We stand together, or we fall apart.
Take a minute to complete the poll, below. The results will be sent by my hand to the prime minister, the oppo leader and to Donald Trump (we’re buds – he invited me to the inauguration that got frozen).
It’s a pivotal time. As I write this stock markets are having a cow, and the Canadian dollar is a full cent below Friday’s level, after touching 67 US pennies this morning. The Canada five-year bond yield has crashed back to 2.5% – a huge move – suggesting fixed-term mortgage rates are about to get cheaper. The betting is we see five-year money at 3.7% by the end of the week.
The bond market is smelling (gulp) recession and deflation ahead. Maybe worse. Thinking has pivoted in just two days. The Bank of Canada may soon be dumping its rate. Wise or unwise – too soon to tell. But fear is in the air. This morning Trump told Trudeau (their first call in two weeks) he wants Canada opened up to US banking competition. This sector makes up a third of the entire TSX, by the way.
The demands will not end. It is coercion, bullying, aggression and economic cruelty. The boss of Canada’s biggest auto parts manufacturer (with 65 plants globally – and a woman I know personally) says the car biz could be dark in a week. That’s 225,000 jobs.
So, it’s real. There is little Canada can do that’s not being done. Cry out. Hit back. Try to reason. Protect your flank. Stand together. It’s no time for division, an election, panicky moves or emotion.
Our poll on tariffs, Trump, Trudeau and beyond:
This brings me to Trevor, and the post that appeared here yesterday. It was titled ‘War’ and called out several of our countrymen for traitorous intent. Trevor is a long-read, devoted Blog Dog who thinks this pathetic blog may have lost its way.
“Your rhetoric on the blog over the last 4-5 years has gotten increasingly ‘us vs them’ with your own fellow Canadians,” he writes. “Calling people ‘traitors’ because they harbor misgivings about the way the country is being run is undemocratic, un-Canadian, and below a former MP. We may disagree on certain things, but name calling is not the answer.
“You have a huge platform. I don’t know the stats, but I’m willing to bet your blog is one of the top 25 (top 10?) most widely read Canadian news sites on the internet. It’s your site, and thus you are free to use it as you wish, but I feel compelled to encourage you to take a sober second look at the way you are conducting yourself on the blog, the message that’s sending, and the impact it’s having. This is war, old friend, and you can be a force for good in this.
“I know you’re a proud man; you have every right to be. You’re quite honestly a national treasure and I’d go to the mat for you if you ever need help with anything. As your friend, I’d encourage you to have a sober, non-emotional examination of some of your words around Alberta, PP supporters, T2 detractors, and just about anyone who doesn’t agree ideologically with you on your blog. Put yourself in 2009 Garth mode, and read through your own writings and see if some of what you’ve written and responded lately doesn’t surprise you. You have become very intolerant of and vitriolic towards anyone who disagrees with you on key issues even when they’re trying to have a measured and respectful discussion.”
As stated, united we stand. Divided, we’re pooched. This blog can be a force for good, or not. The shifting tone is more a response to a change in our times than extra vitriol from me. The polarization in our political life is an intensely negative development as we see MAGA vs Woke. So useless, when life is lived in the middle. Social media has drowned many in misinformation and lies, trapping them in echo chambers, making positions extreme. And Trump is an existential threat to Canada – one we’ve warned about for months, now coming to pass. America has the potential to bury us. (Look how he carved out a break for Mexico today. Capricious.) It’s been harder daily to tolerate those among us who cheer him on.
Those are not excuses for intemperate language or fuzzy thought. Just context.
Canada means a great deal to me. And hopefully to you. Let’s find the best path forward. And don’t forget the ammo.
About the picture: “Hey Garth, well looks like you have enough to write about for another 4 long years.. here is a fun pic for you to put on a write up during these doom-and-gloom times,” writes Tony. “Thanks for all you do for us.. This is Moo Daeng – “Red Pig” from Koh Tao island in Thailand. She came out to say hi to me and play around on the beach while I was on my morning walk.”
To be in touch or send a picture of your beast, email to ‘[email protected]’.
