With less than 24 hours before Canada Day, Canadians are preparing for the ritualistic long weekend that marks the anniversary of the British North America Act of 1867 — now superseded by the Constitution Act of 1982. But with the way things are going in this country, how many more will we celebrate before the provincial and territorial composition of Canada changes?.This year marks our country’s 156th birthday, but behind all the flamboyant fanfare, flags and festivities, there is an undeniable, almost palpable, sombre and pervasive mood that things here aren’t as good as the celebrations would have you believe..The biggest factors contributing to this general pessimism is the cost of living, housing and the rate of violent crime, have been getting worse right across the country. When food, shelter, and safety are threatened it weakens people’s faith in the system and by extension the country..Then there is the ongoing meddling of China in our democracy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels..It goes without saying national pride is going to take a hit when the prime minister and his government make every attempt possible to prevent a public inquiry into foreign interference in our elections. Especially after learning that sitting MP’s and the Chinese immigrant community are being actively targeted by a hostile state..All these significant issues are further compounded by the adversarial and intrusive approach that Ottawa has taken with the provinces over matters which are well outside its jurisdiction. The most recent example is the prime minister’s critical comments towards New Brunswick’s Premier Higgs and his provincial government's amendments to Policy 713, dealing with trans issues. Then there's the federal environment minister threatening criminal code sanctions for provinces and provincial politicians that refuse to comply with new environmental rules..In short, Ottawa is to blame for Canadian’s being bummed about being Canadian..It really is incredible that in just eight years Trudeau and his Liberal government have had such a dramatic and negative impact on not only the nation's psyche as it pertains to its national pride and identity, but also to its overall reputation among its allies..Under Trudeau we achieved our worst ever peacekeeping participation in Canadian history with just 34 personnel deployed in 2020. They also wouldn’t or couldn’t take part in the largest ever NATO air exercise earlier this month. Under Trudeau we also abandoned our Afghan and Ukrainian embassy support staff, along with many dual Canadian citizens to the ravages of war without so much as a “sorry, eh?”.This latter bit is particularly ironic, given Trudeau’s boastful comments to a rally of his faithful on 20 Oct 2015..“Many of you have worried that Canada has lost its compassionate and constructive voice in the world over the past 10 years. Well, I have a simple message for you: on behalf of 35 million Canadians, we’re back.”.He didn’t speak for all Canadians then and he certainly doesn’t now..Nor do his government’s policies demonstrate any compassion or concern for the well-being of Canadians writ large, especially those on the Prairies and within indigenous communities. For the latter, there has been little to no movement on permanent solutions to the ongoing long term boil water advisories that plague many First Nation communities..They also intend to target energy and resource workers in Western provinces with Bill C-50, their ‘Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act.' Formerly known as ‘Just Transition,' this plan will phase workers out of actual jobs into make believe ones that will spontaneously grow from a theoretical ‘green economy.’ Whatever that means..Don’t get me wrong. There is still a lot to be grateful for, especially if you’re a government insider or the friend of a federal minister looking for a juicy contract. In this case, Canada has likely never looked so good. That is, of course, unless you’re an automobile company that was looking for a country that would offer up a multi-billion-dollar subsidy to build a battery plant. In this case you’re probably celebrating Canada Day the hardest of us all..But in all seriousness, to you foreign auto execs partying here on Canada Day, don’t expect much help from our struggling healthcare system if you get hurt in your revelry. Those billions you got, could have made a significant impact in our emergency departments and primary care clinics..While it's true Canada is not its government, the government does represent Canada and Canadians. This particular government, though, is a group of dangerous ideologues that pander to and are elected by a subset of Canadians that are completely detached from reality..That reality is, in order for our country to succeed we need a government that stays in its jurisdictional lanes, upholds its commitments, and doesn’t hinder our natural resources, oil, gas, and agricultural sectors..If Canada continues down this current path, it’s not a matter of if a province separates, but rather when. The provinces and people won’t stand for this behaviour forever and if three provinces joined to form a country in 1867, what’s to say three provinces can’t leave to form their own country again sometime in the future?.Then, since it’s so trendy to change the lyrics of our national anthem with great and careless aplomb, those who remain can sing “Woe Canada” on July 1st.
