Yes, Mark Carney should get back to the negotiating table...

Standing up for Canada means standing up for Canadian jobs.

It’s fascinating seeing how some people react to the idea that we should get back to the negotiating table with the Americans.

Normal people think yes, that’s probably best. We will only settle this at the negotiating table. Then there is the Elbows Up crowd who react with anger to this very idea.

I’ll share some of their email below.

These folks are the reason that I was writing a little while ago that if Carney ever gets a deal, he may not be able to sell it to the public.

Job losses are mounting…

We saw 500 layoff notices go out from Stelco on Monday, the same day that Trump was boasting about an $18 billion investment for a new iron ore mine and steel plant.

I wrote about that juxtaposition and the fact that due to the now in place alcohol ban, the motorcycle ban and other trade actions we would surely see other job losses.

Job losses are bad, that’s why I’m advocating getting back to the table.

Despite all the rhetoric about defending the French language and protecting our sovereignty, the real reason Carney walked away from the talks was the 25% tariff on Canadian made medium and heavy-duty trucks. All the rest is window dressing, issues used to pump up patriotic fervor.

Anyway, for saying let’s save jobs by negotiating a deal, these are some of the responses that I got.

Here’s John’s email:

Trump wants no cars to be built in Canada and sold in US. Build our own. Use our steel to build the Alberta to Ontario pipeline Ford/Steele were talking about. Put quotas on foreign steel.

Trump is not to be trusted.

I for one will pay a price for the right to be a free Canadian rather than being a vassal:serf to the Americans

Here’s Ed’s email:

Holy Moly, it’s like you are in the Maple MAGA camp, spewing pro-America and pro-Trump propaganda, while belittling Canada because you despise the current federal government. How sad is that !

Just for once, stand up for Canada, instead of grovelling for Trump and his boot licking sycophants. Canadians want a fair trade deal with the US and that means consceding on some issues and the US consceding on other issues. A win/win scenario that will make both countries even more prosperous.

Both of these men are comfortably retired. They don’t face the prospect of losing their job and most likely they are living off a nice government pension indexed to inflation and an investment portfolio heavily weighted to American equities while they flash their raised elbows.

You know who says there is a trade deal to be had? Mark Carney.

“Is there a mutually beneficial trade deal between Canada and the U.S.? Absolutely, absolutely there is one.”

Will Carney call an early election…

People think I’m crazy for suggesting that Carney might call an early election.

I’m worried if he does call one that he’ll win a massive majority rather than have a rough ride like David Eby in British Columbia.

I lay out the reasons why Carney might want to call one in this column, or the video below. It makes sense for him to call one, secure a bigger majority now, play off Trump at the height of anti-Trump and pro-EU sentiment.

Elections can be funny things, you never know what will happen.

Remember my maxim about politics:

Voters are fickle.

Polls can change.

Campaigns matter.

That said, Canada is in a major emotional state right now. A good chunk of the electorate isn’t thinking anything through.

That’s why fighting with Trump is preferable to them even if thousands of Canadians are losing their jobs.

They want the fight.

Some folks just aren’t curious…

One of the things I pride myself on is researching subjects using source documents. If I’m writing about a piece of legislation, I read the bill and if I’m writing about a treating, I read the treaty.

Often, I provide you with links to that source material so that you can see for yourselves.

Sadly, that doesn’t happen often enough in the media or commentariat world. And on social media, everyone is an expert.

Which brings me to all the people mocking Pierre Poilievre for saying that the tax dollars of Canadian workers shouldn’t be going to the EU. Without a shred of research, people are pronouncing on how foolish Poilievre is for saying this.

Here’s the editorial cartoon from the Toronto Sun on the matter.

Here’s an activist doctor, big lefty, in Toronto who fancies himself smart and an influencer. Him, I pushed back on.

Here’s the problem, none of them read the treaties that Norway, Iceland or Switzerland signed to get the kind of deal Canada wants.

There is a good chance that we will be asked to pay for programs that we don’t get a vote on. They may demand that we accept their regulations without getting a vote on them, just like those other countries.

Unlike these other folks, I’ve read the documents. Poilievre is on the right track.

Carney loves foreign media…

Everyone was talking about how Carney loves foreign media, so I went through the record and documented all the big foreign media interviews he’s done since he announced his run for the Liberal leadership on the Daily Show in January 2025.

Enjoy.