
Why some Canadians are alarmed by Mark Carney's pledge to act with urgency
But with the unveiling of a
bill to supercharge the economy
and early efforts to improve the country's adversarial relations with India and China, there's growing concern that Carney's plans to boost Canada could involve unsavoury trade offs.
Ask Indigenous leaders who were left out of 'nation-building' meetings or were given just a week to comment on legislation that will fast track infrastructure projects reasonably expected to pass through their treaty-protected territories.
Ask Sikh-Canadian leaders who have seen their members targeted for death or violence, allegedly on orders from Indian government agents. Last Friday, they listened as Carney defended his G7 invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one that 'makes sense' based on India's economic power, population and key role in international 'supply chains.'
Ask foreign aid organizations, perhaps, if Canada commits to radically increasing defence spending along with NATO allies at a leaders' summit planned for later this month.
Carney is not alone in his apparent willingness to step on toes if it means he can move further and faster in responding to the sense of emergency at hand.
It's part of a global movement with governments invoking looming threats and emerging risks to push through all sorts of questionable — and sometimes contestable — priorities.
The most blatant example is the one that has sparked the economic emergency in Canada.
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports have been pushed through not with legislation that can be studied, debated and voted upon, but through presidential executive orders invoking real or imagined national emergencies at the Canada-U. S. border.
They are premised upon risks from America-bound migrants, fentanyl, steel and cars and, despite initial court rulings that tranches of the tariffs are illegal under U.S. law, they remain in effect.
Likewise, the generalized panic that Russia's three-years-and-counting war against Ukraine has instilled in Europe.
There is legitimate reason to worry about the longer-term intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a leader who has been unwilling to agree to a ceasefire despite sanctions, despite diplomatic isolation, despite the more recent appeals, threats and exhortations of the Trump administration.
But preparations for a potentially wider conflict on the European continent now have German officials talking about rehabilitating long-abandoned bunkers, Poland
vowing
to build up 'the strongest army in the region,' and Swedish households receiving an alarming 32-page pamphlet from their government entitled: 'In case of crisis or war.'
'To all residents of Sweden: we live in uncertain times,' the booklet begins ominously. It goes on to cover everything from securing one's home to digital safety to instructions on how to stop bleeding to advice about handling pets and talking to children.
This is the political and emotional backdrop against which Canada and other NATO member states later this month are expected to back an agreement to steeply increase in their national defence budgets, moving to five per cent of GDP from two per cent.
If agreed to, it will result in many billions of dollars going to weapons, tanks, planes and soldiers' salaries. But before those purchases can go ahead, there will be many difficult choices made about how to come up with the funds.
Governments always talk about finding budget efficiencies for unexpected priorities, though saving is not a specialty for which politicians are well suited. Even Donald Trump and Elon Musk came up spectacularly short of their savings pledges through the Department of Government Efficiency.
More frequently, governments end up robbing Peter in order to pay Paul, as the saying goes — cutting spending in on domain to increase it in another.
That is exactly what the United Kingdom did with blunt effect when it
announced earlier this year
that it would slash foreign aid spending drastically in order to increase the defence budget.
'Few countries have articulated such a direct, one-to-one trade off before between those two areas of public spending,' noted
a report from ODI Global
, a think tank, that criticized the British government for thinking of defence and foreign-aid spending as an either-or choice.
Similar potential trade offs are cause for concern in Canada.
Will the urgency to build oil pipelines and assert the country as an 'energy superpower' in new markets come at the cost of Canada's fight against global warming?
Carney's reputation as a climate-change warrior is well-established, but his use of the oil-and-gas industry's '
marketing speak
' at a recent meeting first ministers' meeting with provincial premiers has some worried about the economy taking priority over the environment.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national association representing Canadian Inuit, wasn't even invited to the first ministers' meeting, which concluded with a
statement
about the need to 'unlock the North's economic potential.'
'It is troubling that in 2025, the Government of Canada is so comfortable with empty rhetoric in place of rightful participation,' the Inuit association said in a
news release
.
The legislation to get Carney's economic fast-track transformation under way — one that the Liberal government wants to pass into law by Canada Day — was decried by the Assembly of First Nations, which had just seven days to provide any concerns about the bill,
APTN News reported
.
There are those who will defend a go-fast approach to governing in extraordinary times. They will warn that there is a greater risk in being sunk by the status quo — the never-ending consultations, the delays, red-tape entanglements.
'The advantage of a wartime mentality lies in the sense of urgency it introduces, and the readiness it encourages to push aside unnecessary bureaucratic barriers,' wrote Lawrence Freedman, an emeritus professor of War Studies at King's College London, in
a piece
about Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
It's a line that can be applied as equally to Ottawa as to Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, Brussels or London.
But one person's bureaucratic barrier is the next person's guard rail — a measure ensuring confidence, protecting against damaging errors, saving lives.
Moving at high speeds, it can be difficult to spot the difference.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
India-US interim trade deal prospects dim ahead of tariff deadline, sources say
By Manoj Kumar NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The prospects of an interim trade deal between India and the United States before Washington's August 1 deadline have dimmed, as talks remain deadlocked over tariff cuts on key agricultural and dairy products, two Indian government sources said. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a 26% tariff on Indian imports in April but paused implementation to allow for talks. That pause ends on August 1, though India has yet to receive a formal tariff letter, unlike over 20 other countries. India's trade delegation, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, returned from Washington after a fifth round of talks without a breakthrough. "An interim deal before August 1 looks difficult, though virtual discussions are ongoing," one of the Indian government sources said, adding a U.S. delegation was expected to visit New Delhi soon to continue negotiations. Talks are stalled as New Delhi is refusing to open its politically-sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors, while Washington is resisting India's demand for relief from higher tariffs on steel, aluminium and autos. Officials are exploring if these issues can be deferred to a later stage, after an interim deal, the second Indian official said. Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, warned sectors like gems and jewellery could be hit hard if 26% tariffs are imposed. "However, this could be temporary, as both countries aim to sign the deal over time," he said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Monday that the Trump administration was more concerned with the quality of trade agreements than their timing. Asked if the deadline could be extended for countries in talks, he said it was up to Trump. Indian officials remain hopeful of clinching a broader deal by September or October, in line with what was agreed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump in February. "Given that there have been five rounds of negotiations and another U.S. delegation is expected, we remain optimistic about finalising a trade pact," a third government source said. The sources requested anonymity as negotiations are not public. The Indian commerce ministry and the U.S. Trade Representative's Office did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comments. (Additional reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh. Editing by Mark Potter)
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Carney to brief premiers on U.S. trade discussions as Trump deadline bears down
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will be offering his update on trade talks with the White House when he sits down with the premiers Tuesday, while discussing their concerns as an Aug. 1 deadline for more tariffs rapidly approaches. Carney is joining the provincial and territorial premiers during their summer gathering in Muskoka, Ont. Carney is expected to offer an opening statement, but most of the meeting on Tuesday is set to happen behind closed doors. On Monday, Quebec Premier François Legault said he will tell Carney he wants protection in negotiations for supply management for the dairy, egg and poultry sectors, as well as the exemption for Quebec's cultural industries from free-trade requirements. British Columbia Premier David Eby has said he hoped Carney would kick off trade discussions by trying resolve the softwood lumber issue, which has been a trade irritant between Canada and the U.S. for decades. Carney recently said he thought it unlikely that there wouldn't be at least some tariffs in any deal struck before Aug. 1, though most of Canada's trade with the U.S. is protected by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA( that exempts most of the goods and services crossing the border. So far, Trump has imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on steel and aluminum; 25 per cent tariffs on goods, automobiles and automobile parts not covered by the CUSMA trade deal; and 10 per cent tariffs on energy. He is now threatening to impose a 35 per cent blanket tariff on Aug. 1 Canada has so far retaliated with counter tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American exports, but Carney is holding off on further measures pending the result of ongoing negotiations by the end of the month. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he has 'never been a big proponent of increasing countertariffs' and would rather try to find a way to get the White House to renew CUSMA, which is due to begin its mandated review in 2026. Moe also signalled he is prepared to live with some level of tariffs for the time being. 'We won't get to zero on each and every topic. The goal is to get as close as zero on as many items that we possibly can. I know that's the prime minister's goal as well,' he said. Whatever the outcome of the deal is — tariffs or no tariffs — Legault said he will ask Carney to make sure there is a specific time frame to add more certainty for businesses. Speaking in Hamilton, Ont. last week, Carney said his team was 'in the midst of long now and tough negotiations with the United States, and… working for the best deal for Canada.' 'Part of the reason why we don't have a deal is that deal is not yet on the table,' he said. National Post calevesque@ U.S. senators meet with Carney, push to 'reinvigorate' CUSMA ahead of Trump deadline U.S.-Canada trade talks back underway as Trump's wish list, from oil to DEI, keeps growing Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here.


Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Australia's Parliament resumes with pro-Palestinian protests and calls for Israel sanctions
But Sen. Mehreen Faruqi, deputy leader of the minor party Australian Greens, made a silent protest by holding up a sign in the chamber during Mostyn's speech that said: 'Gaza is starving, words won't feed them, sanction Israel.' Australia has imposed financial and travel sanctions on individual Israelis, including government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. But the Australian government has not imposed wider sanctions on the state. Advertisement Middle East joint statement sparks debate Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described the joint statement as the strongest words his government had used on the Middle East conflict. 'When you can make a statement together with so many other significant powers, then we're all hoping that there'll be something that will break this,' Burke told ABC. 'What we are watching on the other side of the world is indefensible. The hostages still need to be released, but the war needs to end,' Burke added. Advertisement But senior opposition lawmaker Jonathon Duniam described Australia joining 27 other nations in signing the statement as 'alarming.' 'There is more to this issue than this letter betrays and I think it is a sad turn of events for our government to have joined with other countries in signing this letter,' Duniam said. Australia's 48th Parliament was opened with Indigenous ceremonies in Parliament House on a day that was otherwise steeped in centuries of British Westminster political tradition. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the traditional owners of the national capital, Canberra, at a Welcome to Country ceremony. He noted that such ceremonies performed by Indigenous people to welcome visitors to their traditional land at the start of a new parliament had been introduced by a Labor government in 2007. 'In the 48th Parliament, we write the next chapter. Let us do it with the same sense of grace and courage that First Nations people show us with their leadership,' Albanese said. Biggest Australian government majority since 1996 Labor won 94 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, where governments are formed. Labor's majority is the largest since Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition won 94 seats in 1996, when the lower chamber had only 148 seats. Howard stayed in power for almost 12 years, and Albanese is the first prime minister since then to lead a party to consecutive election victories, following an extraordinary era of political instability. The main opposition Liberal Party has elected its first woman leader, Sussan Ley, after one of the party's worst election results on record. Her conservative coalition holds 43 seats in the House, while independent lawmakers and minor parties that are not aligned with either the government or opposition hold 13. Advertisement No party holds a majority in the 76-seat Senate. Labor holds 29 seats and the conservatives 27 seats. The Australian Greens hold 10 seats, which is the next largest bloc. The government will likely prefer to negotiate with the conservatives or Greens to get legislation through the Senate, rather than deal with multiple minor parties and independents.