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.