Despite the obvious disagreement of some of the provincial malcontents in this country, Canada is not the product of its provinces. This country came together for mutual benefit. It grew over years, not overnight. The most spectacular failure of the confederation has been the failure to have the constitution mature with the country.
And yet, we have overcome many of the weaknesses inflicted on us by the myopia of the United Kingdom law makers, those so many years ago. Those of us who have participated in trying to unpeel the onion over the years have been remiss in saying how we would put it back together. Land-locked Alberta is in no position to just demand access to ports to the world. Nor is a coquettish Quebec ready to whore for the Americans rather than their accommodating and reasonable, fellow Canadians.
In its infancy, Canada had more potential. The bands of steel that are our national railways are now far out of date. Our grasp and use of new technologies is hampered by the lack of constitutional updating. Our lack of leadership on the national level has opened the gates to narrowly focussed provincial poltroons. A rotten apple should not be allowed to infect the rest of the bushel.
But reality is a prime minister who, at an impressionable age, watched his father struggle with constitutional questions. The younger Trudeau is afraid of opening a door he cannot close. He is his mother’s son. He is an elitist and a consummate actor. He just does not know when it is best to bring down the curtain.
He has destroyed the liberal party as a structure capable of supporting him as leader in the next election. His bravado about leading in the next election is misplaced. He needs to move over for a new leader who can keep the new democrats on side for the next election. Canadians need and want a progressive government.
Canada has promises to keep to its citizens. It has to build to the future, not live in the past. It needs high-speed trains traversing the country. It needs a democratically chosen body to address and recommend changes in the country’s constitution. It needs to have those changes on the ballot with our federal elections. Canada has a great future ahead. We need to make it so.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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