“Perceptions,” by Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Ker-thunk, Ker-thunk, Ker-thunk!

That’s Pierre Poilievre’s head rolling down the stairway of what was once his leading position in the 2025 Canadian election campaign now all but consigned to an ignominious defeat. Poilievre can console himself with knowing he killed the dreaded carbon tax but the big prize of becoming Prime Minister has eluded him. That revered reward has gone to Mark Carney, a banker who doesn’t even hold a seat in parliament but is sure to get one when Canadians go to the polls soon.

Carney is a Liberal, of course, and that’s what must hurt Poilievre the most because he’s spent most of his political career bashing the Liberals and until a week or so ago looked like a cinch to become PM himself. But now the polls show the Liberals leading the Conservatives and they may even win a majority. Talk about putting your eggs in one basket. As things stand now, Poilievre doesn’t even have enough eggs left for an omelet.

But this is only part of the story. Winning the Liberal leadership wasn’t really that difficult for Carney. With a resume like his – former chair of the Bank of Canada, former chair of the Bank of England – he was a dream candidate for the Liberals to recruit. So, we know he can handle money. But can he handle politics? That’s the billion-dollar question that only an election will tell.

So where does he get his seat? In many ways, Ontario would be the best place. It’s the most populated province and with Toronto as its capital has the most financial clout and the most seats to choose from. But some think Carney will choose Edmonton where he grew up and in recent years has become friendly territory for Liberals and the NDP. But the decision has to be made now. Talk about politics on steroids!

And what will the Liberal campaign theme be? With the carbon tax out of the way and Justin Trudeau gone, the field is virtually wide open for creative new political thinking by all the parties. But will we get it? Or will it be the usual issues such as inflation, housing shortages, climate change, opioid abuse, affordable childcare and the like? Or will any candidate have the guts to take on what’s been really roiling Canadian political feelings the past month or so?

And that’s the determination of US President or should I say – Emperor Donald Trump – to make Canada the 51st state and grab all the resources that go with the designation. Perish the thought.

The other aforementioned issues – serious as they are – won’t be worth a pinch of gun powder to blow them up if we don’t deal with our sovereignty first.

Ironically, only two Canadian politicians seem to get it and neither holds a seat in Ottawa. I’m talking of course about Ontario Premier Doug Ford and B.C. Premier David Eby. The other provincial premiers talk the talk but don’t walk the walk and seem to think if they downplay Trump’s dire threats long enough, they’ll just go away.

Ford almost immediately slapped temporary tariffs on Ontario electricity destined for the US while a self-described “pissed off” Eby threatened more tariffs on B.C. goods to the US accusing Trump of creating “chaos and confusion” in B.C. markets and threatening 124,000 provincial jobs. Eby even cancelled a family holiday to Disney Land over the Trump outrage.

That’s what I call “pissed off.”

And isn’t it nice to see two provincial premiers from diametrically opposite political camps coming together to deal with the common threat? Quite a dramatic difference from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who on a recent visit to the Oval Office allegedly told Trump that Wild Rose Country shares his “drill baby drill” philosophy and might be interested in American political status too.

If true, that should show every Canadian how catastrophic Trump’s threats could be to our sovereignty and independence. Come the election, Carney certainly has his work cut out for him.

Lead image: Empty shelves at a local BC Liquor Store, where American products were once displayed. e-KNOW file photo

– Gerry Warner is a retired journalist who doesn’t know what to think anymore.

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