BARBER: Carney the rockslide — how elite ego and anti-American posturing wrecked Canada-US relations

Interestingly, Ambassador and Deputy United States Trade Representative Rick Switzer appeared on the YouTube channel of the Council on Foreign Relations. The Ambassador is a veteran diplomat with decades of experience. He has also founded ProjX Technology Consulting and taught graduate courses at the National Intelligence University. Mr. Switzer has echoed the same critique of Prime Minister Mark Carney as I have already published. In short, he stated that Carney has made the negotiations between Canada and the US personal, has “gone out of his way to be antagonistic,” and that this approach is “political malpractice.”However, there were indications that Carney had an anti-American orientation, social envy regarding Europe, and hypercompensation to preserve the global elite’s extortion rackets. He helped write some of the World Economic Forum’s policies and worked for the United Nations, so it is not surprising that he displays this mindset. The American Ambassador’s statements are not far-fetched.The Laurentian elite recognized that it could not run on the Liberal Party’s record. They supported Carney running against President Trump as the best chance to maintain power. This was a good bet because many citizens back in eastern Canada harbour animosity toward the US. After the election and the Liberal Party’s win, they should have pivoted; they did not.Carney clearly was in no rush to help Canadians by securing a trade deal quickly. Ambassador Switzer stated that Carney has allowed his ego and feelings to dominate the negotiations, adding that this is not what grown-ups do..Hard-working Albertans have less wealth because they send billions of dollars to Ottawa to buy votes for the Liberals. They have an ungrateful Parliament that does everything possible to guarantee that Alberta will never keep its wealth, and Ottawa insultingly acts like it cares. Further, we have to tolerate a completely incompetent Prime Minister’s office that fails repeatedly. These failures will surpass all the other missteps in the past. By the time that Carney is out of office, Canada will not be able to correct the wrong policies quickly enough and will not be able to escape the massive debt for generations. Whose paying for this catastrophic failure? Alberta! New carbon pricing, carbon capture, tax, tax, and more tax. Albertans do not hate Americans. Thousands of Americans visit Alberta each year, many of whom come to the Stampede. We are not trying to poke them in their eye with our elbows. Many Albertan companies are doing business on both sides of the border. Our ranchers are the number-one exporters of meat to the US, and long lines of train cars move north and south endlessly. We want to do business with the US. Our business people are smart enough to make sound deals and not antagonize the President.Alberta’s citizens are in an abusive relationship with the political elite back East. This is not simply a situation of voting in a different party. There has been no serious talk of systemic change at the federal level that would address these problems. The Liberal position seems to be, “What problems? Send more money.” The Conservatives’ position seems to be, “Trust me, bro.” Albertans have to stand up for themselves because no one else is going to do it. Drawing a line and meaning it is the only way to maintain our dignity and integrity. Imagine what Albertans could do if Ottawa simply stopped being a rockslide on the Alberta highway.Dr. A. W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.

BARBER: Carney the rockslide — how elite ego and anti-American posturing wrecked Canada-US relations

Related Stories

BERNARDO: Canada’s gun grab is finally headed to the Supreme Court — will licenced firearm owners finally be heard?

WATCH: Carney clams up on Gordie Howe bridge deal

CARPAY: Welcome to the surveillance state — Canada's new Internet laws belong in Orwell's 1984

NAVARRO-GENIE: Ottawa’s industrial policy comes at the Prairies' expense