TORONTO – It is appropriate to be among those well wishers who extend the very best to Canada’s newest Prime Minister, Mark Carney. It was, and is, the country’s most prestigious and most onerous position. Along with the praise, the burden of responsibility and leadership for navigating the people of this immense territory, through good or challenging times and with “mapping out a future” for its people, will rest heavily on his shoulders. 

In the last three months, Canadians have witnessed phenomena impacting the dynamics which we, until now, more precisely, November 4, 2024, understood to be determining factors in our identity and our future. Mr. Carney has his work cut out for him.

In its most propitious moments, Canada has had to beat back the challenges of internal dissent, fractious (often bitter) animosity spawned by accusations of discrimination, oppression, unfair regional disparity, disloyalty to some real or perceived notion of what is right for Canada or antagonism justified by racist differences. We do not have the luxury of long and profound history in the same sense as European, Middle Eastern, East Asian, North African or Central/South American countries to fall back onto in times of crises.

Canada is barely 155 years old. Its newest province, Newfoundland and Labrador, became a part of the “experiment” only sixty-six years ago. Even the USA, so much a part of our shared European Experience on this continent as a united nation, is barely ninety years older. Unfortunately, for us, at this moment, it poses a serious threat to our perception of safety, security and economic viability.

Its leadership has taken to dissing and dismissing us as inconsequential to its own interests and advising… no… dictating courses of action designed to diminish our sovereignty, autonomy and independence. Ironically, our collective response has unleashed gushes of patriotism – with nowhere to go.

Mr. Carney will be tasked with saving his Party and our Country. No matter the partisan preferences of Canadians, success for the country will only emerge if a new plan going forward is identified and accepted as Canada’s roadmap in the next Five-Year Plan.

Good luck.

In the pic below: Mark Carney, the new Prime Minister of Canada (photo from Twitter X – @MarkJCarney)