super heroes

Wednesday December 18, 2024

A distracted and weakened federal government has created a leadership vacuum, forcing the provinces to step up in addressing the existential challenges posed by a potential second Trump presidency.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 18, 2024

A Leadership Vacuum in Ottawa Leaves the Provinces Scrambling to Confront the Trump Threat

May 7, 2012

Canada is staring down a serious challenge: the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House. Trump’s first presidency disrupted trade, shook alliances, and forced Canada into a defensive position. If he returns, Canada will again face tough questions on trade, defence, and energy—issues that demand clear leadership.

But instead of steady guidance from Ottawa, we’re seeing a federal government distracted by political drama and caught up in policies better left to the provinces. This leadership vacuum is creating a national crisis. The provinces, led by premiers in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, are stepping up to fill the gap—but the patchwork approach risks leaving Canada divided and unprepared for the storm ahead.

News: Premiers express alarm at political ‘chaos’ in Ottawa amid looming Trump trade threat

Canada's fragmented political leadership, from a weak federal government to self-serving provincial premiers, leaves the nation vulnerable amid escalating crises such as Trump’s erratic return to power and his punitive tariff threats.

December 3, 2024

The federal government under Justin Trudeau has spent years focusing on policies like child care, dental care, and housing—areas that traditionally fall under provincial jurisdiction. While these programs are valuable, they reflect a deeper problem: Ottawa is distracted from its core responsibilities.

Canada’s Constitution clearly assigns key duties to the federal government, like national defence, trade, and foreign policy. Yet, on these fronts, Ottawa’s leadership has been lacking. Recent crises have laid this bare. The COVID-19 pandemic showed major breakdowns in coordination between levels of government. Immigration backlogs, housing shortages, and rising defence concerns all point to systemic failures that require federal action.

Instead, the Trudeau government leans heavily on spending its way into provincial affairs, tying funds to conditions that often ignore local priorities. This “federal overreach” creates resentment among premiers and leaves Ottawa spread too thin to address issues that only it can handle.

February 7, 2023

The absence of federal leadership has forced premiers to act, particularly as Canada faces a second Trump presidency. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has fiercely defended the province’s energy industry, pushing back against federal emissions caps and warning of American protectionism. While her approach sparks debate, it underlines a key point: provinces are increasingly forced to act as economic and political leaders when Ottawa fails to step up.

Similarly, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has taken proactive steps to safeguard the auto industry as global supply chains shift. Trump’s “America First” policies pose a major threat to Canadian manufacturing, but Ford’s focus on competitiveness offers a strategy where Ottawa remains silent.

In Quebec, Premier François Legault has pushed back against federal overreach while advancing policies that protect the province’s interests, such as energy projects and language laws.

October 5, 2022

These premiers aren’t stepping up because they want to—they’re doing so because they have to. Ottawa’s leadership vacuum leaves them no choice.

The provinces’ efforts to fill the federal gap come with risks. Canada cannot respond to global threats like Trump’s protectionism or NATO uncertainty as a collection of competing provincial interests. We need a national strategy, a unified voice that can protect the country’s economic and geopolitical stability.

Yet the cracks are showing. Alberta’s push for more autonomy through the Sovereignty Act and Quebec’s demands for greater control reflect growing frustration with Ottawa. These conflicts further divide the country at a time when unity is crucial. A fractured Canada weakens our position on the world stage, leaving us unprepared to face Trump’s return or any other major challenge.

May 26, 2006

Canada needs the federal government to refocus on its core responsibilities. Ottawa must take the lead on national defence, trade, and economic stability—issues that only it can manage. This means taking Trump’s threats seriously by crafting a plan to safeguard trade, strengthen our commitments to NATO, and protect Canadian industries from American tariffs.

At the same time, the provinces must resist falling into regional squabbles that undermine national unity. While premiers have proven they can lead, they need to work together with Ottawa as part of a broader “Team Canada” approach. A divided house cannot stand, especially when faced with external threats.

Photo by Carlos Osorio. Even the most partisan critics of Doug Ford can’t deny this photo putting him front and the centre of events during Monday’s Ottawa turmoil is almost akin to a renaissance painting.

Canada is at a critical moment. A second Trump presidency could reshape our economy and security in unpredictable ways. To face this challenge, we need strong leadership, a clear national strategy, and a united front.

The provinces cannot carry this weight alone. Ottawa must step up and take its constitutional role seriously. If it doesn’t, Canada risks drifting further into division and dysfunction—unprepared for the challenges to come.

The time for leadership is now. Canada cannot afford to wait. (AI)

Yesterday was one of those days in Canadian politics that felt like a split screen. On one side, the nation’s Premiers gathered in Toronto, united and even optimistic, presenting a rare tableau of cooperation. On the other, Ottawa was engulfed in chaos. The expected release of the Fall Economic Statement was completely overshadowed by Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation as Finance Minister—a shocking development that sent the federal government into a tailspin.

The contrast couldn’t have been starker. There was Doug Ford, hosting the country’s Premiers on his home turf, playing the role of a congenial statesman. Leaders of wildly different political stripes—progressives, conservatives, and even a few sovereigntists—came together to show the country what functional governance could look like. Meanwhile, in Ottawa, the Trudeau government appeared to be coming apart at the seams, its leadership mired in distraction and dysfunction.

The oddest and most telling moment of the day? Freeland, in the middle of her federal upheaval, joined a conference call with the Premiers. It was Doug Ford himself who confirmed that his “good friend Chrystia” had dialled in to provide an update—right in the middle of this gathering of provincial leaders. For a moment, it seemed as though the stability of the country depended not on the federal government, but on this ragtag assembly of Premiers, who were managing to work together and deliver a message of unity.

The image called to mind an old Saturday morning cartoon that some of us might remember: The Super Friends. The Premiers—this diverse, sometimes dysfunctional group of leaders—suddenly looked like the last line of defence, stepping up to protect Canada while Ottawa crumbled. There was Ford as the de facto leader, Danielle Smith as the vocal (and occasionally rebellious) wildcard, François Legault as the Quebecois mastermind, and a host of other characters each playing their part. Together, they projected an air of steady cooperation that Ottawa, for all its lofty rhetoric, simply couldn’t muster.

Of course, the Premiers’ cooperation won’t last forever—political realities and regional grievances will eventually resurface. But for a fleeting moment, as Freeland’s bombshell resignation sent Ottawa into a spiral, the provinces looked like Canada’s grown-ups in the room. In a time of uncertainty and dysfunction at the federal level, that’s worth reflecting on.

It’s not every day you see provincial leaders cast as national heroes, but these are strange times. Maybe the real Super Friends weren’t just fighting cartoon villains—they were wrangling supply chains, housing crises, and existential threats from south of the border. And maybe, just maybe, we could use a little more of that cooperative energy as we face the challenges ahead.

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Please enjoy my making-of clip of the December 18, 2024 editorial cartoon:

– The Graeme Gallery

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