For the first time in a long time, Canada seems to have leadership that understands the global economy isn’t a hockey rink with one exit door leading south.
Carney looks at the world the way central bankers and serious economic planners do...
diversify relationships, reduce dependency, protect stability, and stop
acting like proximity automatically equals security.
The “outside the parking lot” part matters now because the old assumption...
that America would always be predictable, rational, and reliable...
I love this post Fred! I see Mexico as the new lover that Canada took on, & now the jealous lover in the whitehouse is fuming. Canada got tired of placating & started looking around. Good move! We won the checker game! haha
I agree Fred. Having spent a couple of weeks in Mexico, years back, tourists spend a lot of money there & I was no exception! I HAD to have this white dress trimmed with homemade crafted red lace, but, it was $300.00 USD! They wouldn't budge on the price, I walked away a few times, cause that was like 3 grand now! I wanted it for 1/2 price! The last time I walked away, both husband & wife chased me...ok $150.00 I paid them, wore the dress that night & was mistaken for Shania Twain! We had to leave the entertainment & basically run for our rooms! I will LOVE seeing more Mexican products on our shelves! Trading with other countries & not just our neighbours will give us a lot more choices & I love that! Most people will!
🇨🇦💙 More great observations. Thx. Here’s my 2 cents.
Canada is one of 12 nations waiting for delivery of their back ordered F35’s. Canada’s paid for 16 F35’s and they should arrive by the end of 2026. Good luck. Lockheed is so short of rare earth minerals, they’ve added the shortage in their SEC filings as a named risk.
Each F35 contains over 900 lbs of rare earth minerals and for Lockheed to clear its outstanding orders, it would require 1000’s of tonnes of rare earth minerals and 3-4 years to play catch up. Trump’s rare earth license with China renews November 10, 2026.
Saab in Switzerland does not need Chinese rare earth for their Gripens, they have access to European and allied sources.
The US Military industrial Complex is cracking over some dirt.
The USA is totally unreliable and untrustworthy. They are quite willing to screw anyone over. That is exactly why Canada needs the Gripen from Saab. WE own it!! Screw the usa
A lot of Canadians are clearly rethinking the old assumptions around defence procurement, Brian...
especially around sovereignty, operational control, and long-term reliability.
And honestly, that conversation is bigger now than just “which jet is better.”
People are asking...
Who controls the software?
Who controls upgrades?
Who controls parts access?
Who controls deployment permissions?
Who can restrict capabilities during political disputes?
Those questions barely mattered when trust levels were high and the alliance system felt stable.
Now they matter a lot.
That’s one reason the Gripen discussion keeps resurfacing in Canada.
Saab has long marketed the aircraft around flexibility, lower operating costs, domestic industrial participation, and greater sovereign control for partner nations.
At the same time, Canada’s military relationship with the United States is still deeply integrated through NORAD, NATO, logistics, intelligence, and geography.
So none of these decisions happen in a vacuum.
What’s changed is that Canadians are increasingly weighing strategic independence alongside pure military capability.
That’s the real shift happening underneath this debate.
and honestly, rare earths may end up becoming the “oil politics” of the next 30 years.
People hear the phrase “rare earth minerals” and think dirt, rocks, mining trivia.
Meanwhile modern military systems, EVs, advanced chips, radar systems, guidance systems, batteries, turbines, aerospace systems,
and fighter jets are all sitting on top of those supply chains.
That’s why countries everywhere are suddenly scrambling for critical mineral strategies.
And your point about the F35 backlog matters because supply chains are now becoming geopolitical weapons.
It’s no longer just:
“Which aircraft performs best?”
Now it’s also:
“Who controls the components?”
“Who controls the maintenance?”
“Who controls the software?”
“Who controls the supply chain during a diplomatic crisis?”
That changes procurement conversations dramatically.
And honestly, the rare earth issue exposes something bigger...
modern economies are discovering they built highly sophisticated systems on top of fragile global dependencies they barely thought about when globalization felt stable.
Now everybody’s stress-testing the plumbing underneath the machine.
There isn't much point in working on agreements if he just throws it out at will... Waste of time/money/energy. Take what he gives but he is untrustworthy and unafraid of consequences so get your's upfront with him.
The last time the renegotiation happened Mexico fucked over Canada by signing with America while we were trying to team up with them. I hope it goes differently this time
You pointed out a number of times that Canadians don’t hate America and you’re definitely wrong there. We may not hate most Americans but we definitely hate their government. More people are waking up to the fact that it’s America that’s caused the global instability for the last 70 years. Imperialism hidden behind security.
Thank you Mr Ferguson! I doubt I would have known about this if not for you! Became a registered contributing Liberal for Mark Carney- the soundest investigation we’ve ever made. The next generations future is at stake and in good hands. Journalism like yours is vital in these times- will be sharing this for 👍
Thank you, Shelley... I genuinely appreciate that.
Honestly, one of the biggest reasons I write these pieces is because so many of these economic and geopolitical shifts barely get discussed in plain English for ordinary Canadians.
Most people are busy surviving daily life.
They don’t have time to dig through trade reports, policy statements, supply-chain changes, or international negotiations.
But these decisions shape the next 20 years of Canada whether people notice them or not.
And I agree with you on one important thing...
this moment feels bigger than normal politics.
Canada’s future economy, sovereignty, trade relationships, and strategic independence are all being tested at the same time right now.
That’s why these conversations matter.
And thank you for sharing the article... word of mouth is still one of the most powerful things on the internet.
Mexico betrayed us and themselves by throwing us under the bus. They cut a deal with Trump and announced that not only will there be no deal with Canada but that Canada will be treated no differently than any other expendable trading partner.
What did Mexico get for their betrayal? A promise to maybe support their auto industry. You know, the auto industry Trump insists must only be on US soil. He promised to maybe talk about it. Of course he promised to push the tariffs back six months.
No extra tariffs for six months, if the promise holds. Then Trump comes to destroy their industry now that he has them divided from Canada. They caved because they didn't believe that we were stronger together. They didn't have the courage to stand up or the patience to win.
We're switching to EV production. Mexico would have been fine in the trilateral negotiations and insulated against future Trump shocks with a bilateral agreement with Canada.
I really thought the Mexicans were smarter and stronger. I thought they'd learn after seeing every other Trump agreement get reversed. They'll get the same treatment. They betrayed us for nothing. Fear won this round. Canada knows no fear. It executes with precision without feeling. This is business. For Trump and his cronies, it's personal. That's why they'll get nothing from us that isn't reciprocated in turn. We know the difference between a trade review and a pissing contest.
Charts like this are useful — but I think the conversation becomes much more interesting when we stop asking:
Which jobs will AI replace?
…and start asking:
Which parts of jobs are becoming automated?
Because most work is actually a bundle of tasks:
judgment,
communication,
repetition,
trust,
relationships,
creativity,
coordination,
decision-making.
AI may automate pieces of jobs long before it fully replaces professions.
And ironically, some of the safest careers may not be the most technical — they may be the most human:
high trust,
high judgment,
high ambiguity,
high emotional intelligence,
or deeply relational work.
The future advantage may increasingly belong to people who learn to combine:
human strengths + AI leverage.
That overlap between technology shifts, leverage, adaptation, and who compounds advantage during disruption is something I explore quite a bit in my newsletter series, The Billionaire Gap.
The full series is free to read and subscribe to in my profile.
You should mention that Mexico is not happy that Canada lacks adequate port facilities to handle increased trade between our nations. Currently most trade either uses American ports which makes shipments subject to American tariffs and control, or rail shipments transiting through American rail networks with the same problems even though they are in bonded containers. Both are impediments that can only be addressed through massive port expansion. This is underway, but the Canadian public should be made aware of this discussion.
An entire world outside the parking lot, and thank God we have PM Mark Carney with us.
Exactly Carol-Ann.
For the first time in a long time, Canada seems to have leadership that understands the global economy isn’t a hockey rink with one exit door leading south.
Carney looks at the world the way central bankers and serious economic planners do...
diversify relationships, reduce dependency, protect stability, and stop
acting like proximity automatically equals security.
The “outside the parking lot” part matters now because the old assumption...
that America would always be predictable, rational, and reliable...
clearly isn’t guaranteed anymore.
Canada adapting to that reality isn’t betrayal.
It’s adulthood.
I love this post Fred! I see Mexico as the new lover that Canada took on, & now the jealous lover in the whitehouse is fuming. Canada got tired of placating & started looking around. Good move! We won the checker game! haha
Haha… that’s actually not far off, Patsy. 😄
For decades Canada kept trying to “keep the peace” no matter how chaotic or demanding Washington became.
Now suddenly Canada’s having coffee with Europe, chatting with Mexico,
making new trade friends…
and the ex is standing at the window yelling tariffs through the blinds.
That’s what happens when one side mistakes dependency for loyalty.
The smart move was never “replace America.”
The smart move was “stop acting like America is the only table in the food court.”
And honestly?
Mexico has been quietly becoming an economic powerhouse while a lot of people weren’t paying attention.
I agree Fred. Having spent a couple of weeks in Mexico, years back, tourists spend a lot of money there & I was no exception! I HAD to have this white dress trimmed with homemade crafted red lace, but, it was $300.00 USD! They wouldn't budge on the price, I walked away a few times, cause that was like 3 grand now! I wanted it for 1/2 price! The last time I walked away, both husband & wife chased me...ok $150.00 I paid them, wore the dress that night & was mistaken for Shania Twain! We had to leave the entertainment & basically run for our rooms! I will LOVE seeing more Mexican products on our shelves! Trading with other countries & not just our neighbours will give us a lot more choices & I love that! Most people will!
🇨🇦💙 More great observations. Thx. Here’s my 2 cents.
Canada is one of 12 nations waiting for delivery of their back ordered F35’s. Canada’s paid for 16 F35’s and they should arrive by the end of 2026. Good luck. Lockheed is so short of rare earth minerals, they’ve added the shortage in their SEC filings as a named risk.
Each F35 contains over 900 lbs of rare earth minerals and for Lockheed to clear its outstanding orders, it would require 1000’s of tonnes of rare earth minerals and 3-4 years to play catch up. Trump’s rare earth license with China renews November 10, 2026.
Saab in Switzerland does not need Chinese rare earth for their Gripens, they have access to European and allied sources.
The US Military industrial Complex is cracking over some dirt.
The USA is totally unreliable and untrustworthy. They are quite willing to screw anyone over. That is exactly why Canada needs the Gripen from Saab. WE own it!! Screw the usa
A lot of Canadians are clearly rethinking the old assumptions around defence procurement, Brian...
especially around sovereignty, operational control, and long-term reliability.
And honestly, that conversation is bigger now than just “which jet is better.”
People are asking...
Who controls the software?
Who controls upgrades?
Who controls parts access?
Who controls deployment permissions?
Who can restrict capabilities during political disputes?
Those questions barely mattered when trust levels were high and the alliance system felt stable.
Now they matter a lot.
That’s one reason the Gripen discussion keeps resurfacing in Canada.
Saab has long marketed the aircraft around flexibility, lower operating costs, domestic industrial participation, and greater sovereign control for partner nations.
At the same time, Canada’s military relationship with the United States is still deeply integrated through NORAD, NATO, logistics, intelligence, and geography.
So none of these decisions happen in a vacuum.
What’s changed is that Canadians are increasingly weighing strategic independence alongside pure military capability.
That’s the real shift happening underneath this debate.
That’s a hugely important point, Roxy...
and honestly, rare earths may end up becoming the “oil politics” of the next 30 years.
People hear the phrase “rare earth minerals” and think dirt, rocks, mining trivia.
Meanwhile modern military systems, EVs, advanced chips, radar systems, guidance systems, batteries, turbines, aerospace systems,
and fighter jets are all sitting on top of those supply chains.
That’s why countries everywhere are suddenly scrambling for critical mineral strategies.
And your point about the F35 backlog matters because supply chains are now becoming geopolitical weapons.
It’s no longer just:
“Which aircraft performs best?”
Now it’s also:
“Who controls the components?”
“Who controls the maintenance?”
“Who controls the software?”
“Who controls the supply chain during a diplomatic crisis?”
That changes procurement conversations dramatically.
And honestly, the rare earth issue exposes something bigger...
modern economies are discovering they built highly sophisticated systems on top of fragile global dependencies they barely thought about when globalization felt stable.
Now everybody’s stress-testing the plumbing underneath the machine.
There isn't much point in working on agreements if he just throws it out at will... Waste of time/money/energy. Take what he gives but he is untrustworthy and unafraid of consequences so get your's upfront with him.
That’s exactly the problem, Andrew.
Trade agreements only work when all sides believe the rules will still exist next Tuesday.
Once unpredictability becomes the norm, countries stop planning around trust...
and start planning around damage control.
That’s why Canada, Europe, Mexico, Japan... basically everybody... is now talking more
about resilience, redundancy, and diversification instead of “deep integration.”
Because if agreements can be reversed by mood swings, rally politics, or overnight...
tariff threats, then nobody can safely build 20-year industrial strategies around them.
And you’re right about one thing in particular...
Countries are increasingly trying to secure benefits upfront now
because future guarantees feel weaker than they used to.
That changes how everybody negotiates.
Kinda felt like AI wrote this.
The last time the renegotiation happened Mexico fucked over Canada by signing with America while we were trying to team up with them. I hope it goes differently this time
You pointed out a number of times that Canadians don’t hate America and you’re definitely wrong there. We may not hate most Americans but we definitely hate their government. More people are waking up to the fact that it’s America that’s caused the global instability for the last 70 years. Imperialism hidden behind security.
Fair criticism on the Mexico point...
and honestly, I think a lot of Canadians still remember that frustration from the last NAFTA/CUSMA negotiations.
At the end of the day, though, Mexico will always prioritize Mexican interests first, just like Canada prioritizes Canadian interests first.
That’s the reality of trade negotiations, even between partners.
As for the AI comment… funny enough, what people are often reacting to now is structure and clarity itself.
The internet has become so flooded with rage-posting, sloppy headlines, tribal screaming, and emotionally chaotic writing...
that anything organized, analytical, and layered suddenly “sounds AI” to some readers.
But I’ll take that over empty outrage farming any day of the week.
And on your last point...
I think there’s an important distinction between criticizing U.S. foreign policy and hating ordinary Americans.
A growing number of Canadians absolutely distrust aspects of American geopolitical behaviour, interventionism, and economic pressure tactics.
That’s real.
Europe is increasingly voicing similar concerns too.
But I also think it’s dangerous when populations start collapsing entire peoples into their governments.
Governments change.
Administrations change.
Citizens aren’t all identical hive minds.
The bigger issue, in my opinion, is that countries everywhere are starting to realize dependence on any single dominant power creates vulnerability.
That realization is driving a lot of today’s global shifts.
Thank you Mr Ferguson! I doubt I would have known about this if not for you! Became a registered contributing Liberal for Mark Carney- the soundest investigation we’ve ever made. The next generations future is at stake and in good hands. Journalism like yours is vital in these times- will be sharing this for 👍
Thank you, Shelley... I genuinely appreciate that.
Honestly, one of the biggest reasons I write these pieces is because so many of these economic and geopolitical shifts barely get discussed in plain English for ordinary Canadians.
Most people are busy surviving daily life.
They don’t have time to dig through trade reports, policy statements, supply-chain changes, or international negotiations.
But these decisions shape the next 20 years of Canada whether people notice them or not.
And I agree with you on one important thing...
this moment feels bigger than normal politics.
Canada’s future economy, sovereignty, trade relationships, and strategic independence are all being tested at the same time right now.
That’s why these conversations matter.
And thank you for sharing the article... word of mouth is still one of the most powerful things on the internet.
Mexico betrayed us and themselves by throwing us under the bus. They cut a deal with Trump and announced that not only will there be no deal with Canada but that Canada will be treated no differently than any other expendable trading partner.
What did Mexico get for their betrayal? A promise to maybe support their auto industry. You know, the auto industry Trump insists must only be on US soil. He promised to maybe talk about it. Of course he promised to push the tariffs back six months.
No extra tariffs for six months, if the promise holds. Then Trump comes to destroy their industry now that he has them divided from Canada. They caved because they didn't believe that we were stronger together. They didn't have the courage to stand up or the patience to win.
We're switching to EV production. Mexico would have been fine in the trilateral negotiations and insulated against future Trump shocks with a bilateral agreement with Canada.
I really thought the Mexicans were smarter and stronger. I thought they'd learn after seeing every other Trump agreement get reversed. They'll get the same treatment. They betrayed us for nothing. Fear won this round. Canada knows no fear. It executes with precision without feeling. This is business. For Trump and his cronies, it's personal. That's why they'll get nothing from us that isn't reciprocated in turn. We know the difference between a trade review and a pissing contest.
I understand the frustration, Tiger...
but I’m not convinced Mexico’s playing this emotionally the way people online are framing it.
Mexico’s government has to protect Mexico first...
same as Canada has to protect Canada first.
That means sometimes they’ll coordinate with us…
sometimes they’ll negotiate separately…
and sometimes they’ll buy time if they think a direct collision with Washington hurts them more in the short term.
That’s not betrayal.
That’s survival math.
The bigger issue...
and I think this is the part you’re really getting at... is trust.
Trump’s pattern has been consistent...
pressure allies individually, create uncertainty, force concessions,
then move the goalposts later.
That’s why long-term diversification matters so much now.
Canada learned it.
Europe learned it.
Mexico is learning it too, whether they admit it publicly or not.
And honestly, you nailed one important thing...
This isn’t just economics anymore.
Washington increasingly treats trade like personal loyalty politics,
while countries like Canada are approaching it more like risk management
and strategic planning.
That difference changes everything.
Very good!! 👍
Charts like this are useful — but I think the conversation becomes much more interesting when we stop asking:
Which jobs will AI replace?
…and start asking:
Which parts of jobs are becoming automated?
Because most work is actually a bundle of tasks:
judgment,
communication,
repetition,
trust,
relationships,
creativity,
coordination,
decision-making.
AI may automate pieces of jobs long before it fully replaces professions.
And ironically, some of the safest careers may not be the most technical — they may be the most human:
high trust,
high judgment,
high ambiguity,
high emotional intelligence,
or deeply relational work.
The future advantage may increasingly belong to people who learn to combine:
human strengths + AI leverage.
That overlap between technology shifts, leverage, adaptation, and who compounds advantage during disruption is something I explore quite a bit in my newsletter series, The Billionaire Gap.
The full series is free to read and subscribe to in my profile.
— Dr. Rich Bushart
You should mention that Mexico is not happy that Canada lacks adequate port facilities to handle increased trade between our nations. Currently most trade either uses American ports which makes shipments subject to American tariffs and control, or rail shipments transiting through American rail networks with the same problems even though they are in bonded containers. Both are impediments that can only be addressed through massive port expansion. This is underway, but the Canadian public should be made aware of this discussion.
Excellent point, Ray...
and honestly, that’s the part most Canadians still don’t fully grasp.
Trade diversification isn’t just signing agreements and smiling for cameras.
You need the physical infrastructure to support it.
Ports.
Rail.
Container capacity.
Customs systems.
Logistics hubs.
Cold-chain facilities.
Shipping redundancy.
Right now, too much Canadian trade infrastructure still flows through American-controlled choke points...
either directly through U.S. ports or through rail corridors tied into American systems.
Which means even when Canada tries diversifying, the Americans can still indirectly influence the flow.
That’s a strategic vulnerability.
And you’re right...
expanding Canadian port capacity on both coasts is becoming a national economic security issue now, not just a transportation issue.
Because if Canada truly wants more resilient trade relationships with Mexico, Europe,
and Indo-Pacific partners...
we need independent lanes to move goods efficiently without constantly routing through the American parking lot first.