you think that his book Values proves that he’ll be just as leftist (even if not as ineffectual) as Trudeau. I disagree and I think only time will tell. I’m losing patience with Carney to start to make some hard choices, if we don’t see any movement by end of 2026 I think my vote is up for grabs again.
The fact that you say "up for grabs" proves my point - real accountability is about punishing the guilty, even if you aren't sure the alternative is satisfactory or even better. Were you really confident, as opposed to merely uncertain, that Poilievre would be worse than Carney?
I do give you credit for being more explicit than any of the journalists I am following, who are allergic to giving Carney a deadline of any sort.
you are far too slow
Sadly, "despair" will accomplish absolutely nothing. Trump would be better than what we currently have.
Careful, that sounds like 51st state talk. The boomers will be angry.
Someday, Canada will have the maturity to discuss this option. Not accept it, necessarily, but at least examine it.
I doubt it. Far more likely it will be like covid lockdowns and mandates, where we go from "the status quo is correct and only bad people want to discuss it" to "the new situation is correct and only bad people want to discuss it (but the old, completely different, status quo was somehow also correct)" without ever discussing it.
name calling doesn't help Brian. it's the generally unhinged left-wing Canadians that have us in this mess.
I basically agree, but I find it fascinating how the electorate can put people in office who make a huge mess. Obviously they don't think that will be the effect of their vote. They think they're going to elect someone who will make things better. Understanding what is wrong with people's thinking is hard sometimes, but worthwhile. Why did the US elect Trump twice? Why did Canadians elect Trudeau 3 times?
Canada was created from fear of the Americans. At least we’re consistent!
... and now we are self-screwing ourselves out of existence for the same reason.
Absolutely.
The comment that Canada was created as part of a fear of America is spot on if anyone cares to check our history during/after their Revolution (attacking Canada twice), because of the 1812 War and because of all the attacks by Fenians after their Civil War and even some incursions by “others” before that war. Plus all sorts of threats up until about WWI.
We love to imitate them, we watch their media and movies, we travel there to get out of the cold, we love to hate them too when they act like — Americans of a certain type — a type which is in charge down there right now.
So jumping to action when they “really” threaten us is quite understandable — but yes — doing the right thing (particular on our egregiously treated defence portfolio) should not depend on the Yanks’ impatience.
We need to grow up and do so very quickly.
A little less emotion and a little more focus on substance.
I see the creation of British North America in a different light. The Loyalists who fled North - or South particularly if they had slaves - were avoiding combat in the hopes that the British Redcoats would kill off the Patriots so they - the Loyalists- wouldn’t have to do anything. A Canadian military tradition that continues to this day. 🙄.
When the Patriots won the some of the loyalists resettled while others petitioned to return to England or the Southern colonies. Then 80 years or so later the Brits who were tired of the whole mess and getting out of the empire business continued with their inimitable practice of combining tribes who were mortal enemies( ie Upper Canada and Lower Canada (Quebec) into tidy “country” packages. The Middle East and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh being other examples.
Don't blame me, I voted Conservative and I also voted for Alberta Separation... Now Carney is close to a majority without even winning an election. You cannot make this up. The Gov has bought the MSM and there is no 4th Estate, save the Line, Juno, The Hub and at times, the Rebel. Jettison the CBC from the news business, NOW, and cut the papers off of the taxpayer teet.
Wonderful piece. Canada, home of the mediocre, comfortable, the it’s good enough status quo that suits and benefits our well paid, pensioned leadership class just fine. Sadly, I dont think even the threat of Donald Trump could entice our governments to take on the powerful forces ( the Medical establishment, hospitals and doctors) that are preventing reforms in how our ERs, our GPs perform. And our provincial premiers arent frightened enough by the Orange Madman to knock down those bad interprovincial trade barriers. O Canada…
See my comment. These are Transitional Loss Traps, a well known phenomenon by which any change that benefits the broader society causes concentrated harm to those incumbent groups, so they then muster a fierce PR and political campaign to oppose the change. The classic Canadian example is dairy supply management.
Usually only an outside force, a shock to the system, can break these, once the regular population feels so much pressure or fear that they’re willing to risk the backlash (eg sympathetic ads showing family dairy farms getting crushed by American multinationals).
A classic example of a Transitional Loss Trap: taxi medallions. Medallion owners had so much invested in them that the supply would never change and taxi quality was crap, etc. because no politician wanted to take on the medallion owners or lose their bribes/donations.
What solved it? An outside alien-invasion level event: Uber.
I don’t think the current version of Trump (he of the 🌮 bloviating) is enough to break Canada out of our (many) Transitional Loss Traps we’re in right now. Things are going to have to get worse.
I'm not sure Trump cares about our social safety net. He wants us to do our share to secure the Arctic from the Russians and Chinese. With his 51st state talk, he's telling us to get our house in order or the US will have to do it for us. It's too great a security risk to their interests. I don't think Trump gives a crap about us, honestly.
Canada can still be saved. But it’s going to have to get worse before it gets better.
I have often said that an invasion or seizure of Canadian land by any hostile power (most likely to happen in the Arctic) would almost be a blessing in disguise because it would be a sudden wake up call to everything.
The alternative is a steady grinding-down of living standards and stability, a boiled frog scenario where nobody’s personal situation is at any point so bad that they’re willing to take to the streets to demand change, but together we just sink and sink and sink.
We’re caught in a number of transitional loss traps — four of the largest are dairy supply management, inefficient public sector professional unions at the working level, the “backyarded” property owners who don’t want to see their properties lose value and so will forsake all young people who will never get in, and our telco and bank oligopolies.
I think only a shock to the system can break a polity out of transitional loss traps. Everyone has to feel scared enough to overcome the resistance of those who lose in a change scenario. Like, just to pick on the dairy farmers again — they run sympathetic ads and people don’t have the fortitude to ignore them. We have to be scared enough to be willing to hurt sympathetic dairy farmers. (Again, sorry dairy farmers, it’s not just you, but it’s the easiest example.)
I would love to see Danielle Smith stand up and quote Tolkien.
I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them.
Speaking of accountability, how about our Prime Minister not actually encouraging conflict of interest by explaining it’s a great thing for political spouses to have corporate jobs that benefit from government connections.
Matt Gurney has described a cardinal fatal problem causing the destruction of Canada. And so described one of the several cardinal reasons for Alberta separatism.
Thank you sir for honesty and clarity of thought.
Another floor crosser to "Liberals" today.
"RIP Canadian democracy: Liberals get their majority as another Tory defects."
Somewhere on the internet I saw a headline:
"Canadians get the first prize for being the stupidest electorate on the planet."
I really, really want to know what those spineless, opportunistic scavengers get for crossing over to the LPC?
There is no way in hell 5 of them did it out of the goodness of their hearts.
Sad, scary, and unfortunately all true. I would suggest that a less government whipped media would be a first step to fixing some of the accountability issues but alas money rules.
Money and lies and deceptions.
Nice job, Matt. But your piece stops short of 100% accuracy. We don't really fear "the terror of the guy running the country next door". Complacent Canadians fear, right down to their poopy pants, ANY guy with initiative and determination for change.
Or any woman- like Danielle Smith…
Oops. Forgot "correctness". Too true.
Good article. You and Jen have said before that Canada had stopped being a serious country years ago. The Liberals are a cos-play government. Carney can deliver a decent speech at Davos, but things still suck in this country.
That was not a decent speech. That was a bafllegab bs deception aimed at saps. Pay attention to how Carney is now steering the country into penury and CCP servitude.
Politicians, Bureaucrats, Journalists: Stop being Conservative or Liberal or NDP or Bloc. Be honest, have morals, show empathy, value integrity. Just be a good person.
Matt & Jen you come up with some brilliant (and highly entertaining) riffs on the podcast and this was one of the more brilliant. Thanks for developing it a bit more over here. It's on point and a good read.
Oh dear. This is perilously close to inviting the President of the USA to annex Canada as the 51st state! Oh, wait a minute - he’s already suggested that himself. 😂
Cancelling the digital tax doesn't seem to have worked. Zuckerberg is still censoring our media links on Meta. It leaves me to speculate what was really behind the censorship. Well, that's not a big speculation, is it?
That was C-18. Totally different, and still in full legal force.
You keep doing it Gurney, this time in spades ,namely affirming why I give you my hard earned money ,to whit : "Fixing problems is not a primary Canadian public policy objective. Avoiding awkward consequences is the goal". Damn ,one sentence and you totally nailed it. Next time I'm in YYZ drinks at the Long Bar are on me Sir.
Well written, as usual. This is an interesting piece to follow the excellent conversation with US lieutenant general Mark Hertling on April 7. I am most worried about complacency and apathy -those millions of Canadians (Americans, Europeans, everyone) who don't read well-researched journalism anymore - they aren't deeply worried because they don't get it. That is closer to true despair than what you and Jen are doing here at the line. Your commitment to clear-headed writing, despite the decay of effective reporting institutions, reveals optimism and perseverance beneath your cranky "pessimistic" persona. This kind of vision requires the removal of the bullshit; not recognizing that we're in a hole is irresponsible (our politicians and bureaucrats). Making it worse -(the Alberta separatist faction) digs us deeper. Hertling is right - it will already take a generation to repair this as it is, so let's get to it. Please, fellow Line readers, can we learn from the idiots who voted for Brexit and instead put our energy into thinking about what we want 20 years from now? Let's start making a trajectory to get there.