Allow me to answer this question from Matt in segment 1: “Is this a phony war?” If we are talking about some phantom “war” against the USA, I would say, 100% yes. Trump is going to do what he is going to do. And he may then un-do it the very next day. And then re-implement to a greater or lesser degree the day after that. Following his day-to-day statements/actions is utter madness, never mind trying to react to every new statement/development in real time.
The best and only way to “fight Trump” is to fix the damn Country. That is the real war that needs to be fought and there is presently NO evidence that the troops are being marshalled for this war. As G&G and many of us here in the commentariat have been saying since well before Junior disappeared (and Trump re-appeared) – this Country is essentially fucked.
Our health care system sucks and many people passionately guard against making any substantive changes to it. Our economy is an ossified relic that (like our health care system) is built entirely on a fear of free-enterprise/competition supplemented by insane subsidies and gross over-regulation. And for good measure we also insist that we must cater to every woke shibboleth before sticking a shovel in the ground. We have no respect for free speech. The streets are literally crumbling if not unsafe for other reasons (i.e. drugs/crime). Meanwhile, some of the trains (see Eglinton Crosstown) don’t run at all (never mind running on time) while others (TTC subway) are daily freak shows by all accounts. And don’t look to the Courts to save us because with almost every passing week they show us the wisdom of Peter Lougheed et al insisting on the inclusion of the notwithstanding clause.
We are blessed with natural resources up the ying-yang and an educated population. There is simply no excuse for us to be in the state we find ourselves, lost at sea while hoping and praying that the Trump winds don't cast us overboard. But until our own answer to Javier Milei shows up to start, execute and finish the real war that needs to be fought in this country, nothing is going to change.
The fact that we have now had TWO federal elections where any attempts to talk about these issues were shouted down by most of the media in favour of incumbent-friendly nonsense of the day which was then repeated zombie-like by the easily impressed, gives me the most hopeless feeling.
We are to blame for all of our own problems, Trump essentially doesn't matter. Radical, painful change is required, which this government was very much put in place not to make.
The best way to decolonize a place is to destroy the colony. The best way to prevent the "apocalyptic" destruction of the environment is to destroy industry. These are not special interest groups, they are the fifth column.
I do wonder how much of modern activist movements are actively and secretly fostered online by the West's enemies. Their goals seem to be indistinguishable from "ruin the society in which I live and/or render it ungovernable". If our enemies aren't nurturing these movements it would sure be in their interest to.
I think the entire social media-borne "woke" movement was a Russian and Chinese psyop for example.
Yes. I am glad to see that someone else also thought of this. I would not be surprised if in future this turns out to be so. This was my theory when this crap started to be noticed. To me there were KGB pawprints all over that. The flimsy excuses for singling out individual, the ways used to hound them. The sheer stupidity of the destructive ideas used by "wokeistas". The lasting destruction of our institutions and the difficulty in repairing these - judiciary, anyone ? The eagerness with which the "academia" fell in line with this - those forever useless leftist "useful" idiots. To me, there is a clear similarity to which Russian propaganda is smearing Ukraine.
It's like someone actively thought about how best to leverage the West's tolerance and diversity against it, just when pretty much everyone was on board with equal opportunity for all.
Undo decades of work toward toleration and harmony between groups and the notion that race/religion/origin/colour/sex/sexuality don't and shouldn't matter, by pushing the idea that "identity" is all-important, every interaction should be seen through the lens of oppressor/oppressed, and institutions should openly discriminate against "advantaged" groups to attempt to correct past wrongs by creating new injustice.
Make everyone hate one another, obsess over otherwise irrelevant issues, and vote for extremist nitwits on one side or the other intent on undermining institutions and rule of law (see both Trudeau and Trump). Stymie the government decision-making processes and make infrastructure impossible to build. Promote demoralizing nonsense and force people to repeat absurd things they don't believe.
All this does have a Russian flavour to it, doesn't it?
Yes it does, very much so. Russian does not need nukes and weapons, when Russia's most effective weapons are West's own amnesia, stupidity, and generations of western leftists.
I was surprised to hear Andrew mention Doug Ford and competence in the same sentence, even with the caveat that he doesn't follow Ontario closely.
I have pretty deep roots with the Ontario PC Party and still have a lot of friends there, some of whom are Ford defenders. My standard question to them is: what is Doug Ford's greatest accomplishment? I'm not counting getting elected, or thumping his chest in a satisfying way during a trade war, or Being There during COVID. I mean actual concrete results on an important initiative he launched deliberately.
The best I can do is alcohol liberalization, which is nice but very small ball. And there isn't even a close runner up. What's easy to miss is that Ford has increased program spending far faster than Wynne ever did: 37% in his first 6 years, vs. 26% in McGuinty and Wynne's last 6 years. In Health it's 45% for Ford vs. 27% for McG/Wynne. But has all this spending improved anything? Absolutely not.
What has he done for the economy? Has he made taxes more competitive? LOL, no. His tax policies are silly populist measures like gas tax cuts and electricity subsidies, not structural changes to improve competitiveness. His economic policy boils down to corporate welfare.
Ford has neither launched useful new initiatives, nor improved existing programs and services, nor strengthened the economy, nor improved Ontario's fiscal situation. He occupies the office, and says (apparently) popular things. That may work politically, but it's no kind of competence.
No, Canada cannot save itself before the kids snap - a large part of the electorate voted in the "Liberals" 4X, that is four effing times. Northern Argentine all over. Last time they voted in Markie Carnie, who was first installed as a "Liberal" leader and a PM by an utterly sleazy black-box backroom process driven by the Laurentian Corruptocrats. Markie Carnie has had an uncomfortable relationship with facts, truth and reality for many, many years. Markie Carnie's heavy-duty conflicts of interest relating to his ideology and his private investments are now right in the open. Because of the "Liberals" and their policies, Canada is a dead person walking.
Canada, don't you call yourself a democracy, because since about 2018, halfway trough the first term of The Idiot King, you have been a fu.....ng Banana Republic.
So harsh on the poor Liberals. Canada is a thriving democracy, I mean our elected representatives in parliament have met for a total of 20 days in the past 240 days. They passed Bill C-5 which grants the federal government the “power to override any laws and regulations in Canada, for “projects” they consider in the national interest”
Should be interesting to see the “projects” that our Liberal government have in mind for Canadians over the next 5 or more years. Combine that with a constitution that grants Canadian rights and freedoms “notwithstanding” what our government can decide we are allowed to do. Thriving democracy indeed 🙄🇨🇦
Let's hope not. This is a seriously unhealthy government, having arrived at power by both foul and utterly accidental (DJT influence) means. If this gov is lengthy, they may end up ruling a - partial Canada.
Interesting that you mention Bill C-5 - a bill that the Conservatives not only voted in favour of, but also specifically voted to *rush* through reduced debate.
A single Liberal MP (Nathaniel Erskine-Smith) did a better job than the entire Conservative caucus in holding the Liberal government to account on this bad legislation. If there's anything that enables Liberal scandals in this country, it's the miserable quality of the opposition alternatives!
Bill C-5 is Carney's rancid cake set on top of Trudeau's pile of dung. Bill C-5 is a bear trap the "Liberals" set for themselves, saying again, on top of Trudeau's pile of dung. That is why the Conservatives rush-voted for it. Unless Carney clears away the entire Trudeau's pile of dung, bill C-5 is useless. Regarding what enables Liberal scandals in this country it is the miserable quality of the large part of the electorate. 4 X !
I have no issue with people taking vacation during the summer but I do have issues with people saying we can’t expect our government to get much/anything done in the summer. Even if every employee takes 3 weeks off during the ~ 12 weeks of summer, that still means we have people working 75% of the time. And if the country is really facing a crisis, I think our government could figure out a way to get things done. I’d be curious if Matt is hearing complaints of civil servants having to work extra hard this summer. If he isn’t, then that’s interesting. In private sector, during a full court press, people get told to pull up their socks and hit the deadlines. I do think this idea that we can’t expect much to get done in summer is something holding Canada back. Again, I think it is still possible to have folks take vacation AND for organizations to make headway in the summer.
Good job on the naked gun line. It’s one of my favorites, along with, “Doc say he has a 50-50 chance of living, but there’s only a 10% chance of that.”
I have come up with another view on why the Liberals aren’t acting any urgency. I think they thought that Trump wasn’t serious. They were free to campaign the way they did because they just thought it was going to be the same as the first term. I think they have just come to the realization in the past week that the president is serious and that things aren’t going back to the way they were.
This has massive ramifications. First, Canada isn’t ready for free trade to end and it will likely take a decade to turn things around if it does. This decade is going to be very, very tough. The problem for the liberals is that they were elected by Canadians who are most deperatr not to change. The boomers don’t want to hear that the programs they want are not viable. The left does not want to hear that their cherished dreams and planned programs cannot be fined by the current economy.
Second, and I don’t know how this is going to turn out, but anyone who thinks that the young people are just going to have to take substantially less and pay more in taxes so retirees can be comfortable are dreaming. It isn’t going to happen and as soon as we can have an intelligent, rational conversation about what we can and cannot afford, the better offer we are going to be.
Friend, intelligent, rational conversations are not a Canadian value since about 2015. The PM Markie Carnie himself using other words said not long ago Canadian values are codified misogyny and a codified intolerance,
It's been said that cultures that cater to the old generation at the expense of the young are cultures in decay. Well. we certainly have that in Canada.
Canada is a genetocracy and thus focused on risk and confrontation aversion. It's too bad that risk and confronting people and challenges is how things get done.
Canadians are too polite and "nice" for their own good. We would rather be nice than good.
Equality is an obsession of Canadians, especially in French Canada, but growth and innovations are by their very nature unequal.
Canadians are okay with mediocrity as long as it is nice
The divisions in Canada are similar to divisions happening all over western democracies. What is happening here at home has been a very long time coming. If we are going to continue as a country, we need to start thinking about citizenship and what it means. Do we even look at each other as citizens anymore? If not, what the hell happened.?
What happened is that Canadian society became atomized starting in the 1960s. Trudeau Sr. obsession with keeping Quebec in Canada and overpowering the French with multiculturalism (rather than biculturalism) means we don't have a common narrative.
The Laurentian Elite types thought they could stitch a country together with free entitlements like health care, showing up the Americans plus appealing to our cheapness is always a winner after all. Problem is that a country isn't like a club and there is nothing that unites us, so we don't care about "foreign Canadians" as much.
I suspect the Canadian state would have been much stronger in 2025 if Quebec left Canada in 1995.
I so wanted Quebec to leave back then. I figured they'd want back in, if they had left, and then Canada could have dictated some of the terms of reentry. I bought into the whole bilingual Canada schtick back in the day, studied French throughout my school years, and majored in French lit in university. I was obviously duped lol
If Quebec votes in the Parti Quebecois next year, and they are serious about their talk with a third referendum, I would much like to see somebody compare the rhetoric and vitriol of criticism of Alberta's separatists vs. Quebec's separatists. I somehow expect there will be a large gap.
Keep in mind, if Quebec separated, Alberta would no longer need to. There would be a massive and immediate improvement in our political culture as the rest of the country would suddenly be able to overrule downtown Toronto and Ottawa minus their huge ally Montreal.
And also with no French requirement there would be 5X more viable candidates for leadership from PM down to department heads and the federal public service would stop being a weird language-based DEI program. Huge win-win for the rest of the country.
We would no longer be on the hook for billions a year in transfer payments or beholden to corrupt and massively inefficient Quebec corporations for government contracts.
All patriotic Canadians should be Quebec separatists.
Right now the Commons has 343 seats of which Ontario has 122 seats or 35.6%. Eliminate Quebec's 78 seats and there would be 265 seats and Ontario would have 46% of all seats.
Non-urban Ontario has what, four seats? Okay, I am being sarcastic but being in thrall to The Big Smoke and to Otterwer does not excite me. We are already there so we know how the movie turns out.
According to some quick calculations removing Quebec, enough for a one-seat Conservative majority even after the de facto rigged election we just suffered through.
Alberta's position should be 'we want the same deal as Quebec'. Keep saying it over and over. And this isn't about demonizing Quebec as they already have their foot halfway out the door. For me, I think if Ottawa doesn't take Alberta seriously, buckle up. I think a round of constitutional talks has to happen now. The stakes are too high not to.
Sean, make no mistake, if Alberta (or Quebec - but I am an Albertan) were to separate, it would be pretty tough for a while. The disruption would not be at all easy. Having said that, I believe that we would come out the other side in a better place.
As for constitutional talks, a) I just don't see such a thing happening given the dominance of O & Q, let alone the others; and b) if such talks were to occur why on ever would O & Q give up their dominance; and c) how can we ever expect that they would abide by such an improved allocation of powers, etc. when they violate the constitution at will right now?
Not saying it wouldn't be tough. If there can't be constitutional talks then buckle up. Top of mind: why the hell can't we get shit done in this country. If Quebec won't sign the constitution documents then we are doomed to exist in perpetual groundhog day. I think something substantive has to happen to show the west some love. Not sure what form, that love might take (lets relocate CBC to Calgary or Winnipeg) because there is still the Quebec question and continued receipt of transfer payments creates a disincentive for a province to grow its economy.
Well, forget relocating the Ceeb and just shut it down.
Quebec hasn't signed the constitution and refuses to. Yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever in the foreseeable future. So ...... Bill Murray here we are .....
"Something substantial ....." Yup and nope. Yup, something needs to happen and nope, nothing will happen simply because as you so eloquently note, we can't get shit done in this country.
Truth is, this shortly won't be my problem; I am 74 and, normally speaking, pretty much at the end of it all so not my worry any longer, right? Oh, but my children and grandchildren ..... So, I do worry.
Great episode. Andrew is a great guest host. Good discussions.
For strategies to get your kids off iPads, check out work by Jonathan Haidt and Lenore Skenazy (“LetGrow”).
Carney is all sizzle (“resume”) no steak. Pierre had his moment; how you blow a 30-point lead and then not do any post mortem worth any value and self reflection is disqualifying. Problem is they have done zero succession planning.
Carney is no steak and no sizzle. Carney is a pile of chickenshit. It will become obvious this fall and winter. PP did not blow a 30-point lead. Trump took that lead and gave it to Carney 'cuz he is easier to deal with that PP would be. PP did not blow a 30-point lead. Trump deliberately interfered in the Canadian election in favour of "Liberals", because Trump well knows they are as unprincipled as he is. As far as Conservatives post-mortem etc. are concerned, they realize that when a very large part of the electorate are this blinkered and amnesiac, (4X ! ), the Conservatives might as well not bother sweating anything, until the political situation makes it necessary.
"The guys also discuss a new Quebec survey that ought to be triggering national alarm bells. It isn’t. Because it’s August. And no one’s paying attention."
Because Canadian journalists seem to think nothing happens in the summer. My desire to learn about current events does not lessen in the summer but the supply of Canadian coverage does go down.
Again, I have to respond to this. Canadian journalists don't think nothing happens in the summer. They think that summer is the best time to use their vacation days so they can see their kids and also because the legislatures are usually closed. This is like being angry you can't get a burger the diner on December 25th.
It’s an unrealistic criticism and an unfair one even if it’s not targeted at me. Canadian newsroom staffing is at historic lows. Vacation time is owed. Maintaining normal operations is largely impossible. There is no way to square the circle.
Why does Canadian media coverage in the summer matter? Our federal government have sat in parliament for 20 days out of the last 240, and are off until mid-summer. What is there to cover? Mark Carney and top Liberals holding another meeting? 🙄
Well done Matt and Andrew! I am not a podcast person, prefer to read, but I somehow ended up listening to all of this one. Maybe my first. Different opinions, can’t say I agree with everything - but that is good. I think we need to get out of our familiar echo chambers, and listen to understand different viewpoints. I especially enjoyed hearing that things haven’t changed in Montreal. Almost 30 years ago - I lived off the West Island, and the Île aux tourtes bridge was under construction repair even then. Before that the bridge to Ste Anne de Bellevue was closed for the longest time, forcing us to detour around via Île aux tourtes bridge on our daily commute. The lack of overall accountability is definitely a major problem in Canada, at all levels, as is a large segment of the population who want to hold on to the status quo. 🇨🇦
What will it look like, your guest asks? In my submission, it will look like the situation in which Newfoundland found itself, before reluctantly joining Canada; and Canada's case, it will be driven by the younger generation who see the country getting poorer and poorer, as wealth creation opportunities are squandered to progressive cant. Unhappily supported disproportionally by comfortable baby boomers.
The crumbling infrastructure across Canada can be fixed but it's going to cost $$$$$. For me, successive governments of all political stripes at the provincial and federal level are dead terrified of talking about income tax or taxation in general and how all this stuff is going to get fixed. (Politicians are still afraid of the electorate believe it or not. Selectively IMHO)
It has been this way at least by my memory since the Mulroney era. Since then it has been cut tax cut tax cut tax as the mantra and instead of having a national conversation about taxes and what it costs to run Canada and what our national and local priorities are: All of us. We are not being honest with ourselves. Taxes are going to have to go up at some point after they cut everything possible to avoid a tax increase and thereby an election loss. Decisions are going to have to be made about what Canada is willing to cut in order to get spending down.
We have ridiculously high taxes and what rage farms the electorate, I think, is 'WTF? Why are my taxes so high? Everything is broken. This is BS!'. I think federal domestic policy has been and still very much about keeping Quebec in confederation. The cost of this over the decades has been national unity crumbling outside of Quebec. Even talk about addressing transfer payments consistently going to Quebec is verboten.
If Canada is going to be united then we have a crap ton of work to do and we can no longer avoid discussing the Quebec transfer payment matter; as in: how in the actual BLEEP is it possible for Quebec to be a have not province?
Ford got elected the first time as a conservative and promptly betrayed his electors by entering into a bromance with JT and adopting Ottawa policies and practices including a failed attempt to reward his land developing cronies. He’s now making heifer eyes at MC and hoping for a second go-round . His chihuahua yapping at Donald Trump while undoubtedly helping his Ontario political ratings is probably one of the main reasons why Mexico got a tariff deferral and Canada didn’t. (Listen to the most recent interview of the US ambassador by CBC (or was it CTV? Hard to tell both are on the Liberal payroll under color of Government).
All Canadian politicians ran against Trump, no one harder than Trudeau and Carney. Smith and PP were shit on for not. Voters elected the first type. This is the price. It was always better to say nothing.
Funny how Premier Smith was pilloried by the MSM and Laurentian laptop crowd for refusing to endorse sweeping retaliatory tariffs during the federal election campaign. She was a TRAITOR, a MAGA spy/plant and clueless goof we were told.
And yet since the election campaign, the Carney government has been quietly eliminating retaliatory tariffs and is finally admitting that the tariffs are a tax burden for Canadians that they can ill afford at this time.
The cynicism of these tactics is noted, not that it will do any good.
Not much to choose from I agree. The term “honorable/honourable” politicians use to address each other seems to have become an oxymoron in the last couple of generations.
But I find it moronic to use ad hominem arguments to the exception of anything else. (Assuming anything else exists of course) The penis envy implied when Canadians refer to popular votes for prime minister when their constitution doesn’t have an elected executive branch of government is sad at best.
Good discussion but, uh, Andrew doesn’t have the , uh, polish that Matt has as a, um, radio/podcast presenter - which was a major distraction at first and eventually an, uh, annoyance. Sorry, someone has to say it.
Federalists (Anglo-Quebecers amongst the most ardent) will not see the truth till they trip over it. Mentioned early in the podcast, if we were annexed by the US then our federal elections would be meaningless. The CCP or the LPC? Poilievre or Carney? It doesn't matter. The government is doing nothing because they can't do anything meaningful. They have to respond to the US, as all good vassals must.
BTW here's the paper I referenced on the study about the academic impact of removing phones from classrooms https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5370727
Allow me to answer this question from Matt in segment 1: “Is this a phony war?” If we are talking about some phantom “war” against the USA, I would say, 100% yes. Trump is going to do what he is going to do. And he may then un-do it the very next day. And then re-implement to a greater or lesser degree the day after that. Following his day-to-day statements/actions is utter madness, never mind trying to react to every new statement/development in real time.
The best and only way to “fight Trump” is to fix the damn Country. That is the real war that needs to be fought and there is presently NO evidence that the troops are being marshalled for this war. As G&G and many of us here in the commentariat have been saying since well before Junior disappeared (and Trump re-appeared) – this Country is essentially fucked.
Our health care system sucks and many people passionately guard against making any substantive changes to it. Our economy is an ossified relic that (like our health care system) is built entirely on a fear of free-enterprise/competition supplemented by insane subsidies and gross over-regulation. And for good measure we also insist that we must cater to every woke shibboleth before sticking a shovel in the ground. We have no respect for free speech. The streets are literally crumbling if not unsafe for other reasons (i.e. drugs/crime). Meanwhile, some of the trains (see Eglinton Crosstown) don’t run at all (never mind running on time) while others (TTC subway) are daily freak shows by all accounts. And don’t look to the Courts to save us because with almost every passing week they show us the wisdom of Peter Lougheed et al insisting on the inclusion of the notwithstanding clause.
We are blessed with natural resources up the ying-yang and an educated population. There is simply no excuse for us to be in the state we find ourselves, lost at sea while hoping and praying that the Trump winds don't cast us overboard. But until our own answer to Javier Milei shows up to start, execute and finish the real war that needs to be fought in this country, nothing is going to change.
Full agreement with no notes.
The fact that we have now had TWO federal elections where any attempts to talk about these issues were shouted down by most of the media in favour of incumbent-friendly nonsense of the day which was then repeated zombie-like by the easily impressed, gives me the most hopeless feeling.
We are to blame for all of our own problems, Trump essentially doesn't matter. Radical, painful change is required, which this government was very much put in place not to make.
The best way to decolonize a place is to destroy the colony. The best way to prevent the "apocalyptic" destruction of the environment is to destroy industry. These are not special interest groups, they are the fifth column.
I do wonder how much of modern activist movements are actively and secretly fostered online by the West's enemies. Their goals seem to be indistinguishable from "ruin the society in which I live and/or render it ungovernable". If our enemies aren't nurturing these movements it would sure be in their interest to.
I think the entire social media-borne "woke" movement was a Russian and Chinese psyop for example.
No shortage of useful idiots in Canada, that's for sure.
Yes. I am glad to see that someone else also thought of this. I would not be surprised if in future this turns out to be so. This was my theory when this crap started to be noticed. To me there were KGB pawprints all over that. The flimsy excuses for singling out individual, the ways used to hound them. The sheer stupidity of the destructive ideas used by "wokeistas". The lasting destruction of our institutions and the difficulty in repairing these - judiciary, anyone ? The eagerness with which the "academia" fell in line with this - those forever useless leftist "useful" idiots. To me, there is a clear similarity to which Russian propaganda is smearing Ukraine.
It's like someone actively thought about how best to leverage the West's tolerance and diversity against it, just when pretty much everyone was on board with equal opportunity for all.
Undo decades of work toward toleration and harmony between groups and the notion that race/religion/origin/colour/sex/sexuality don't and shouldn't matter, by pushing the idea that "identity" is all-important, every interaction should be seen through the lens of oppressor/oppressed, and institutions should openly discriminate against "advantaged" groups to attempt to correct past wrongs by creating new injustice.
Make everyone hate one another, obsess over otherwise irrelevant issues, and vote for extremist nitwits on one side or the other intent on undermining institutions and rule of law (see both Trudeau and Trump). Stymie the government decision-making processes and make infrastructure impossible to build. Promote demoralizing nonsense and force people to repeat absurd things they don't believe.
All this does have a Russian flavour to it, doesn't it?
Yes it does, very much so. Russian does not need nukes and weapons, when Russia's most effective weapons are West's own amnesia, stupidity, and generations of western leftists.
I was surprised to hear Andrew mention Doug Ford and competence in the same sentence, even with the caveat that he doesn't follow Ontario closely.
I have pretty deep roots with the Ontario PC Party and still have a lot of friends there, some of whom are Ford defenders. My standard question to them is: what is Doug Ford's greatest accomplishment? I'm not counting getting elected, or thumping his chest in a satisfying way during a trade war, or Being There during COVID. I mean actual concrete results on an important initiative he launched deliberately.
The best I can do is alcohol liberalization, which is nice but very small ball. And there isn't even a close runner up. What's easy to miss is that Ford has increased program spending far faster than Wynne ever did: 37% in his first 6 years, vs. 26% in McGuinty and Wynne's last 6 years. In Health it's 45% for Ford vs. 27% for McG/Wynne. But has all this spending improved anything? Absolutely not.
What has he done for the economy? Has he made taxes more competitive? LOL, no. His tax policies are silly populist measures like gas tax cuts and electricity subsidies, not structural changes to improve competitiveness. His economic policy boils down to corporate welfare.
Ford has neither launched useful new initiatives, nor improved existing programs and services, nor strengthened the economy, nor improved Ontario's fiscal situation. He occupies the office, and says (apparently) popular things. That may work politically, but it's no kind of competence.
No, Canada cannot save itself before the kids snap - a large part of the electorate voted in the "Liberals" 4X, that is four effing times. Northern Argentine all over. Last time they voted in Markie Carnie, who was first installed as a "Liberal" leader and a PM by an utterly sleazy black-box backroom process driven by the Laurentian Corruptocrats. Markie Carnie has had an uncomfortable relationship with facts, truth and reality for many, many years. Markie Carnie's heavy-duty conflicts of interest relating to his ideology and his private investments are now right in the open. Because of the "Liberals" and their policies, Canada is a dead person walking.
Canada, don't you call yourself a democracy, because since about 2018, halfway trough the first term of The Idiot King, you have been a fu.....ng Banana Republic.
So harsh on the poor Liberals. Canada is a thriving democracy, I mean our elected representatives in parliament have met for a total of 20 days in the past 240 days. They passed Bill C-5 which grants the federal government the “power to override any laws and regulations in Canada, for “projects” they consider in the national interest”
Should be interesting to see the “projects” that our Liberal government have in mind for Canadians over the next 5 or more years. Combine that with a constitution that grants Canadian rights and freedoms “notwithstanding” what our government can decide we are allowed to do. Thriving democracy indeed 🙄🇨🇦
Thank you for constructive sarcasm aimed at the party who has been in power for far, far too long.
Thank you for the feedback. It’s looking like this government are going to be in power, for pretty well - forever. 🇨🇦
Let's hope not. This is a seriously unhealthy government, having arrived at power by both foul and utterly accidental (DJT influence) means. If this gov is lengthy, they may end up ruling a - partial Canada.
They will be in charge when the dissolution of the post-nation state occurs.
Interesting that you mention Bill C-5 - a bill that the Conservatives not only voted in favour of, but also specifically voted to *rush* through reduced debate.
A single Liberal MP (Nathaniel Erskine-Smith) did a better job than the entire Conservative caucus in holding the Liberal government to account on this bad legislation. If there's anything that enables Liberal scandals in this country, it's the miserable quality of the opposition alternatives!
Bill C-5 is Carney's rancid cake set on top of Trudeau's pile of dung. Bill C-5 is a bear trap the "Liberals" set for themselves, saying again, on top of Trudeau's pile of dung. That is why the Conservatives rush-voted for it. Unless Carney clears away the entire Trudeau's pile of dung, bill C-5 is useless. Regarding what enables Liberal scandals in this country it is the miserable quality of the large part of the electorate. 4 X !
💯 agree 👍
I have no issue with people taking vacation during the summer but I do have issues with people saying we can’t expect our government to get much/anything done in the summer. Even if every employee takes 3 weeks off during the ~ 12 weeks of summer, that still means we have people working 75% of the time. And if the country is really facing a crisis, I think our government could figure out a way to get things done. I’d be curious if Matt is hearing complaints of civil servants having to work extra hard this summer. If he isn’t, then that’s interesting. In private sector, during a full court press, people get told to pull up their socks and hit the deadlines. I do think this idea that we can’t expect much to get done in summer is something holding Canada back. Again, I think it is still possible to have folks take vacation AND for organizations to make headway in the summer.
Good job on the naked gun line. It’s one of my favorites, along with, “Doc say he has a 50-50 chance of living, but there’s only a 10% chance of that.”
I have come up with another view on why the Liberals aren’t acting any urgency. I think they thought that Trump wasn’t serious. They were free to campaign the way they did because they just thought it was going to be the same as the first term. I think they have just come to the realization in the past week that the president is serious and that things aren’t going back to the way they were.
This has massive ramifications. First, Canada isn’t ready for free trade to end and it will likely take a decade to turn things around if it does. This decade is going to be very, very tough. The problem for the liberals is that they were elected by Canadians who are most deperatr not to change. The boomers don’t want to hear that the programs they want are not viable. The left does not want to hear that their cherished dreams and planned programs cannot be fined by the current economy.
Second, and I don’t know how this is going to turn out, but anyone who thinks that the young people are just going to have to take substantially less and pay more in taxes so retirees can be comfortable are dreaming. It isn’t going to happen and as soon as we can have an intelligent, rational conversation about what we can and cannot afford, the better offer we are going to be.
Friend, intelligent, rational conversations are not a Canadian value since about 2015. The PM Markie Carnie himself using other words said not long ago Canadian values are codified misogyny and a codified intolerance,
It's been said that cultures that cater to the old generation at the expense of the young are cultures in decay. Well. we certainly have that in Canada.
Canada is a genetocracy and thus focused on risk and confrontation aversion. It's too bad that risk and confronting people and challenges is how things get done.
Canadians are too polite and "nice" for their own good. We would rather be nice than good.
Equality is an obsession of Canadians, especially in French Canada, but growth and innovations are by their very nature unequal.
Canadians are okay with mediocrity as long as it is nice
The divisions in Canada are similar to divisions happening all over western democracies. What is happening here at home has been a very long time coming. If we are going to continue as a country, we need to start thinking about citizenship and what it means. Do we even look at each other as citizens anymore? If not, what the hell happened.?
What happened is that Canadian society became atomized starting in the 1960s. Trudeau Sr. obsession with keeping Quebec in Canada and overpowering the French with multiculturalism (rather than biculturalism) means we don't have a common narrative.
The Laurentian Elite types thought they could stitch a country together with free entitlements like health care, showing up the Americans plus appealing to our cheapness is always a winner after all. Problem is that a country isn't like a club and there is nothing that unites us, so we don't care about "foreign Canadians" as much.
I suspect the Canadian state would have been much stronger in 2025 if Quebec left Canada in 1995.
I so wanted Quebec to leave back then. I figured they'd want back in, if they had left, and then Canada could have dictated some of the terms of reentry. I bought into the whole bilingual Canada schtick back in the day, studied French throughout my school years, and majored in French lit in university. I was obviously duped lol
That's not what I recall. Oh well.
If Quebec votes in the Parti Quebecois next year, and they are serious about their talk with a third referendum, I would much like to see somebody compare the rhetoric and vitriol of criticism of Alberta's separatists vs. Quebec's separatists. I somehow expect there will be a large gap.
As an Albertan and as a (hopefully, temporary) Canadian, I have one comment only about Quebec and separatism.
Yawn.
They can do as they wish. Just don't expect us to finance you.
Keep in mind, if Quebec separated, Alberta would no longer need to. There would be a massive and immediate improvement in our political culture as the rest of the country would suddenly be able to overrule downtown Toronto and Ottawa minus their huge ally Montreal.
And also with no French requirement there would be 5X more viable candidates for leadership from PM down to department heads and the federal public service would stop being a weird language-based DEI program. Huge win-win for the rest of the country.
We would no longer be on the hook for billions a year in transfer payments or beholden to corrupt and massively inefficient Quebec corporations for government contracts.
All patriotic Canadians should be Quebec separatists.
Welllll ...... yessssss ..... kinda
Right now the Commons has 343 seats of which Ontario has 122 seats or 35.6%. Eliminate Quebec's 78 seats and there would be 265 seats and Ontario would have 46% of all seats.
So, think about that.
I think you might prefer how non-urban Ontario votes and feels on issues to how almost all of Quebec does.
Hmmm .....
Non-urban Ontario has what, four seats? Okay, I am being sarcastic but being in thrall to The Big Smoke and to Otterwer does not excite me. We are already there so we know how the movie turns out.
What is the Big Smoke - Trawna ? New to me.
According to some quick calculations removing Quebec, enough for a one-seat Conservative majority even after the de facto rigged election we just suffered through.
Alberta's position should be 'we want the same deal as Quebec'. Keep saying it over and over. And this isn't about demonizing Quebec as they already have their foot halfway out the door. For me, I think if Ottawa doesn't take Alberta seriously, buckle up. I think a round of constitutional talks has to happen now. The stakes are too high not to.
Sean, make no mistake, if Alberta (or Quebec - but I am an Albertan) were to separate, it would be pretty tough for a while. The disruption would not be at all easy. Having said that, I believe that we would come out the other side in a better place.
As for constitutional talks, a) I just don't see such a thing happening given the dominance of O & Q, let alone the others; and b) if such talks were to occur why on ever would O & Q give up their dominance; and c) how can we ever expect that they would abide by such an improved allocation of powers, etc. when they violate the constitution at will right now?
Not saying it wouldn't be tough. If there can't be constitutional talks then buckle up. Top of mind: why the hell can't we get shit done in this country. If Quebec won't sign the constitution documents then we are doomed to exist in perpetual groundhog day. I think something substantive has to happen to show the west some love. Not sure what form, that love might take (lets relocate CBC to Calgary or Winnipeg) because there is still the Quebec question and continued receipt of transfer payments creates a disincentive for a province to grow its economy.
Well, forget relocating the Ceeb and just shut it down.
Quebec hasn't signed the constitution and refuses to. Yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever in the foreseeable future. So ...... Bill Murray here we are .....
"Something substantial ....." Yup and nope. Yup, something needs to happen and nope, nothing will happen simply because as you so eloquently note, we can't get shit done in this country.
Truth is, this shortly won't be my problem; I am 74 and, normally speaking, pretty much at the end of it all so not my worry any longer, right? Oh, but my children and grandchildren ..... So, I do worry.
Great episode. Andrew is a great guest host. Good discussions.
For strategies to get your kids off iPads, check out work by Jonathan Haidt and Lenore Skenazy (“LetGrow”).
Carney is all sizzle (“resume”) no steak. Pierre had his moment; how you blow a 30-point lead and then not do any post mortem worth any value and self reflection is disqualifying. Problem is they have done zero succession planning.
Carney is no steak and no sizzle. Carney is a pile of chickenshit. It will become obvious this fall and winter. PP did not blow a 30-point lead. Trump took that lead and gave it to Carney 'cuz he is easier to deal with that PP would be. PP did not blow a 30-point lead. Trump deliberately interfered in the Canadian election in favour of "Liberals", because Trump well knows they are as unprincipled as he is. As far as Conservatives post-mortem etc. are concerned, they realize that when a very large part of the electorate are this blinkered and amnesiac, (4X ! ), the Conservatives might as well not bother sweating anything, until the political situation makes it necessary.
"The guys also discuss a new Quebec survey that ought to be triggering national alarm bells. It isn’t. Because it’s August. And no one’s paying attention."
Because Canadian journalists seem to think nothing happens in the summer. My desire to learn about current events does not lessen in the summer but the supply of Canadian coverage does go down.
Again, I have to respond to this. Canadian journalists don't think nothing happens in the summer. They think that summer is the best time to use their vacation days so they can see their kids and also because the legislatures are usually closed. This is like being angry you can't get a burger the diner on December 25th.
I respectfully, respectfully I say, disagree insofar as I think you are giving too much cover to your colleagues.
I see.
Matt, this is not a criticism of you. You did did a podcast today.
Do American journalists not see their kids? Congress has shut down for the summer but there's still news.
I grew up watching Crossfire on CNN and they did an annual Christmas show. That maybe where I got the idea of shows not taking the summer off.
It’s an unrealistic criticism and an unfair one even if it’s not targeted at me. Canadian newsroom staffing is at historic lows. Vacation time is owed. Maintaining normal operations is largely impossible. There is no way to square the circle.
I grew up in another century and have to accept things have changed. Thank you for the exchange.
I believe McDonald's is open on Christmas Day... My sister-in-law's family used to go - atheists all.
Why does Canadian media coverage in the summer matter? Our federal government have sat in parliament for 20 days out of the last 240, and are off until mid-summer. What is there to cover? Mark Carney and top Liberals holding another meeting? 🙄
Well done Matt and Andrew! I am not a podcast person, prefer to read, but I somehow ended up listening to all of this one. Maybe my first. Different opinions, can’t say I agree with everything - but that is good. I think we need to get out of our familiar echo chambers, and listen to understand different viewpoints. I especially enjoyed hearing that things haven’t changed in Montreal. Almost 30 years ago - I lived off the West Island, and the Île aux tourtes bridge was under construction repair even then. Before that the bridge to Ste Anne de Bellevue was closed for the longest time, forcing us to detour around via Île aux tourtes bridge on our daily commute. The lack of overall accountability is definitely a major problem in Canada, at all levels, as is a large segment of the population who want to hold on to the status quo. 🇨🇦
What will it look like, your guest asks? In my submission, it will look like the situation in which Newfoundland found itself, before reluctantly joining Canada; and Canada's case, it will be driven by the younger generation who see the country getting poorer and poorer, as wealth creation opportunities are squandered to progressive cant. Unhappily supported disproportionally by comfortable baby boomers.
The crumbling infrastructure across Canada can be fixed but it's going to cost $$$$$. For me, successive governments of all political stripes at the provincial and federal level are dead terrified of talking about income tax or taxation in general and how all this stuff is going to get fixed. (Politicians are still afraid of the electorate believe it or not. Selectively IMHO)
It has been this way at least by my memory since the Mulroney era. Since then it has been cut tax cut tax cut tax as the mantra and instead of having a national conversation about taxes and what it costs to run Canada and what our national and local priorities are: All of us. We are not being honest with ourselves. Taxes are going to have to go up at some point after they cut everything possible to avoid a tax increase and thereby an election loss. Decisions are going to have to be made about what Canada is willing to cut in order to get spending down.
We have ridiculously high taxes and what rage farms the electorate, I think, is 'WTF? Why are my taxes so high? Everything is broken. This is BS!'. I think federal domestic policy has been and still very much about keeping Quebec in confederation. The cost of this over the decades has been national unity crumbling outside of Quebec. Even talk about addressing transfer payments consistently going to Quebec is verboten.
If Canada is going to be united then we have a crap ton of work to do and we can no longer avoid discussing the Quebec transfer payment matter; as in: how in the actual BLEEP is it possible for Quebec to be a have not province?
So, where do our tax dollars go?
Dysfunctional government programs and services. Pay systems like Phoenix that don't work. The list is quite lengthy.
Ford got elected the first time as a conservative and promptly betrayed his electors by entering into a bromance with JT and adopting Ottawa policies and practices including a failed attempt to reward his land developing cronies. He’s now making heifer eyes at MC and hoping for a second go-round . His chihuahua yapping at Donald Trump while undoubtedly helping his Ontario political ratings is probably one of the main reasons why Mexico got a tariff deferral and Canada didn’t. (Listen to the most recent interview of the US ambassador by CBC (or was it CTV? Hard to tell both are on the Liberal payroll under color of Government).
All Canadian politicians ran against Trump, no one harder than Trudeau and Carney. Smith and PP were shit on for not. Voters elected the first type. This is the price. It was always better to say nothing.
Funny how Premier Smith was pilloried by the MSM and Laurentian laptop crowd for refusing to endorse sweeping retaliatory tariffs during the federal election campaign. She was a TRAITOR, a MAGA spy/plant and clueless goof we were told.
And yet since the election campaign, the Carney government has been quietly eliminating retaliatory tariffs and is finally admitting that the tariffs are a tax burden for Canadians that they can ill afford at this time.
The cynicism of these tactics is noted, not that it will do any good.
Not much to choose from I agree. The term “honorable/honourable” politicians use to address each other seems to have become an oxymoron in the last couple of generations.
But I find it moronic to use ad hominem arguments to the exception of anything else. (Assuming anything else exists of course) The penis envy implied when Canadians refer to popular votes for prime minister when their constitution doesn’t have an elected executive branch of government is sad at best.
Good discussion but, uh, Andrew doesn’t have the , uh, polish that Matt has as a, um, radio/podcast presenter - which was a major distraction at first and eventually an, uh, annoyance. Sorry, someone has to say it.
Federalists (Anglo-Quebecers amongst the most ardent) will not see the truth till they trip over it. Mentioned early in the podcast, if we were annexed by the US then our federal elections would be meaningless. The CCP or the LPC? Poilievre or Carney? It doesn't matter. The government is doing nothing because they can't do anything meaningful. They have to respond to the US, as all good vassals must.
Just waiting for the fat lady to sing.