TORONTO – Donald Trump may yet have the last laugh – at our expense. The MAGA puppeteer is setting the World’s Political and Economic Agenda and we either play along or be left out and literally pay in dollars and cents for being left out – “friendships, partnerships and alliances be damned”.
On the international stage three themes dominate: War, in the Greater Middle East; the one between Russia and Ukraine; Commerce among nations, and the ever-present role of the USA as peacemaker or stimulus for social growth. Contrary to the old political adage that all politics is local, yesterday’s events prove anything but that.
Trump, having reached a provisional understanding on a roadmap for peace with the Russian President Vladmir Putin on putting an end to the war with Ukraine, convened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Leaders of NATO and Europe, on very short notice, to share in the outcomes. A couple “leaders” from Finland and the Netherlands, impressive-looking men (friends and acolytes of the USA), were also invited – Canada was not.
Canada is a Member of NATO, the G-7 as well as being the major trading partner of the USA, dwarfing the other nations in size of trade with USA. More significantly, it has just agreed to augment its military spend from $41 billion (1.4% of GDP – currently at $2.96 trillion) to $54 billion (2% of GDP) by end of fiscal year. Our Prime Minister has also agreed to increase that to 5% within five years.
Trump has apparently agreed that he will function as surety for any agreement on the peace that Putin and Zelensky will structure. How? The USA will commit to $100 billion in military support to Ukraine if Russia reneges, the people and the countries around the table will function as guarantors of the finances required to provide that assistance – they’ll pay the mortgage. Canada will share in the cost, along with any additional costs accrued via increased tariffs. But it was not at the meeting.
It was “busy fretting” about the outcome of the by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot (Alberta). Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre won handily with 80.4% of the popular vote. Any dissident Conservative Party members looking to dislodge him at the review convention in January of 2026 may have to reassess their strategies and tactics.
So will those who participated in the “sham” that passed for democratic process in that byelection. Here are some of the figures published by Elections Canada as at 2:51 AM, August 19 (here the whole list). Two hundred and seven candidates, four of them received 48,735 votes, an additional four received between 102 and 773 votes, a further 12 obtained between 10 and 91 votes; 61 received between 2 and 9 votes; another 61 got one vote each; and 75 getting absolute zero votes.
In this last group, not one voted for themselves! Maybe that’s why The USA does not take us seriously.
Here below: the meeting at the White House, with all the leaders of major countries except Canada (photo by X – @WhiteHouse)
