Zeitgeist

Look I’m not into rewriting history or over the top political correctness, but if you can’t move on from characters like Andrew Jackson, the world will fly past you to greener pastures. Don’t worry, they were selling Trump chocolate bars at the duty free and I nearly shit myself. I can’t believe that anyone could think Canadians would want a souvenir of that guy except as an ironic joke. Strange times...

You’re very pro China. If you’re working for the People’s Republic you have to disguise yourself better or openly admit who you represent. We believe in doing things above board.

China has to build trust with Canada. You’re right that Canada has to expand trade with other countries than the US, but it’s natural, convenient and environmentally responsible for Canada and the US to trade. We’re each other’s biggest export markets. In trade volume, both countries export equal amounts to each other. China and Japan need to lower barriers to our goods. Free trade with Europe through CETA will help diversify our trade. We also have trade deals in South America and the Pacific Rim getting rolling. Canada must move away from dependence on any one country, though our relationships with the UK through the Commonwealth and with our NATO partners matter. Don’t take the bait from BC. He enjoys tormenting Canadians.

Okay so now we’re having a real conversation. The Canadian forces AND Ottawa, since WW2, have been essentially under the control of Washington, but really so has the UK, Germany, Japan, France, you get the idea. Britain knew it couldn’t pay for the rest of the war, let alone the rebuilding of Europe. The US would take control and the Marshall Plan confirmed this. It became about being able to outspend on military hardware (Cold War) and controll of the air and seas (NORAD, NATO, Panama and Suez canals, etc.). Even The Soviets eventually capitulated to this order. But now Russia and China are getting the itch to expand and Washington doesn’t seem so interested in protecting that order. A signal is being sent that allies may no longer be able to count on this umbrella. We have always known in Canada that we couldn’t get too far out there, too far away from US policies, because they have been the market and set the agenda. The problem for Canada has been finding a way to remain close to the centre of the umbrella for the right reasons and striking out on its own when it’s important to Canadians, without damaging the integrity of our relationship with allies. Canada has always done this quite well. Right now our allies are more worried about where the US is headed, and so are many Americans, because as it becomes more belligerent and an outlier, other powers are making inroads. Canada can’t rely on the US to be responsible. We hope it will be. We have to plan for every scenario, seeking and protecting alliances that support our values, but also equipping ourselves to defend our values. In the end, that’s always the message that our government and military must serve. Yes our military is interoperable with the US forces and the British forces. That’s what it means to be in NATO and to have these alliances.

There is constantly currency swapping taking place through the Libor. Central banks and traders are watching currency flows, business news, and political moves constantly to ensure no country gets too out there without consequence. One thing is for sure: Never give up having a central bank and currency control. Some EU countries are really hurting because they have no monetary flexibility being attached to the Euro. Britain was wise to keep the pound while in the EU.

That’s an interesting idea, though I’m not sure it would fly given our proud military heritage. Canada is expected to make sacrifices. Canadians also want some skin in the game. I find it hard to respect neutral countries. Humans have consciences and should never sit idly by when crimes against humanity take place or gross injustice occurs. Fighting has its place. I do think Canada should focus more on defence and peacekeeping. In that case, provide state of the art LAVs with the detection systems you’re recommending, and rather than having a big civilian militia and military that requires expensive training, focus on space and sky-based laser, artillary and drone tech that could knock out attack aircraft, missiles, and ground forces from the sky: a combination of Patriot-type missiles, satellites and drones. That way we could focus on creating invisible shields through tech rather than buying outrageously priced new fighters and equipment. The F-18’s are still impressive aircraft and we need some fighter jets, but they can be outmanoeuvred. The Eagles could do it decades ago. We also need to do better Arctic patrolling and continue search and rescue off the coasts as you suggest. So basically we become the friendly face of NATO, doing PR, providing peacekeeping, training police, rebuilding infrastructure (DART), and providing intelligence and defence of civilians, because we’re good at building relationships with locals, enforcing and providing rule of law, reconstruction, etc.. The US and NATO have drawn on these strengths. So we don’t develop invasion forces. However, we build an advanced defense in case anyone gets the idea to attack our country and any vulnerable populations.

Well you can go by the old method of attaching the amount of and value of currency to the gold standard, but then in a sense you’re dealing with fiat gold. What’s the value of gold? Whatever the market dictates...

Don’t knock the CSA. It was the the third best space agency after the US and the Soviets. Not bad for a small country. Now of course China is making big strides and may lead the space race soon. Here’s what it comes down to, and this is what I honestly think and hope. No country can or should go it alone. We need to get past our petty disputes and take positive global action without trouncing on local cultural values. It would be wasteful for one country to try to send people to Mars. This is a human endeavour that should involve all interested countries, including Russia and China. To get great things done we need to improve these international relationships. Obama tried to do that. Trump has chosen to be divisive. It’s not too late to turn around the ship, but his legacy is already quite well established. If you want to take over Canada or anywhere else, the only effective way to do it is by winning hearts and minds. In the end you have to deal with local populations and voters. People have to want to buy what you’re peddling. How do you inspire people? You obviously think you’ve got an inroad with Alberta right now because the Trudeaus have been unpopular there (going back to the NEP), but Albertans aren’t stupid. They know some Americans just want their oil. Harper was popular in Alberta because he was a big low-tax, resource development guy who had talked about building a firewall around Alberta. Some Prime Ministers have more popularity in some regions of the country than others. Trudeau is trying to support the Trans Mountain and Keystone pipelines in Alberta, but he also has to deal with the tree huggers in BC who want none of it. Why is it also okay for Quebec to simply shut down Energy East? I think there are times when a PM has to say, “Sorry folks, this project is in the whole country’s interests”, but of course that poses a challenge to national unity and support of the federal government. Do you think any of our provinces think that their interests would be better served if they were part of the US? Think of Manifest Destiny. The individual characters of provinces would be downplayed and subsumed in a much larger country with a changing and sometimes sketchy agenda that would put the interests of Canadian provinces behind too many other national interests. As said before, Canada could only be part of the US if there was a net gain in freedoms and opportunity. It would have to be decided by the people of Canada, which is supported by the US Constitution, which has an open invitation to Canada for statehood. Consider that the price you pay for stealing Loyalist possessions and taring and feathering people. Being a bit facetious here. Trudeau must get Trans Mountain built and use the notwithstanding clause to get around court decisions if need be. Sorry British Columbia. Quebec is more delicate and requires a longer term plan. I suggest building Energy East as far as Ontario and building refineries in Central or Northern Ontario to convert the oil to gas that can be distributed to the large Souhern Ontario and Great Lakes US markets — and even to Quebec by rail. Participating provinces would receive some royalties (an incentive to get Quebec on board, though it might never happen). Trudeau’s commitment to these projects should improve the federal government’s relations with Alberta. Don’t forget that the left leaning Alberta government under Notley was committed to the federal government’s climate change action plan. Trudeau didn’t force it upon them. We do have national goals that can change come election time.

Andrew Jackson and Manifest Destiny? You like that shit? Much of the post-colonial mess we have right now in the world, in Indigenous communities, Africa, the Middle East, India/Pakistan, Central America, South America, can be traced back to ignoramuses telling people how they should live or just outright taking their territory and stuff. I realize we have to move on from wars of the past. I don’t expect compensation from Washington for the property Loyalists lost after the Revolution, but we don’t need to be creating more displacements of people’s and cultures. Read about Tehcumseh’s dream of creating an Indian territory. The Brits (and early Canadians) supported it, but the Yanks took the land and ended that dream.

I know. I was being a brat to give you and BC something to get up and arms about when you’re not eating kittens. The space adventures are exciting and it would be an achievement to go to Mars, but is it worth the expense? I’m not sure anymore.

America was so much better under Obama, a great father, a decent man, and a respected leader. With Trump every day is a new circus of fear, belligerence, and petty egoism. Obama wasn’t perfect, but Trump has sunk the presidency to new lows

For Canada to defend its sovereignty and way of life, we need a strong military, as we had in both world wars. Otherwise we’ll always be beholden to international organizations and/or superpowers that have agendas that may not align with Canada’s. NATO continues to be a protective shield for the allies who fought fascism in WW2 and totalitarian communism after WW2. China is certainly seeking to become a unipolar superpower. We can’t be naive. Russia has demonstrated the desire for empire in Ukraine and the Arctic. The US has problems and is quite divided right now, but most Americans have similar progressive values to Canadians. Our federal Conservatives aren’t so different from the federal Liberals. Both parties stand for an open society and liberal democratic values. I would never align myself for life with one party and I never agree with all of the positions of a single party. Voting is always a form of compromise. I think the best bet for Canada is to stand by our values and seek alliances and multilateral support for those values, as we are a middle power that can’t do it all on our own. I do think we need to recognize that soon Canada will be a much bigger country and we should recognize the responsibilities that go with that in terms of our infrastructure, defence, and trade. Diversifying trade away from the US isn’t anti-American; it’s wise. We’re too dependent on the US and we’ve learned that our southern neighbor can be quite belligerent and damaging to allies. However, that doesn’t mean we should follow another power instead. I like Canada’s policies more than the US’s and even Britain’s, but I like both of those countries’ policies more than China’s or Russia’s. We need to improve relations with all countries, but kissing up to countries, especially ones with lousy human rights records, is never the answer. Canada is a model country, maybe the freest one. We need to build on that and work with all countries for human development.

Canada’s significance on the world stage has grown not diminished, but other new players have rose in significance, such as Brazil, India and China. Trudeau Sr. was a pacifist who didn’t value the Canadian military and felt our brand was better as a slightly left, multicultural, and multilateral country. He openly criticized the US and took flack for it, but unlike his son, Sr. Trudeau didn’t give a shit. He gave farmers the finger and dressed down Albertans in their own province, all while basking in Trudeaumania and hanging out with celebs. He was very smart though, and is often celebrated for championing Canada. He did some pretty radical stuff, hanging out with Castro and John Lennon and imposing martial law over the FLQ crisis. Love him or hate him, his opponents were usually shown up in short order. Just ask Joe Clark or Lyndon Johnson. Trudeau Jr. doesn’t seem to have his dad’s smarts or killer instinct.

The big dismantling of Canada’s once great military has been underway for decades. Trudeau Jr. boosted spending a bit, but I’d like to see a major build up of all forces. We also need the nukes we could have had decades ago. Canada will be a big country sooner than we expected. We have a massive territory and border. The military should reflect that reality. We should’ve bought the F-35’s.

I’m going to have to call you out on Obama and Syria and the rise of ISIS. I think very highly of Obama but he made a big mistake in Iraq supporting the unelected Shia leadership, which then went on to persecute the Sunni majority and former Baathists. The result was further humiliation of Saddam’s fallen state apparatus. ISIS’s use of orange jumpsuits for the prisoners they beheaded was no accident. It was an ironic twist on ISIS members’ former prison wear after George W’s invasion removed Saddam’s regime and put them in camps like Abu Graib. Also, there was NO justification for the horrible murder of thousands of innocent people in the 911 attacks. Terrrorist attacks on innocent people are always evil.

They may not like Trudeau but he’s cooler than all of them. The Millennials like him. Older curmudgeons like Trump resent him big time. Echoes of Kennedy vs. Nixon. And I’m not a Trudeau fan. I just think Trump is worse.

Nice try. Canadians may have the most freedoms of any people. The country is growing and people want to be here. If anything we have to take careful control of this development, so we don’t lose what we have. The US is in decline as a leading power, overrun by gun violence and diabetes. I still really like aspects of it.

Right, and could the US do a Moon landing on its own today? Perhaps with a Russian Soyuz rocket...

Incredible the thanks from certain Americans for honouring the extradition request. Such an instructive year for Canada.

It’s been the worst year on record for gun violence in Toronto and Tory isn’t taking action. All handguns should be banned. It hasn’t helped the optics for immigration nor the lobby that pushed to end carding, since police are complaining that they can’t go into communities and question people. I still support that lobby and ending carding. It does make policing more challenging though. That’s the deal.

I’ll take the Canadian approach on domestic and foreign policy over the American one about eighty percent of the time. Canada has one of the largest oil reserves and a spread out population in a cold climate. Transportation, heating, and the oil and gas sector produce high emissions. Federal climate change policies should help somewhat. Trump is unwinding the responsible US emissions policies of his predecessor. Thankfully many states have retained the better policies, but not all. Ontario’s new leader is trying on the deregulation approach, but so far Trudeau is keeping him at bay.

Compare Ontario, BC and Quebec to US states of comparable size and you’ll see how well those provinces have done. Alberta is the big fail on emissions, which a carbon tax would help mitigate. The Atlantic and prairie provinces barely register for emissions. Pipelines for Alberta would probably reduce emissions because transport by truck and train is far worse.

I disagree. Trudeau is implementing a carbon tax. That’s a sacrifice.

You keep harping that GM is a US company. It’s been hit hard by the steel tariffs.

I’m actually quite bored of Caucasian cultures and I enjoy the cultural differences that immigration has brought. I also love travel and have lived overseas. Nice try. What has to be recognized if we want free, open societies like Canada to continue to exist is that some ideologues and religious extremists want to undermine those very freedoms that have created the free, prosperous, multicultural country that we value. Don’t take anything for granted. A bankrupted, poorly managed country can swing in the wrong direction fast. We want Canada to remain free and independent to chart its own course. I’m guessing you’re an atheist, feminist, humanist progressive and want a society that allows for such an outlook? That’s what we have and need to protect along with freedom of belief and expression in general. I’m a centrist.