Staying in your Lane
Over the course of the last few years we’ve seen politicians of all political stripes, and at all levels, meddling in things that aren’t within their legislative jurisdiction.
Initially, we had Ontario Premier Doug Ford intervening in municipal government. First, it was his endorsement and support for Strong Mayor Powers legislation. Then there was Bill 23 which, ostensibly, was designed to support the creation of housing throughout the province, but ran roughshod over local municipalities right to control developments within their areas, and which seriously threatened the green belt and conservation areas. Most recently, there was Bill 212 that now mandates municipalities to obtain approval from the provincial government to install new bike lanes when it entails the removal of a lane of traffic. At the local level, we had a pilot project where the City of Burlington Council was offering $10,000 interest free loans to homeowners to install air source heat pumps, a program which duplicates federal and provincial initiatives intended for essentially the same purpose.
Governments everywhere now seem incapable of attending to matters that are within their mandate and purview. They keep meddling in things that aren’t part of their primary role.
So it was hardly surprising this week when I learned of our mayor’s latest plan to join a delegation to Washington to lobby U.S. Senate and Congressional leaders against the tariffs on Canadian goods recently proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Another Exercise in Futility
Leading up to and following Trump’s January 20th inauguration, federal and provincial politicians from across Canada were making frequent treks to Washington aimed at dissuading the incoming Republican administration from imposing tariffs on Canadian goods. First it was just the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Then it was Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. They were later joined by the Minister of Resource Development, John Wilkinson, and then the ten provincial premiers. All of this was to no avail as Trump imposed the tariffs as threatened anyway.
So, given that the federal and provincial governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in their efforts to influence American public policy, what makes our mayor, or in fact, any mayor or civic official for that matter, believe they will have greater success? Moreover, why would any senior Trump cabinet official even bother meeting with a delegation of mayors now that the tariffs have been enacted? What’s the point? Furthermore, isn’t it hypocritical for mayors to be travelling to the U.S., staying in American hotels, dining in American restaurants, and spending time outside the country at a time when the public is being encouraged to buy Canadian?
My cynical nature might lead me to infer that perhaps this is an opportune time to get out of Canada and experience a change of scenery. After all, Washington is a fascinating city, and they probably have less snow than here in Ontario. Also, the U.S. National Park Service advises that the cherry blossoms, which are a feature attraction for many tourists, are now in bud, and are expected to peak between March 28th and 31st. Nothing like a good floral show to rejuvenate the spirit!
Still, I’m reminded of the sage words of Albert Einstein who once said “The definition of insanity is keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”.
A Serious Lack of Imagination
At about the same time the Mayor announced she is off to Washington the city also announced, with great fanfare, a new webpage called “Buy Canadian”.
https://www.burlington.ca/en/business-in-burlington/buy-canadian.aspx
If you haven’t seen it this is a lovely little site replete with nice pictures and hyperlinks to various federal government agencies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Office of Consumer Affairs. There’s a laundry list of things consumers can look for in order to buy Canadian made products. At the bottom of the page there are logos for all the different business organizations in Burlington such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Burlington Economic Development and Tourism Office, and Aldershot BIA. And, of course, there are the usual press releases from the City of Burlington, including one intended to raise patriotic fervour entitled “Standing Up for Canadian Businesses and Burlington’s Future”.
But here’s the critical point: all of this, in its entirety, doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Sadly, this is nothing more than virtue signalling at its finest. Most of the references contained on these pages is information citizens already know or have surmised. It is, sadly, all just fluff and optics, and a gigantic public relations exercise, and there are lots of those at city hall these days.
Let’s at Least Try to be Helpful
If the city wanted to be really impactful, why not include hyperlinks to websites that list Canadian made products for purchase? One such site is Made in Canada.ca (www.madeinca.ca). Or, why not provide a list of phone apps to download that help consumers identify products with substantive Canadian content (e.g. Maple Scan; Shop Canadian; Buy Beaver)? Similarly, why not go one step further and list companies based in Burlington that manufacture or sell predominantly Canadian products made locally (e.g. Backed by Bees; Walkers’ Chocolates; etc.).
On Saturday March 1st, the National Post ran a fascinating article profiling a number of Canadian companies manufacturing and competing in industry sectors traditionally dominated by larger American or international conglomerates.
https://nationalpost.com/longreads/made-in-canada-american-tariffs
One of the companies profiled in this article is the Barrington Griffiths Watch Company based in Calgary. I had never heard of this firm, so I went online to check them out. Then I did some more research on how many watch Canadian watch manufacturing exist. Turns out, quite a lot:
https://www.glory.media/7-must-have-canadian-watch-brands
https://whitbywatchco.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorKAoesyRMRb_jRKZSFNSk8Lw5zA45NiX1FmwMroIfkSAm2dn6M
https://www.redwoodwatches.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoon77_IK72bgUWwx5sYNNhTkzNqsHqqIaVl-wZ8UShximzI4VaN
While some of these products are niche luxury products that cater to an elite clientele, this doesn’t describe all of them. However, like most smaller firms struggling to compete and survive in an established marketplace, it is hard to gain traction and recognition even if they are Canadian. For consumers wanting a watch their usual purchasing strategy may entail buying from a retail or jewellery store where their options are usually Seiko, Casio, Cardinal, Timex or, for those lucky enough to afford it, a Rolex. However, consumers today are accustomed to purchasing online. Why not promote the availability of Canadian watches with product purchase options? Moreover, why not make local retailers aware of the existence of Canadian products, and encourage them to perhaps stock them for consumers? After all, isn’t that what “Buying Canadian” is all about?
Something Other than Fluff
If there is one good thing that has come out of the Trump tariffs, it is a renewed sense of Canadian nationalism, coupled with the sad realization that our largest and most influential trading partner no longer “has our back”. Buying Canadian needs to evolve into a pragmatic, sensible and positive measure that can help maintain our local economy while lessening the punitive impact of these tariffs.
So, rather than a glorified public relations junket to Washington, maybe the city should redeploy some of their existing staff to do the necessary research to actually provide helpful and relevant information so local consumers can make meaningful purchasing decisions. That way, “Buying Canadian” might actually translate into something more than just a website, a slogan, or heaven forbid, another really unnecessary trip.
(The irreversible American decline) (A renewed sense of Canadian Nationalism.) It’s not the best place to start a conversation, but getting out in front of something at speed never is.
Why? is always a good place to start. Why is Donald Trump doing what he is doing, not just with Canada, but with the entire World? Why did Elon Musk agree to implement and oversee DOGE? Why are Trump’s government appointees outside of what was expected from pundits? Why are government officials being stopped from shamelessly enriching themselves as America spirals into oblivion? Why have there been vast transfers of physical gold from the Bank of England to American Federal banks? Why is gold now a tier-one asset? Why is the decline of the world’s population the most avoided topic among nations?
The current situation, as America withdraws from its historic role as the protector of the Free World, is to save itself and the American people in a reimagined nation of strength and security, and not to become a failed relic of a past empire, but a smaller more powerful nation-state.
The vacuum left by this withdrawal is evident in Europe as nations go through the grieving stages of loss, the last of which is to arm themselves and scramble to form new alliances while looking for an enemy to rally their people behind.
Canada is also angry, looking to fight back against an exhausted America that is massively in debt and has become a land of opioid-addicted dysfunctionality.
The tears of our Prime Minister, (if believed) are also a part of grief over loss, whether they are for us or himself is the question, a failed utopian vision served up by outside influences and eagerly swallowed whole by himself and his followers, their answer for the save? ‘The Banker, from the European Majors, someone who can make one large pile into smaller ones.
I believe the future is bright for Canada, if we can just shake Imperialism from the fabric of our lives and cut away all ties of slavery to the past, become one country with no escape clauses to former allegiances, with no historical barriers, not just on paper but physical actions of movement away from the old to the new.
The chance that Poilievre will soon have the ability to reimagine a nation for its citizens to be able to afford to have families again will be enough of an accomplishment to enshrine him as one of the great leaders of Canada.
I don’t like composing long comments, so have assumed the (Why’s) posed makes sense within the context of this conversation, as for the Mayor, she is off to a scheduled meeting of the Great Lakes Accord that is in place to protect the waters of the Great Lakes Basins as a resource.
She is out of her lane, but she is a Liberal within a Liberal council rushing to save a failed political ideology that she wholeheartedly believes in.
Doug Ford is also in for the save, Canada’s broad-shouldered Premier making counter-threats against a dying America; maybe building houses shouldn’t have been Ontario’s number-one priority after all.
The writings of philosopher and economist Adam Smith warn any enterprise that they are ‘doomed to failure’ from the very start. Although a depressing thought at first, it does allow for renewal; Jeff Bezos’ warning to his employees after the failure of Sears that nothing is too big to fail is just one of many examples; Adam Smith did conclude that for an enterprise to grow, ‘Division of Labour’ has to be employed, that means employing us, with all our varying and entrenched ideas; If you consider his ponderings were conducted in the late 1700s that is prety impressive as 300 years later the British Empire was to disentangle itself from it’s global obligations as the Empire became a net loss to Great Britain.
The above is my attempt to compress and share my view of 300 years of history in terms of what is important to me as someone who tries to understand and react to world events rather than become a victim of them, to understand and to react without prejudice.
Note: Great Britain did untangle itself up to a point; it reinvented itself as the largest money laundering operation the World had ever seen, and nation-states salivate with envy over ‘The City of London’s’ cornering of that market.
The Conservative Heritage Foundations 900page Project 2025 or ‘Presidential Transition Project’ which both Trump and Vance have denied any links to, and denied even having read its goals-driven roadmap for the future of America, is a slam the door shut and start over document, and I have no doubt Trumps involved in the implementation, and will deservedly take all the credit; After all without sales you just have inventory or an idea, the erratic behaviour of the Tarrif implementation is pure Trump.
Project 2025 is being labelled as a right-wing populist agenda. Yet, no such accusation was levelled at the British banking system that allowed the wealthy residents of the world to use trusts in British territories such as the Caymans to avoid paying any taxes on trillions of US dollars.
The WEFs’ approach of ‘you will own nothing and you will be happy’ has great appeal among the Davos crowd, but a line will be drawn under individualism and innovation for all of us, not them.
And then there’s George Soros with his ‘open society’ which sees no fences, no right to privacy? In both cases, UBI payments will be dropped into your digital wallets. And that will be your future, not theirs
Investors, along with politicians and bankers, moved us away from manufacturing and into financial services. China was the clarion call for the way forward, with its ‘belt and road’ to get its products to a waiting consumer cheaply and efficiently with improved quality. A good plan, but it was too much for our ruling investment class. They didn’t mean for the ungrateful China to be that independent of their reach. China is so over.
After the Empire, Britain’s plan was for the wealthy few. Trump’s plan for America appears to be for all Americans. That’s the difference, and Canadians need to decide what it is they want.
BRAG
Elon Musk. A most extraordinary individual. A maker of things, making him the wealthiest man in the world, who said in an interview regarding financial consequences for his views, “offer me money offer me power, I don’t care” a man who was mad at Bill Gates for shorting Tesla stock, a man who purchased Twitter to clean it up, because free speech was important to him, a man who has stepped up, as he explained it, to stop America from going bankrupt. A real threat as it happens, a country that adds $1 trillion dollars to it’s debt every 100 days, a country that has gone past the threshold indicator for inevitable decline, in that it spends more in interest on its debt than it does on defence. The $32 trillion debt that has been spent added to the unfunded obligations would be $70 trillion.
What would Canada and Europe want the US to do exactly? go bankrupt or fix the problem? What would be the worst scenario???
FDR in 1940 was looking into the abyss of a nazis defeat of Europe and Great Britain, Hitler had already stated America was full of the dregs of Europe and should be wiped off the map. FDR and Hitler also knew, America could never withstand an invasion by a fully industrialized Nazis Germany, Britain and France, needed to be re-armed. But FDR a Democrat, had a serious problem, America did not want to be dragged into another European war, they also didn’t want to arm themselves let alone others, also it would be political suicide to go up against New York society; Both Britain and France had a hefty shopping list’ 50k airplanes being just the start, on just one line item, who could he call? That’s how the president of GM Bill Nudson was sitting in the White House being asked how this could be achieved, and would he help? I’ll leave the story there, but history is very repetitive, iv’e only been using recent history as it pertains to Canada, but time is littered with these examples; Big Bill Knudson a (dollar a year man) who was endlessly attacked by all sides while he doggedly carried out his task, as his way of paying back America for allowing him, a Danish immigrant to realise his dreams.
BRAG
The ‘Pilot Fish’ who swim with sharks.
Why are Trump’s government appointees outside of what was expected from pundits, and why were they confirmed by the Senate? Because that’s what happens when something requires fixing, you need to admit someone who is course and quite possibly vulgar into your beautiful home, someone who quite casually wants to discuss your plumbing habits and requires access to your most private of spaces.
Staying with the theme of Canada’s Imperial British past, the Victorians were the biggest beneficiaries of the British Empire, where entities such as ‘The East India Company’ had their own armed forces that ruthlessly plundered other nations and shipped that wealth back to Britain, where Royalty and the polite society benefitted greatly from their share in these enterprises; But pesky women were starting to ask some very awkward questions, and newspapers of the day were more than willing to report that the native populations, of which (Canda) was one, were being treated rather badly, reports of the massacre in Amritsar in India were shocking to say the least. Polite society attended lectures of first-hand accounts of atrocities taking place across the Empire in their name, after much fainting and pearl clutching, British politicians of the day would demand a stop to Britain’s brutality in pursuit of wealth, or at the very least tone it down a tad. The Pilot Fish and the Shark’s seemingly perfect Harmony was in jeopardy. Thomas Sewell famously, said there are no solutions, only compromise….
BRAG
Why are government officials being stopped from shamelessly enriching themselves as America spirals into oblivion?
It for sure isn’t Robin Hood and his merry men stealing from the rich to give to the poor; should theft only be defined by The Great Train Robbery, $5m, The Brinks Mat Robbery $56m, and The Tonbridge Heist in Iraq $1b. It always amazes me how, at the planning stage of these ventures, nobody ever mentions the probability of getting caught, but caught they are, well, most of them anyway, and they suffer the severest of consequences. why? because they are secretly admired by the common man, as long as no one gets hurt in the process. Government and elected officials, however, steal from taxpayers, and give to themselves, and the rewards are not chump change like our clever criminal class, but some seriously large amounts of money, not only that, they know they will get away scot-free for doing so, back in the day, it used to be a tacking on of a percentage point or two of the total cost of a capital project that would benefit the public in some way, but the refinement of today’s theft is from lobbyists regarding foreign and corporate policy, better still is to cut out all of them and influence stock prices by policy change or have a couple of wars going on somewhere. If you’ve ever traded stocks, chaos is your friend.
BRAG
America is over $30 trillion in debt and is adding $1 trillion to that debt every 100 days, and America has an income of around $29 trillion annually. (2024).
Canada is $1.2 trillion in debt and adds $11 billion to that debt every 100 days. Its income is around $2.1 trillion per year (2023).
While our financials are not comparable, roughly 10 to 1, it does help to put into perspective what Canada is facing as a nation, regarding our neighbor to the South.
For simplification, what’s the first thing you do when your spending is out of control? You cut it, which also includes cutting your staff. The second thing you do is consolidate your debt and lower the carrying charges on that debt, which usually entails a specific loan or an asset-backed vehicle such as property. but If you are a sovereign state you offer ‘Treasuries/bonds’ usually through banking institutions and at varying interest rates on the terms of those government-backed treasuries; pretty much everyone owns some bonds, pension funds and other investment vehicles will also offset the risk to clients using them, as we age we will shift from the high to the lower risk of cash or bonds in our portfolios; other countries will also purchase treasuries/bonds especially American Treasuries. So, we can say with some certainty that most of the American debt is owned by Americans (China recently sold many US treasuries). Things are moving very fast in the world. But for certain, America owes Americans the majority of the $30 trillion at varying fixed-term rates, interest totalling $1 trillion, which itself becomes taxable income to American Lenders.
So America’s balance sheet, at first glance, doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. So what is Trump fired up about?
BRAG
The Global Depopulation of our traditional workforce demographic is one problem. Unlike global Climate change, the depopulation of this demographic is non-debatable; it involves 99% of the world’s countries. I’ve always thought ‘Climate of Change’ would be a more honest and believable statement from a global agender.
So, what’s been done about this, I mean, it didn’t just sneak up on us. Canada has been using immigration from Europe its entire life to supplement the birth rate, unlike America, which used immigration to fill up its vast living space at the outset. One wonders why Canada didn’t follow this example. If you take the livable landmass of Canada at its Southern border, we could have had the same population as Germany (84,000) by now. French Quebec’s influence on Canada would inevitably have been nonexistent by now, which is one possibility for the inaction.
Angela Merkle’s seemingly insane move to swamp Germany with immigrants from non-European countries was a big surprise, even surprising to the German people; Europe has decided on that solution as well. Hungry’s Victor Orban, however, will guarantee a tax-free life for Hungry’s Women if they have two kids. I’m not sure if Putin even has a plan; Even Muslims are cutting back on having kids. China has an interesting solution instead of immigration, they are expanding manufacturing using belt-and-road through Southern Asia, Africa and South America,
Canada’s Trudeau, an acknowledged WEF New Young Global Leader, was a natural, he also had plenty of WEF help on hand: He just couldn’t help but improvise, not a little, but a lot, he honestly just had to go. Batter up! Carney, let’s see how he does on the WEF file concerning Canada. We now have three choices as to whom we join: The WEF, Europe, putting Climate Change and open borders first; China’s Belt and Road, putting China first, and American MAGA, putting America first. I don’t think being left alone is an option.
BRAG
Or is it? Why does Canada have to be the bridesmaid in someone else’s wedding? Worse still, getting invited to weddings because we bring a gift, only to be seated at the nobody table.
Being blocked from benefitting from our resources by international societies funded by offshore trusts that are supported by donations from competing foreign countries. Foundations formed and funded specifically to interfere with Canada’s freedom of commerce; retired Canadian politicians monetizing their former positions to influence peddle against Canada and retired bureaucrats pushing for the sameness of lifelong careers based on failure, radical instigators of failed ideologies embedded in our learning institutions. Canada needs to open its windows and allow the fresh, cold Canadian air to blow through its many corridors of staleness and decay that have been allowed to accumulate over the years. The truth regarding the WEF is that it is a business, people pay to attend, even the journalists. Think of it as the Oscars; its goals are on such a Global scale of intricacies it will never be attainable other than on a drawing board, it is wildly unwieldy and overly complicated and attracts institutions that are looking for any edge over competitors, only to find that the WEF is in the business of selling golden idols not realities; The EU has so many environmental restrictions on business it’s become impossible to get anything accomplished; So much so, that this same EU is looking to DOGE ( in a sophisticated way) the very implementation bureaucracy they, themselves built, but without shedding bodies.
The sophisticated and laid-back European lifestyle that North American tourists admire and envy so much will be seriously impacted without American taxpayer funding. Two things European that washed up on Canada’s shores most recently were Mark Carney and a French nuclear submarine with a most splendidly outfitted commander who spoke a most foreign type of French, what could these people possibly want with Canada? Why did the Majority of our ancestors say goodbye to Europe and settle in Canada? Why is it that Europe only comes knocking when they’re in trouble?
A rather interesting place to wander through on a rainy day https://www.statista.com/chartoftheday/
BRAG
Dear Diary,
I’ve been exploring the topics of gold and market capitalization as potential solutions for eliminating treasury debt and reimagining the nation-state’s GDP without resorting to personal taxation. However, it seems that many people are still intent on discussing Communism. Sorry, I meant Globalization.
A common contradictory statement is that Globalization cannot possibly be achieved unless the U.S. Funds it. Or Communism works up until they run out of your money, the cleverness of Globalization is that there will be no reference point to wealth when you are all poor.
Donald Trump has artificially introduced both risk and destructive testing into the equation. How are you holding up? Honestly, take a moment to reflect on that before responding.
When purchasing investment funds, you will be assessed based on your risk tolerance. What level of acceptable risk do you personally have? While skydiving might be a chance to show off your adventurous side, are you perhaps afraid of starting a family?
Are there certain ideas and experiences that should never be tested? Some argue that life is a simulation, even as they continue to engage with it.
Our worst nightmare is a dystopian society reminiscent of “1984.” So why do we perpetuate such scenarios while simultaneously demanding freedom for others to join us?
‘Fake News” can arguably be seen as the “Red Pill” moment of the 21st century, introduced to the world by none other than Donald Trump’s destructive testing of the system.
The Titanic is a popular analogy used in various arguments. The true history of this disaster is compelling and offers fascinating insights into human nature within a structured society. Consider an absolute belief in technocracy, and what happens when people belonging to clearly defined groups are then isolated and form a temporary Hierarchy of societal self-control to project a unified confidence in their collective power.
The middle classes occupying second class accommodation will show a natural deference and belief in what they consider their masters, as long as it serves them financially.
The hopeful immigrants in fourth class (steerage) seeking a new life in America thought they were all a part of this adventure and drew comfort from the fact that all passengers the wealthy an poor alike were in the same boat.
Or so they thought. But they weren’t, were they? There weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone. The orderly call to the lifeboats for women and children in first and second class, while the panicked women and children in steerage were effectively locked down;
As the ship began to sink by the bow, loading of the 1st and 2nd classes became less Gentlemanly and was enforced by armed officers.
Wealth does not guarantee honor, and honor does not guarantee wealth.
BRAG