Enduring countries have common interests and value systems, and feature strong institutions. During the English debate in the 2025 federal election, Yves Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc, said, “Canada is an artificial country.” He may be right.Strong countries also have shared objectives.The United States Constitution talks about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As has been the case over its soon-to-be 250-year history, highly divisive periods — the Civil War, the 1930s Depression, and the Vietnam War — come to mind — it will likely also survive its current challenges. Notwithstanding the competing visions and ping-pong presidencies reflecting differing values, the broader purpose prevails (so far)..WS: Carney threads the needle with China deal that saves farmers and cools tariff war.Back to the comments during the debate — does Canada, after Russia, have the widest east-west geography in the world, and with differing timelines and reasons for joining Confederation, enjoy a common central purpose? At a time when an independence referendum is pending in Alberta, and likewise for the third time in Quebec, this is an important and timely question.Although Newfoundland came much later, Atlantic Canada joined Upper and Lower Canada in 1867 to protect each other in the face of American expansionist aggression, twice thwarted by Quebec City’s famous wall.The rest of Canada joined for other reasons and with varying satisfaction..It is fair to say that despite many amazing entrepreneurial stories, the Atlantic provinces have been and are comfortable with considerable dependency on the federal government. This also accommodates the centralized federal government’s desire for control and political support.As a side point, but not unimportant, Newfoundland joined Canada in 1948 and is currently focused on the electricity pricing of its agreement with Quebec. Newfies are an independent bunch with an expressed desire to develop energy and other resources, rather than being known, quoting a former premier, as a place where people “fish and f…”From a distance and only one visit, it appears to me that Newfoundland resembles Western Canada, although we don't have as many fish..CARPAY: Freedom wins again — Federal Court upholds ruling against Trudeau’s Emergencies Act overreach.Quebec is more of a country than is Canada. A delightful 1970s book, ‘The Nine Nations of North America’, divided the continent by geography, demographics, industries, values, and so forth. Hardly a surprise, the commonality ran north and south. The major exception was Quebec, which is, in most respects, a country.At a YPO Regional Conference in Halifax in the early 1970s, I had the opportunity of asking one of the speakers, Rene Levesque, whether he had read the book and did it accurately portray Quebec? His answer was yes, and yes.As an interesting side point, it was the last public appearance of the former Premier of Quebec before he passed away..The politics of Quebec drive the leaders to ever more independence regardless of the constitution. In the fullness of time, Quebec is likely to gain country status — it is almost there except for the now nearly $14 billion gift from the unfair equalization program.The other original province at the time of Confederation was Ontario, the heartland with the largest population and Toronto, one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world, and a demonstrated need for control of the country.Continued pressure from the US led to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway to Vancouver, an amazing accomplishment (one wonders how this could be accomplished without today’s regulators, especially Major Projects, yet another layer of federal government control on top of current regulatory overload). .BORG: From snow-covered roads to closed schools, the storm that stopped Toronto cold.Manitoba's history is also distinctive, and its significant hydroelectric resource distinguishes it from the two provinces immediately to the West. Like Minnesota, Manitoba is more of a Midwestern province with a history, interests, and values that distinguish it from other provinces.In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Confederation. Originally to be one entity named Buffalo, it was the wisdom of federal politicians that they should be separate to avoid a competing concentrated power base. Regardless, as polling indicates, on the big issues, including the future of Canada, they are of the same mindset.As pointed out in the ‘Nine Nations of North America’, and everyone knows, the values, industries, and culture of the Prairie provinces are also distinct..For much of the 120 years, the goal of the Prairies and most of Western Canada has been to gain a voice in policy formation. Its control of natural resources gained in the 1930s was compromised by the dramatic intervention by Pierre Trudeau and his National Energy Program (NEP). Exacerbated by broad economic circumstances and high interest rates, the NEP devastated the two provinces. This was followed by Preston Manning (one of the few real statesmen in the history of our country) and his theme “the West wants in.” In turn came the Reform Party, which elected enough MPs to become the formal opposition. None of this changed the basic fact that the Laurentian Elitists are unlikely to ever share power..MODRY: Europe’s existential crisis should terrify Canada and explain Alberta’s push for independence.The fears of the colonies were again realized when Justin Trudeau cancelled a fully approved Northern Gateway Pipeline as an early indication of his global warming agenda — or climate change, or a climate crisis — so confusing — what is threatening the planet is constantly changing.Under the guise of the never-approved mandate that Canada should be a global leader in reducing CO2 emissions, the feds gained ever more control over the uppity colonies, which were becoming more demanding of full participation in the governance of Canada. Blessed by extensive resources (oil and gas, potash, uranium, food production, and more), and an entrepreneurial culture, even its significant financial strength has no influence on the current power flow — Quebec is permitted to do whatever and in turn supports the federal Liberal Party..The federal policy framework has severely limited the future of many of the above industries, and by extension, of Canada. But, like Atlantic Canada, the federal government is still more interested in power than prosperity. What the economic illiterate Trudeau eventually learned, his policies also limited the economic strength of Canada and eventually his tenure as our prime minister. He will wear the “Lost Decade” legacy which over time will be more remembered than his nice hair and flashy socks. This review of history, superficial at best, is only to further understand why Canada has no central purpose, and how our values differ greatly based on our history, industries, immigration, definitions of democracy, reasons for joining Canada, and so forth..OLDCORN: Crime doesn’t care about skin colour — but our courts sometimes do.A strong, wise, and long-term strategic thinking federal government would acknowledge the obvious. Instead of characterizing those of us in the West who want full participation in Canada's affairs as “whiners”, prescient leadership would evolve our ineffective unitary form of government into a functioning federal state, like the country south of us, and attempt to seek more common purpose than winning the men’s and women’s gold medals for Olympic hockey that generate such patriotism.The independence party leader from Quebec is more perceptive, or at least more honest, than our government in Ottawa. Power drives policy and the hell with the West, dividing a country that already lacks a common purpose.
