Prime Minister Carney has deep ties to Europe and friends in high places.Europe has serious problems that it acknowledges but fails to address.Ergo, Mark Carney risks going down in history as Canada’s most disastrous prime minister.The respected and well-qualified economist Mario Draghi produced a report on the future of the EU’s competitiveness in September 2024. Here are a few excerpts from his 'The Future of European Competitiveness, Part A: A Competitiveness Strategy for Europe.'“Europe has… slowing growth since the start of this century. Various strategies to raise growth (were tried)… but the trend has remained unchanged.” “…Europe’s households have paid the price…” “On a per capita basis… income has grown… twice as much in the US as in the EU…” “The safety of the US security umbrella freed up defence budgets to spend on other priorities…” “The previous global paradigm (that was favourable to the EU) is fading.” This report was issued even before President Trump began his second term..Meanwhile, Euronews reports that Ukraine’s European allies are no longer putting restrictions on the range of targets it can strike in Russia. The UK, France, and the Baltic states have plans to send troops and aircraft to support Ukraine. This force is called the “coalition of the willing.” Germany is disinclined to send troops now, but it may if it is a peacekeeping mission. President Putin has repeatedly expressed that a key condition for ending the Ukraine war is that NATO troops will not be deployed in Ukraine, nor will Ukraine be allowed to become a member of NATO. Simply, he does not want NATO on Russia’s doorstep. Although British, French and Baltic state troops are not “NATO,” for President Putin, this may be a distinction without a difference. Further, airstrikes deeper into Russia will only aggravate an already complex situation. .Neither of these ideas, formed and promoted by Western Europeans, are going to speed up the peace process. The cost to European countries of continuing to support Ukraine, along with the US’s reduction of its military security for NATO countries, will become an economic burden beyond anything Europe has experienced in decades. It appears that Europe’s ability to deal with its own problems is not improving.I asked Grok which is the better fighter jet: the best of Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon, or the best of the US, the F-35 Lightning II? The qualified answer was the US’s F-35, for a combat mission. Today’s military is not the 1940s mechanical military. Both offensive and defensive weapons are highly technical, extremely sophisticated, and are networked into complex systems in space, in the air, on the ground, and at sea. One of the major hallmarks of the modern war machine is this integrated system. With this high-tech and lethal capability, there are risks of system malfunctions. One of the common ways that risks of malfunctions increase, is by having two completely different systems trying to coordinate..Mark Carney, as Governor of the Bank of England, gave a speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2019. There, he promoted the removal of the US dollar as the reserve currency, completely disregarding the worldwide chaos this would produce. This speech indicates that Mr. Carney is anti-American. The CBC reported that the prime minister now wants Canada to join the military buildup in Europe by purchasing EU weapons. He also wants to expand Canada’s trade deals..Yet, the EU is a failing experiment, according to its own analysis. The Draghi report gives the EU five years to turn the ship around before it is too late. However, it is already too late. Cutting-edge innovation requires two primary precursors: a culture of risk-taking and governmental systems that reward risk-taking. If we compare the EU with the US, it is clear that the US has far more fertile soil for innovation than the EU, with its high taxes, overregulation, and its costly cradle-to-grave social network. Canada is already too far along the same path as the EU but still has time before reaching the end of its rope. Further, the European elite are not about to give up their privileges to make Europe more competitive. This being the case, why would drawing closer to a sinking ship be good for Canada? On the other hand, it would be good for the EU.Yes, Canada needs to expand its trade with the rest of the world. But, the number one item that the world needs from Canada is natural resources. A large component of that will be fossil fuel products — like LNG. Fossil fuel however, is the one sector that Prime Minister Carney, with his dogmatic stand on net-zero emissions, is loath to produce. Further, the EU tries to buy time before its demise by admitting other countries, as we have seen with its expansion into Eastern Europe. But this comes at a cost to the Eastern European countries, causing ongoing frictions. We have also seen that the recent trade deal between the EU and the UK came with costs to the UK. What would Canada have to agree to for a trade deal with the EU? One possibility is the implementation of ESG. ESG is a backdoor way to force banks and businesses to implement non-free-market social justice principles that cripple economies and kill innovation. ESG is a European concept promoted by the World Economic Forum, an organization that has come under increased scrutiny.Some European countries make excellent military equipment. If Canada is going to purchase weapons that form part of a complex network however, we have to make sure that the system is 110% compatible with US networks and has been field-tested repeatedly to prove its abilities. If North America has to defend itself, both Canada and America will be engaged, and we do not want Canadian troops compromised because of a system glitch. Further, purchasing an expensive European weapon system just because our prime minister is anti-American, is foolhardy. The disadvantages of Canada’s smaller military force can be partly offset by having the best weapons, regardless of where they are made. And our troops deserve the best..Prime Minister Carney is a proven anti-American ideologue who claimed to be European. His Speech from the Throne (May 27, 2025) has big ideas and few details. The Conservatives are right to ask, “Where is the plan?”His writings show he lacks original ideas and basically promotes the WEF’s plans. Canada is not Europe, and implementing European plans here will not be good for Canada. We need a made-in-Canada solution. Further, there are two realities to which Canadian officials should give greater consideration: 1) The US will remain Canada’s primary trade partner, and 2) As the Draghi report noted, the post-WWII paradigm is fading. Therefore, Canada can either get with the new 21st-century paradigm or continue to destroy itself along with the EU. Prime Minister Carney seems to think that what is good for the EU will be good for Canada. Is he willing to help Canada or merely help his elite friends in Europe?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.
Prime Minister Carney has deep ties to Europe and friends in high places.Europe has serious problems that it acknowledges but fails to address.Ergo, Mark Carney risks going down in history as Canada’s most disastrous prime minister.The respected and well-qualified economist Mario Draghi produced a report on the future of the EU’s competitiveness in September 2024. Here are a few excerpts from his 'The Future of European Competitiveness, Part A: A Competitiveness Strategy for Europe.'“Europe has… slowing growth since the start of this century. Various strategies to raise growth (were tried)… but the trend has remained unchanged.” “…Europe’s households have paid the price…” “On a per capita basis… income has grown… twice as much in the US as in the EU…” “The safety of the US security umbrella freed up defence budgets to spend on other priorities…” “The previous global paradigm (that was favourable to the EU) is fading.” This report was issued even before President Trump began his second term..Meanwhile, Euronews reports that Ukraine’s European allies are no longer putting restrictions on the range of targets it can strike in Russia. The UK, France, and the Baltic states have plans to send troops and aircraft to support Ukraine. This force is called the “coalition of the willing.” Germany is disinclined to send troops now, but it may if it is a peacekeeping mission. President Putin has repeatedly expressed that a key condition for ending the Ukraine war is that NATO troops will not be deployed in Ukraine, nor will Ukraine be allowed to become a member of NATO. Simply, he does not want NATO on Russia’s doorstep. Although British, French and Baltic state troops are not “NATO,” for President Putin, this may be a distinction without a difference. Further, airstrikes deeper into Russia will only aggravate an already complex situation. .Neither of these ideas, formed and promoted by Western Europeans, are going to speed up the peace process. The cost to European countries of continuing to support Ukraine, along with the US’s reduction of its military security for NATO countries, will become an economic burden beyond anything Europe has experienced in decades. It appears that Europe’s ability to deal with its own problems is not improving.I asked Grok which is the better fighter jet: the best of Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon, or the best of the US, the F-35 Lightning II? The qualified answer was the US’s F-35, for a combat mission. Today’s military is not the 1940s mechanical military. Both offensive and defensive weapons are highly technical, extremely sophisticated, and are networked into complex systems in space, in the air, on the ground, and at sea. One of the major hallmarks of the modern war machine is this integrated system. With this high-tech and lethal capability, there are risks of system malfunctions. One of the common ways that risks of malfunctions increase, is by having two completely different systems trying to coordinate..Mark Carney, as Governor of the Bank of England, gave a speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2019. There, he promoted the removal of the US dollar as the reserve currency, completely disregarding the worldwide chaos this would produce. This speech indicates that Mr. Carney is anti-American. The CBC reported that the prime minister now wants Canada to join the military buildup in Europe by purchasing EU weapons. He also wants to expand Canada’s trade deals..Yet, the EU is a failing experiment, according to its own analysis. The Draghi report gives the EU five years to turn the ship around before it is too late. However, it is already too late. Cutting-edge innovation requires two primary precursors: a culture of risk-taking and governmental systems that reward risk-taking. If we compare the EU with the US, it is clear that the US has far more fertile soil for innovation than the EU, with its high taxes, overregulation, and its costly cradle-to-grave social network. Canada is already too far along the same path as the EU but still has time before reaching the end of its rope. Further, the European elite are not about to give up their privileges to make Europe more competitive. This being the case, why would drawing closer to a sinking ship be good for Canada? On the other hand, it would be good for the EU.Yes, Canada needs to expand its trade with the rest of the world. But, the number one item that the world needs from Canada is natural resources. A large component of that will be fossil fuel products — like LNG. Fossil fuel however, is the one sector that Prime Minister Carney, with his dogmatic stand on net-zero emissions, is loath to produce. Further, the EU tries to buy time before its demise by admitting other countries, as we have seen with its expansion into Eastern Europe. But this comes at a cost to the Eastern European countries, causing ongoing frictions. We have also seen that the recent trade deal between the EU and the UK came with costs to the UK. What would Canada have to agree to for a trade deal with the EU? One possibility is the implementation of ESG. ESG is a backdoor way to force banks and businesses to implement non-free-market social justice principles that cripple economies and kill innovation. ESG is a European concept promoted by the World Economic Forum, an organization that has come under increased scrutiny.Some European countries make excellent military equipment. If Canada is going to purchase weapons that form part of a complex network however, we have to make sure that the system is 110% compatible with US networks and has been field-tested repeatedly to prove its abilities. If North America has to defend itself, both Canada and America will be engaged, and we do not want Canadian troops compromised because of a system glitch. Further, purchasing an expensive European weapon system just because our prime minister is anti-American, is foolhardy. The disadvantages of Canada’s smaller military force can be partly offset by having the best weapons, regardless of where they are made. And our troops deserve the best..Prime Minister Carney is a proven anti-American ideologue who claimed to be European. His Speech from the Throne (May 27, 2025) has big ideas and few details. The Conservatives are right to ask, “Where is the plan?”His writings show he lacks original ideas and basically promotes the WEF’s plans. Canada is not Europe, and implementing European plans here will not be good for Canada. We need a made-in-Canada solution. Further, there are two realities to which Canadian officials should give greater consideration: 1) The US will remain Canada’s primary trade partner, and 2) As the Draghi report noted, the post-WWII paradigm is fading. Therefore, Canada can either get with the new 21st-century paradigm or continue to destroy itself along with the EU. Prime Minister Carney seems to think that what is good for the EU will be good for Canada. Is he willing to help Canada or merely help his elite friends in Europe?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.
