Mavros Whissell is a Sudbury-based geologist and land technicianNorth America is now host to the global battle between technocracy and populism.The battle commenced March 14, when Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister. As a technocrat occupying the highest seat in the land, we should expect Carney to perform an immediate pushback against Trump’s tariffs. He promised as much. He already endorsed the use of dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, the same strategy Ontario’s Premier Ford chose. Carney jumped into a battle already boiling over with spurious threats from the angry orange populist.The forces of technocracy and populism are amassing on either side of the Canada/US border. And technocracy never comes to a fight without friends. It’s frequently accompanied by its much bigger and better-known “buddies”: globalism and neoliberalism. Bullies with their own issues.By selecting Carney for PM, the Liberals effectively trapped us within an ideological battle. Canada is now committed to becoming a diehard opponent of populism, even if it’s just one part of American democracy.We got deep into this mess by Trudeau’s losing bet on China and globalism, ignoring our closest ally. Now the US is forcing us to get in line. In his new office, PM Carney will ignore the Liberals’ checkered past and make the most of Trump’s aggression. As he boasted on March 10, “We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.”Only an election ousting Mark Carney and the LPC can stop the carnage about to happen.Captain Carney has been in the fight of technocracy v. populism before, and lost. As Governor of the Bank of England during Brexit, he overstepped his position and publicly opposed the referendum, as recounted in The Independent:“His tenure at the Bank became better known for his failed attempts to persuade Britons not to vote to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum. But while he failed to stop Brexit, he now hopes to be the man who can step in and prevent populists from taking control in Canada.”Leading up to the Brexit vote, Carney pushed for globalism, neo-liberalism, and technocracy, all of which were exemplified in the European Union, where he hoped the United Kingdom would remain as a member state. However, Brexit passed at 51.9%.Carney lost the British battle of technocracy v. populism, but he’s no quitter. He’s looking for a second chance for glory here in Canada. But his promised approach to Trump’s tariffs is already being questioned — by his own ilk.A pair of Canadian technocrats who aren’t afraid to tout their belief in “technocratic solutions” have proposed alternative answers to Trump’s tariffs. They are the former Quebec Premier, Philippe Couillard, and Jeff Mahon. Mahon is a director for StrategyCorp, a private Canadian company specializing in government relations, strategic consultations, and communications and management consulting. Couillard is a senior advisor to StrategyCorp.Governance, communications, and management by experts?Holy techno-moly!Together, Couillard and Mahon of StrategyCorp penned an op-ed suggesting dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs — the type Carney committed to — are a mistake. Why? Because Trump’s lock on the GOP is now so tight that tariffs targeted against specific US states/governors would be unable to sway the GOP or (ultimately) the Trump administration.These technocrats have a point.They even have some experience fighting tariffs. As Premier of Quebec in 2018, Couillard was directly involved in resolving Trump’s first term tariffs, when Canada used targeted retaliatory tariffs during USMCA negotiations.Another sign that Couillard and Mahon may be on the right track is that Premier Ford’s targeted retaliatory tariff, a 25% surcharge on electricity, lasted only a few hours before Trump forced him to suspend it.If Carney tries the same thing, he may well run into the same brick wall.“Technocratic solutions” often sound alluring but are vague on logistics. For example, Mahon offers to address Canada’s geopolitical instability using a “bifurcated” approach: a decrease in focus on ideologies like Net Zero combined with a drive to develop “conventional” industry. Technocrats could conceivably curtail the federal political interference that has plagued the West for decades. Mahon understands some of the recent damage done:“Through both rhetoric and fiscal action, the government has sought to shore up manufacturing in a push to develop Canada’s cleantech industrial base while inducing uncertainty in the energy and resource sector, in effect scaring off private investment.”Maybe a scientific perspective that supersedes politics can provide solutions that are otherwise unachievable. Maybe technocracy is the way.It almost had me swayed.Then I saw a bit more of Mahon’s work, which slapped me back into reality. Kind of like that old 80s ad where Don Cherry considers coaching a hockey team in Sweden. He slaps on aftershave and comes to his senses, “Hoh! Thanks! I needed that.”Those good old buddies of technocracy, globalism and neoliberalism, were there again, bullies looking for a fight. Amidst a modest push for oil and gas, Mahon was idealistically arguing for a way to balance the trade interests of Canada, the US, and China, even though he admitted navigating that challenge could be deadly.“The challenge is how to chart a course between a Chinese Scylla and an American Charybdis that balances our interests — both economic and security — without getting shipwrecked. But like Odysseus, Canada can’t seem to find its way.”It’s this technocratic need to optimize trade relations that continues to jeopardize our relationship with the US as they go further and further toward populism and protectionism amidst an increasingly unstable world.What will Canada elect to do?Canadians have not elected Mark Carney.He has no mandate to force us into the battle of technocracy v. populism, but that’s been a game within his career, one where he has yet to claim a trophy.I don’t want to be a part of Carney’s personal quest for glory.The varying solutions technocracy offers here all seem destined to push us away from our nearest neighbour and closest ally, toward a country that wants little to do with us at all. I think we need to stop pretending the US is some kind of orange monster and get back to reality. Americans are our brothers and sisters.Mavros Whissell is a Sudbury-based geologist and land technician
Mavros Whissell is a Sudbury-based geologist and land technicianNorth America is now host to the global battle between technocracy and populism.The battle commenced March 14, when Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister. As a technocrat occupying the highest seat in the land, we should expect Carney to perform an immediate pushback against Trump’s tariffs. He promised as much. He already endorsed the use of dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, the same strategy Ontario’s Premier Ford chose. Carney jumped into a battle already boiling over with spurious threats from the angry orange populist.The forces of technocracy and populism are amassing on either side of the Canada/US border. And technocracy never comes to a fight without friends. It’s frequently accompanied by its much bigger and better-known “buddies”: globalism and neoliberalism. Bullies with their own issues.By selecting Carney for PM, the Liberals effectively trapped us within an ideological battle. Canada is now committed to becoming a diehard opponent of populism, even if it’s just one part of American democracy.We got deep into this mess by Trudeau’s losing bet on China and globalism, ignoring our closest ally. Now the US is forcing us to get in line. In his new office, PM Carney will ignore the Liberals’ checkered past and make the most of Trump’s aggression. As he boasted on March 10, “We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.”Only an election ousting Mark Carney and the LPC can stop the carnage about to happen.Captain Carney has been in the fight of technocracy v. populism before, and lost. As Governor of the Bank of England during Brexit, he overstepped his position and publicly opposed the referendum, as recounted in The Independent:“His tenure at the Bank became better known for his failed attempts to persuade Britons not to vote to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum. But while he failed to stop Brexit, he now hopes to be the man who can step in and prevent populists from taking control in Canada.”Leading up to the Brexit vote, Carney pushed for globalism, neo-liberalism, and technocracy, all of which were exemplified in the European Union, where he hoped the United Kingdom would remain as a member state. However, Brexit passed at 51.9%.Carney lost the British battle of technocracy v. populism, but he’s no quitter. He’s looking for a second chance for glory here in Canada. But his promised approach to Trump’s tariffs is already being questioned — by his own ilk.A pair of Canadian technocrats who aren’t afraid to tout their belief in “technocratic solutions” have proposed alternative answers to Trump’s tariffs. They are the former Quebec Premier, Philippe Couillard, and Jeff Mahon. Mahon is a director for StrategyCorp, a private Canadian company specializing in government relations, strategic consultations, and communications and management consulting. Couillard is a senior advisor to StrategyCorp.Governance, communications, and management by experts?Holy techno-moly!Together, Couillard and Mahon of StrategyCorp penned an op-ed suggesting dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs — the type Carney committed to — are a mistake. Why? Because Trump’s lock on the GOP is now so tight that tariffs targeted against specific US states/governors would be unable to sway the GOP or (ultimately) the Trump administration.These technocrats have a point.They even have some experience fighting tariffs. As Premier of Quebec in 2018, Couillard was directly involved in resolving Trump’s first term tariffs, when Canada used targeted retaliatory tariffs during USMCA negotiations.Another sign that Couillard and Mahon may be on the right track is that Premier Ford’s targeted retaliatory tariff, a 25% surcharge on electricity, lasted only a few hours before Trump forced him to suspend it.If Carney tries the same thing, he may well run into the same brick wall.“Technocratic solutions” often sound alluring but are vague on logistics. For example, Mahon offers to address Canada’s geopolitical instability using a “bifurcated” approach: a decrease in focus on ideologies like Net Zero combined with a drive to develop “conventional” industry. Technocrats could conceivably curtail the federal political interference that has plagued the West for decades. Mahon understands some of the recent damage done:“Through both rhetoric and fiscal action, the government has sought to shore up manufacturing in a push to develop Canada’s cleantech industrial base while inducing uncertainty in the energy and resource sector, in effect scaring off private investment.”Maybe a scientific perspective that supersedes politics can provide solutions that are otherwise unachievable. Maybe technocracy is the way.It almost had me swayed.Then I saw a bit more of Mahon’s work, which slapped me back into reality. Kind of like that old 80s ad where Don Cherry considers coaching a hockey team in Sweden. He slaps on aftershave and comes to his senses, “Hoh! Thanks! I needed that.”Those good old buddies of technocracy, globalism and neoliberalism, were there again, bullies looking for a fight. Amidst a modest push for oil and gas, Mahon was idealistically arguing for a way to balance the trade interests of Canada, the US, and China, even though he admitted navigating that challenge could be deadly.“The challenge is how to chart a course between a Chinese Scylla and an American Charybdis that balances our interests — both economic and security — without getting shipwrecked. But like Odysseus, Canada can’t seem to find its way.”It’s this technocratic need to optimize trade relations that continues to jeopardize our relationship with the US as they go further and further toward populism and protectionism amidst an increasingly unstable world.What will Canada elect to do?Canadians have not elected Mark Carney.He has no mandate to force us into the battle of technocracy v. populism, but that’s been a game within his career, one where he has yet to claim a trophy.I don’t want to be a part of Carney’s personal quest for glory.The varying solutions technocracy offers here all seem destined to push us away from our nearest neighbour and closest ally, toward a country that wants little to do with us at all. I think we need to stop pretending the US is some kind of orange monster and get back to reality. Americans are our brothers and sisters.Mavros Whissell is a Sudbury-based geologist and land technician
