Presently in Canada we are participating in the most important Canadian election in my lifetime and probably yours too. Our country is under active threat, both from a threat to our economy and a threat to our nation’s sovereignty itself. Whichever Prime Minster we choose to represent us on April 28, this person needs to deal with these significant threats and to provide solid and confident leadership in order to pursue policies that will enable our people to not just survive but thrive in this new world.

I believe this person is Mark Carney, and I will tell you why. Not because you must agree with me – there are reasonable preferences and positions that folks can take and arrive at different conclusions than mine here – but these are my conclusions as they apply to my situation and preferences.

Dealing with the threat to sovereignty.

The American administration is aiming for ownership of Canada’s energy, water, raw mineral resources, and territorial control over the arctic waters. This is under the guise of Canada being some “51st state”, and lets quickly and firmly dismiss this as the lie it is. The Americans do not even let their existing citizens vote when demographics are unsuitable to Republican successes, such as in Puerto Rico or Washington DC or various gerrymandered districts. The Americans do not want us to join them, they want to have our stuff. This is not a threat of annexation, this is a threat of conquest and annihilation.

This threat is compounded by the sabre-rattling of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She wines and dines and pals around with the very same American propagandists who are pushing to annihilate us. And she threatens to promote an independent Alberta if her idiotic and short-sighted demands are not met. Nevermind for a moment how stupid this is – Alberta would be isolated from Canada, and the Americans would seize on this vulnerability to bully them mercilessly – but let’s at the least just acknowledge this as one crucial aspect of leadership the next Prime Minister will need to deal with.

I do not believe that Jagmeet Singh is the ideal person to deal with these threats. Singh is a genuine and kindhearted man and I believe sincerely means well, but does not shown the strength that I believe is needed to handle this multifaceted crisis. He was outmaneuvered by Justin Trudeau when trying to push policy in the last government, and he was outmaneuvered by Pierre Poilievre when he was trying to collapse the last government. From the political choices he’s made in terms of policy priorities and more, I believe he is out of his depth to handle these times of crisis and opportunity. In other times, a leader with his personality traits might be a fine candidate but in my analysis these are not those times.

I also do not believe that Pierre Poilievre is suited for this task, not even close. Some people claim that he is “like Trump” but this is inaccurate in my view. Instead I believe he is a weak person, lacking in moral or personal convictions. There is a video that PP posted on his YouTube channel where he bullies some small-time rural journalist, seemingly proud of his own success at being a complete asshole. His posturing there reminds me of those two-bit “alpha” scammers who for the mere price of $20,000 will teach you how to appear strong and tough. But we all know the desperate people who fall for this sort of thing are weak and soulless – they need help and guidance, not the office of Prime Minister.

I do not believe that this weak and pathetic man will be able to stand up to people like Trump who is closely aligned with ideologically and culturally. Instead, I believe his “little man syndrome” personality will cause him to fold like a wet paper bag in any attempt at negotiations or defence of our country. And we see signs of this folding in practice, as he defends Danielle Smith’s ultimatum and her ongoing association and friendship with people attacking Canada. And I see him choose policy positions not rooted in convictions. Poilievre’s chasing of American culture war talking points (punching down on vulnerable minorities to score points with assholes), and his opposition of carbon pricing (easily the most reasonable market-based approach to reducing emissions), his attacks on science and in particular the attack on vaccinations – these all add up to a man who blows where the populist winds take him. We do not need someone like this when all the chips are down.

I do however believe that Mark Carney is a person who can successfully represent Canada and our values, and to be able to stand firm in the face of a difficult threat. I believe this because he has extensive experience in leadership roles in both the private and public sectors, and based on the reports of people who worked with him during these times. One does not get offered the job as the first foreigner in hundreds of years of history to lead the Bank of England by being an idiot or bad at his job in any way.

Further, Carney’s values are not based on the populist winds of the day, his positions are well-defined intellectually and spelled out in his 2021 book on economics entitled “Values”. And finally, the way he handles deliberately hostile press in a no-nonsense way demonstrates that he is quick-witted and confident, not looking to deflect or avoid conflict. Carney also places much emphasis on being results-oriented – a difficult task that many in politics have promised and failed to deliver on in the past – but is an attitude that absolutely what we need to bring to government. Carney’s focus, dedication, experience, and confidence – I believe this is what we need from our leadership today.

Dealing with the restructuring of the Canadian economy

The recent US election has proven that a majority of voters that country do not prioritize or value consistency or rationality in their international relations. Regardless of the outcome of the current trade war, they have unambiguously demonstrated that they cannot be trusted going forward. This is rather inconvenient for Canada, given the deep economic times that have built up since the original NAFTA was signed. The current leadership in the US is deeply erratic and irrational and does not hesitate to blatantly lie even when absurd. This means that Canada has no choice but to permanently alter our relationship with this country, and will in turn require significant economic restructuring. It is crucial that we do this well, as this will affect jobs and groceries and frankly most aspects of our lives.

I do not believe that Jagmeet Singh is suited for this task. He has not shown a focus on economic issues, and many of the policies he has proposed have been ill-considered. There is a false believe in the current zeitgeist that the political left cannot have good economic policies, but this is false. There is a leftist answer to the housing crisis – if the market fails, the government should build homes. There is a good leftist answer to the grocery crisis – the companies should be broken up or disbanded. If markets fail, you step in to provide an alternative that works. But Singh has not proposed anything near this, and the half-measure solutions he has proposed such as a profit cap on companies is dangerously ignorant of how markets work, and would cause real harm in addition to being ineffective.

I also do not believe that Poilievre is suited for this task, not even close. Poilievre has shown himself to be devotee into the cult of free markets. His solution to any problem he faces is to cut taxes, cut services, cut workers, cut everything. It’s a misplaced devotion, as the market cares about an efficient outcome not one that works for humans. If the free market benefits from uncosted externalities such as pollution, than to serve his cult he must deny climate science as it’s inconvenient for short-term profits. When wealth inequality spirals out of control he must embrace that and expand with more tax cuts for the people who already have so much.

Canada cannot cut its way into the future when we are facing these difficult economic conditions. Reducing spending during a recession is an incredibly stupid proposal, and we have seen these austerity measures fail time and time again around the world as it triggers less spending and thus prevents economic growth. In no uncertain terms, Poilievre’s plan will lead to a severe economic depression – economic suicide. Yet there he is out on the campaign trail, wanting to cut anything and everything to aid the superrich and proudly show off his ignorant and blind faith in the free market. He papers over his ignorance with slogans designed to trick people who are not paying attention and don’t understand what is at stake. This must be stopped.

I do believe that Mark Carney is the person to handle the task of restructuring Canada’s economy. He is an insider who was worked at hedge funds and private banks, and helmed the Bank of Canada and Bank of England and helped shepherd both through significant crises. But he’s also an insider who is keenly aware of the failures of the blind worship of free markets that we see demonstrated by Poilievre. Carney’s 2021 book, “Values”, is an intellectual refutation of how markets can and have led us astray from benefiting humanity when left unrestrained. This is precisely the situation Canada finds itself in as this new economic crisis begins, and we need someone who understands this to help lead us out of it.

Carney understands that to survive and thrive in the coming years, we need urgent work to build and invest in infrastructure, industry, and national defence. Not to cut services and people, but to redirect money and people into the many – many! – things we need to forge our new future. And he knows that results are what matters, not good intentions. This is not a game to him, he doesn’t need to run for a pension or personal wealth or anything else a cynic might suggest someone goes into government for. He quit his cushy job and signed up to be the new face for a legion of deplorables to channel their anger at with their hastily printed “Fuck Carney” signs, and I believe he did this because he wants our country and it’s people to thrive.

Conclusion

I don’t know what the future holds, or if Mr Carney will live up to these expectations if elected. If he doesn’t, we will need better representation from the other parties to hold him to account and give a good alternative. A permanent one-party political system is not what I or anyone else should want.

If you disagree with my perspectives and my conclusions here, please take some time and become active in whatever group represents your beliefs – and do your best to help channel them into being the best possible versions of themselves. When I say these times are crucial, that doesn’t mean you have to agree with me, it means you need to stop coasting. Get out of your comfort zone, dare to give a fuck even if you step on some toes in the process or seem uncool in the process.

Too many of our American neighbours chose inaction, and it has already cost them dearly. Gourd only knows how much worse it will get for them in the coming months and years. We Canadians do not have to share their fate, we can learn from their choices and their plight. I challenge you – yes you, the reader – to do something. Register to vote. Watch the leaders in their press conferences and see how they respond to questions. Look at the policy platforms as they are released. Ask questions, don’t just take anyone’s word for any of this including me. Go to your local representative’s campaign office and ask questions. Volunteer. It’s your country, it’s important.

Choose action, and relish in the soulful feeling that you are standing with so many Canadians all doing their part to help save our country.