MARK CARNEY IS ONE OF KIND THAT YOU MAY SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME AND HE IS DOING GREAT SO FAR GETTING CANADA
OPTIONS WHICH THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD THINGS WORKING TOGETHER PRODUCES RESULTS WHICH IS WHAT ALL Countries need RIGHT NOW.NOW THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHTER AND MORE HOPE THAN WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN A LONG TIME
Thanks for keeping feet on the ground. The win is that we have more options and are not afraid to go for them. Things will change again, but this is a good tool in the basket.
Fred, here is a thought that has been bothering me for a while. Maybe a future topic for you? Or how can I sow this seed?
CANADA MOVING AHEAD
Much of our mainstream media is supported by government funding as it has been for decades. That fact is scorned by many claiming it makes them bias, but when Harper reduced much of that funding, many of our newspapers, both national and provincial, got bought out by American media which, in my mind, was a terrible alternative.
Looking at this present government under Carney, we are faced weekly, or even more often, with news of new projects along with government funding and/or additional provincial funding. That stays in the news for a few days then disappears.
I would really like to see one of our national TV stations introduce a one hour, weekly program designed to update Canadians on progress on those major projects, as well as some of the smaller but no less important local ones. Not in a way of being supportive of the government or the project, but in a way of providing information to Canadians, which is their job.
Living in BC and talking with friends, most have no idea of the major progress in Prince Rupert export facilities or that CN rail improvements will double the rail capacity into PR by next year. What is happening in Churchill, Manitoba? Or in Montreal at the new port there? Or so many other places where Canada truly is moving forward.
Many Canadians are really interested in our progress moving forward, in diversifying our trade, in developing new routes to the ocean, in new energy grids, in new pipeline routes, and in most of the new programs currently underway. Even updates on progress of major projects through the MPO, their status and next steps. Film clips, short discussion and updates would be informative to say the least. They might even help stop that dumb question “when are shovels in the ground” for a program announced 2 days ago.
As Canadians, we are being asked to stay strong and absorb so many difficulties right now. Knowing how and if we are progressing to build new solutions would greatly help.
So this is a formal request to CBC, CTV and/or Global to consider such a program and bring simple updates of progress on a regular basis but with a dedicated documentary style program, not news clips….please!
I really like that idea. It would be great to be able to follow the progress we're making on projects, minus some defence projects as we don't want everyone to know.
Best of all it might shut up PP as he would not have something to complain about " shovels in the ground being seen" for instance
What I liked most is what you refused to say. It would have been easy to turn an eightfold jump into a 'world abandons America' story, and you didn't. The numbers-as-insurance framing is the right one. The question I'd want answered is how much of that $104B is Canada-specific trust versus plain relative value. This is a global bond selloff touching Germany and Japan too, so some of that money is just hunting for the best-priced sovereign paper, and best-priced doesn't mean best-loved. The July UST selling by Canadians is actually the line I find most interesting, because that's domestic money choosing to leave. That feels less cyclical than the rest.
I need to add more to my earlier comment, so apologies!
Not sure how to put this, but I really feel that the strong sense of nationalism that is fairly evident across the country , including the level of support for Carney’s which floats somewhere between 60-70%, surely demands more media attention. Carney has said we are at war….we all know he means a trade war, but if this was a real war, coverage would be non stop. So clearly this is nowhere near there, but that sense of nationalism is missing from the media.
Are they trying to stay too neutral? This shouldn’t be political, Harper, Carney and Chrétien stood side by side and agreed we were on the right track, and it seems pretty obvious Canada needs to get moving on trade diversifying. So why don’t we ever see further than the initial announcement? Goodness knows we see coverage of a multitude of insignificant junk, of interest to just a few, and that is ok, but what about the big stuff? Why don’t we ever we have to rely on social media to tell us about things? Even the progress of trade discussions, currently going on with India, Vietnam, Philippines, MERCOSUR, and so on……rarely any media updates so how do people that don’t spend hours on social media get to find all this out?
Here in BC, Eby has a long list of accomplishments working together with Carney. But now with a provincial election coming up, all people talk about are his failures. The media don’t hesitate to highlight those, but what about his accomplishments? What about the north bound power lines, the expansions in Prince Rupert, the expansions in Westshore Terminal, the new funding for the whales (for the Greens) and much more. The list of joint funded projects just in June was impressive. How are they doing?
Enough, but I do feel that even though this discussion is on social media, the mainstream media need to become far more active in keeping us aware of project progress or otherwise!
Thanks, Fred, and I would love for you to do that. I for one, would find it very interesting. But how do we get the mainstream media to carry something similar?
You have to love it when a plan starts coming together, especially when others (foreign countries) not only like what they see, but join the party.
Exactly, Barb.
The part I love is that Canada isn’t just making plans anymore...
other countries are starting to see opportunity in those plans too.
That’s when things get interesting.
It’s a reflection of increased investor confidence in what Canada is doing. It’s a nice sign.
MARK CARNEY IS ONE OF KIND THAT YOU MAY SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME AND HE IS DOING GREAT SO FAR GETTING CANADA
OPTIONS WHICH THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD THINGS WORKING TOGETHER PRODUCES RESULTS WHICH IS WHAT ALL Countries need RIGHT NOW.NOW THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHTER AND MORE HOPE THAN WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN A LONG TIME
That’s the word, Kathy... **options**.
The more customers, partners and markets Canada has, the less vulnerable we are when one country decides to change the rules.
That’s a stronger position for Canada, no matter who is in charge.
Thanks Fred, for this amazing summary!
I love the foreign investment that basically loans Canada money to do big things. Canadian bonds are trusted and steady. Investors see that.
Exactly, Kathy.
That’s the part that caught my attention too.
Investors have choices about where they put their money, and record amounts flowing into Canadian bonds tells us something about how they view Canada.
Quiet numbers, but they speak pretty loudly.
This exactly!
‘Canada doesn’t need America to fail for Canada to succeed.
We just need enough alternatives that nobody gets to decide our future for us.
That’s what economic sovereignty looks like.’
That’s it exactly, Heather.
I think that may be the most important lesson Canada can take from all of this.
We don’t need to replace one dependency with another.
We need enough doors open that Canada always gets to choose which one we walk through.
So interesting, thanks Fred
Thanks for keeping feet on the ground. The win is that we have more options and are not afraid to go for them. Things will change again, but this is a good tool in the basket.
Exactly, Lana.
More options means more independence.
Things will change...
they always do...
but Canada is finally building enough tools in the basket that we don’t have to reach for the same one every time.
Fred, here is a thought that has been bothering me for a while. Maybe a future topic for you? Or how can I sow this seed?
CANADA MOVING AHEAD
Much of our mainstream media is supported by government funding as it has been for decades. That fact is scorned by many claiming it makes them bias, but when Harper reduced much of that funding, many of our newspapers, both national and provincial, got bought out by American media which, in my mind, was a terrible alternative.
Looking at this present government under Carney, we are faced weekly, or even more often, with news of new projects along with government funding and/or additional provincial funding. That stays in the news for a few days then disappears.
I would really like to see one of our national TV stations introduce a one hour, weekly program designed to update Canadians on progress on those major projects, as well as some of the smaller but no less important local ones. Not in a way of being supportive of the government or the project, but in a way of providing information to Canadians, which is their job.
Living in BC and talking with friends, most have no idea of the major progress in Prince Rupert export facilities or that CN rail improvements will double the rail capacity into PR by next year. What is happening in Churchill, Manitoba? Or in Montreal at the new port there? Or so many other places where Canada truly is moving forward.
Many Canadians are really interested in our progress moving forward, in diversifying our trade, in developing new routes to the ocean, in new energy grids, in new pipeline routes, and in most of the new programs currently underway. Even updates on progress of major projects through the MPO, their status and next steps. Film clips, short discussion and updates would be informative to say the least. They might even help stop that dumb question “when are shovels in the ground” for a program announced 2 days ago.
As Canadians, we are being asked to stay strong and absorb so many difficulties right now. Knowing how and if we are progressing to build new solutions would greatly help.
So this is a formal request to CBC, CTV and/or Global to consider such a program and bring simple updates of progress on a regular basis but with a dedicated documentary style program, not news clips….please!
David, I think you’re onto something.
We hear plenty about projects when they’re announced, then they disappear from the headlines until there’s a problem.
Canadians could use a regular “here’s what actually got built this week” update... no cheerleading, just progress, delays, dollars and receipts.
And you may have just planted a seed for me too.
I really like that idea. It would be great to be able to follow the progress we're making on projects, minus some defence projects as we don't want everyone to know.
Best of all it might shut up PP as he would not have something to complain about " shovels in the ground being seen" for instance
Thanks, Gail.
That’s exactly the idea... follow the projects after the announcement and show what’s actually happening.
Moving, delayed, completed or stuck, we report what the evidence says.
And absolutely, anything legitimately sensitive on defence stays out.
Let the receipts speak for themselves.
This: Never again leave Canada dependent on one customer, one supplier, one market or one government behaving itself.
Exactly, Blakey.
That may be the sentence I want Canada to remember ten years from now.
Trade with America, Europe, Asia... everybody.
But never again hand any one country enough leverage to decide what Canada can or cannot do.
Excellent analysis of the facts! Thank you for pulling it all together!
Thanks, Gail.
That’s exactly what I’m trying to do...
get past the noise, follow the numbers and see what they actually tell us.
What I liked most is what you refused to say. It would have been easy to turn an eightfold jump into a 'world abandons America' story, and you didn't. The numbers-as-insurance framing is the right one. The question I'd want answered is how much of that $104B is Canada-specific trust versus plain relative value. This is a global bond selloff touching Germany and Japan too, so some of that money is just hunting for the best-priced sovereign paper, and best-priced doesn't mean best-loved. The July UST selling by Canadians is actually the line I find most interesting, because that's domestic money choosing to leave. That feels less cyclical than the rest.
Vishal, that’s exactly the question I was left with too.
How much is confidence in Canada, and how much is simply investors finding better relative value here?
I don’t think the numbers let us separate those cleanly yet.
And I agree...
the Canadian selling of U.S. government bonds may be the more interesting thread to keep watching.
Best-priced doesn’t necessarily mean best-loved.
Good distinction.
Good news!
Thank you for the explanation. Appreciate it.
I need to add more to my earlier comment, so apologies!
Not sure how to put this, but I really feel that the strong sense of nationalism that is fairly evident across the country , including the level of support for Carney’s which floats somewhere between 60-70%, surely demands more media attention. Carney has said we are at war….we all know he means a trade war, but if this was a real war, coverage would be non stop. So clearly this is nowhere near there, but that sense of nationalism is missing from the media.
Are they trying to stay too neutral? This shouldn’t be political, Harper, Carney and Chrétien stood side by side and agreed we were on the right track, and it seems pretty obvious Canada needs to get moving on trade diversifying. So why don’t we ever see further than the initial announcement? Goodness knows we see coverage of a multitude of insignificant junk, of interest to just a few, and that is ok, but what about the big stuff? Why don’t we ever we have to rely on social media to tell us about things? Even the progress of trade discussions, currently going on with India, Vietnam, Philippines, MERCOSUR, and so on……rarely any media updates so how do people that don’t spend hours on social media get to find all this out?
Here in BC, Eby has a long list of accomplishments working together with Carney. But now with a provincial election coming up, all people talk about are his failures. The media don’t hesitate to highlight those, but what about his accomplishments? What about the north bound power lines, the expansions in Prince Rupert, the expansions in Westshore Terminal, the new funding for the whales (for the Greens) and much more. The list of joint funded projects just in June was impressive. How are they doing?
Enough, but I do feel that even though this discussion is on social media, the mainstream media need to become far more active in keeping us aware of project progress or otherwise!
David, don’t apologize... keep going.
You’ve actually planted a seed here.
Your first comment got me thinking, and this one pushed it further.
The question that keeps coming back to me is...
**Whatever happened after the announcement?**
Projects, ports, rail, power grids, trade negotiations...
Canadians hear the big announcement, then too often the story disappears.
I’m going to explore turning that into a recurring GeezerWise feature.
Not government cheerleading... if something is moving, we report it; if it’s stalled, delayed or over budget, we report that too.
Basically, **keep the receipts and tell Canadians what actually happened.**
You may have started something here, my friend.
Thanks, Fred, and I would love for you to do that. I for one, would find it very interesting. But how do we get the mainstream media to carry something similar?