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Blaine Calkins paints a picture of growing frustration and disappointment one year after Mark Carney’s election as Prime Minister. Calkins frames Carney’s win as being solely on the back of a promise: securing a tariff-free trade deal with the United States. He highlights Carney’s self-proclaimed role as the “man of the hour,” the one uniquely qualified to champion Canada’s economic interests abroad. However, instead of progress, Calkins argues that a year later, Canada seems further from this crucial trade agreement than ever before. He points to missed deadlines and a conspicuous lack of new ones, leaving Canadians, and indeed himself, waiting anxiously. This isn’t just about missed deadlines, Calkins suggests; it’s a calculated move. He argues that Carney is intentionally dragging his feet on the US trade deal, using it as a convenient smoke screen to hide what Calkins describes as a deeply troubled economic record. Canadians, he suggests, are being held captive by political maneuvering.
Calkins lays bare the glaring discrepancies between Carney’s campaign promises and the current economic reality. During the election, Carney pledged a US trade deal by July 21st, then August 1st – deadlines that came and went without resolution. This broken promise, Calkins asserts, is a symptom of a larger problem. He points out that under Carney, Canada’s economy is uniquely shrinking among G7 nations, consistently racking up record deficits. While Carney blames US tariffs for these woes, Calkins challenges this excuse, asking why, if tariffs are truly the culprit, the Liberal government isn’t fighting tooth and nail to secure a deal. The answer, Calkins argues, is chillingly cynical: a lack of a US trade deal gives Carney and the Liberals an excuse to pursue trade avenues with other, often contentious, global partners like China, Europe, and Oceania, which Calkins labels as Carney’s “new world order.” He emphasizes the irrationality of this approach, given that over 70% of Canada’s trade is with the US, a void Calkins believes no other nation can possibly fill.
Beneath the surface of trade disputes, Calkins sees a deeper, more troubling political strategy. He suggests that the ongoing “turmoil” with the United States isn’t a setback for Carney, but rather a calculated political opportunity. Domestically, it provides a convenient scapegoat for economic failures. Globally, it allows Carney to strengthen ties with “foreign governments who meddle in our elections,” specifically naming the People’s Republic of China. Calkins expresses disbelief at this approach, criticizing Carney’s inconsistent rhetoric, including statements where he refers to Canada’s close ties with America as a “weakness.” He concludes that the lack of a trade deal isn’t an accident; it’s a deliberate choice because it serves Carney’s and the Liberals’ interests. This manufactured crisis, Calkins asserts, is designed to distract Canadians from the very real and devastating impact of Carney’s economic policies, which include two consecutive record deficits, a shrinking economy, the highest youth unemployment in Canadian history, a stagnant housing market with soaring rents, rising crime rates, and a failing immigration department that has, alarmingly, lost track of 700 alleged Iranian terrorists.
Calkins vividly illustrates the tangible impact of these policies on everyday Canadians. He describes pockets being emptied at grocery stores and wallets strained at the gas pump – a direct consequence, he argues, of Carney’s economic mismanagement. The trade dispute with the Americans, in this narrative, is merely a “shield” for Carney, an illusion designed to deflect blame. Calkins believes that as long as Carney can paint the US as the antagonist and himself as the savior, Canadians will continue to bear the financial brunt. This entire charade, he concludes, is about power and control for its own sake. Calkins then paints a stark picture of Canada’s economic crisis: unemployment at 6.7%, higher than during the peak of the Great Recession, and a staggering 84,000 jobs lost in just one month. Youth unemployment stands even higher at 14.1%, surpassing 2008 levels. He contrasts Carney’s leadership unfavorably with Stephen Harper’s navigation of a global recession, suggesting Carney is risking Canada’s own recession.
Calkins directly challenges the government’s inaction on trade, especially in light of the worsening unemployment figures. If American tariffs are to blame, he asks, why aren’t the Liberals actively pursuing a deal? He points out that the government hasn’t even sat down with American negotiators in five months, while Mexico has re-engaged to secure early deals on key sectors. This clear lack of urgency, despite the damaging statistics, is baffling to Calkins. Instead of negotiating, he highlights Carney’s seemingly bizarre behavior of posting YouTube videos comparing himself to Sir Isaac Brock, a British war hero who fought against Americans in 1812 – a comparison Calkins finds deeply unhelpful and divisive. He underscores the gravity of the situation, noting that 2.6 million Canadian jobs depend on these tariffs being resolved, yet workers are left waiting not only for a deal but for a coherent plan.
Calkins concludes by emphasizing the utter confusion surrounding Canada’s trade strategy: are they renewing CUSMA, renegotiating, or walking away entirely? He suggests that even Carney himself doesn’t have a clear plan, because, to him, it’s simply not a priority. He cites Carney’s contradictory statements regarding the US trade relationship – calling it a weakness, then demanding a deal, then speaking of “rupture,” then expressing hope for a “mutually successful deal,” and finally asserting Canada is “stronger together with the Americans.” This chaotic rhetoric, Calkins argues, is further evidence of a lack of direction. He asserts that American tariffs, once Carney’s campaign platform, now serve as a convenient political opportunity, allowing him to endlessly posture while flying around the world to “gladhand globalists.” In the meantime, tariffs on steel have doubled, lumber tripled, and manufacturing tariffs broadened, leaving Canadian workers to suffer. Calkins contrasts this inaction with Conservative proposals for building leverage through natural resource harvesting and directly confronting US tariffs. He reiterates that Canada’s shrinking economy is a direct result of Carney’s policies, and that solving the tariff issue would expose his economic failures. Just like Justin Trudeau before him, Calkins concludes, Carney is “just another Liberal,” leaving ordinary Canadians – from steel workers to single mothers, farmers to auto workers – to bear the burden of tariffs and a struggling economy. It’s time, he declares, for the Prime Minister to deliver on behalf of Canadian workers.