By Philip Yeung
Can Carney reverse the political fortunes of the Liberals?
Something strange is happening in Canada. After nine years of Trudeau, the Kim Kardashian of Canadian politics - all looks and no brains - the fortunes of the Liberals had hit rock-bottom. Then the Trump typhoon came tearing through. The American predator-turned-president came at Canada with threats of annexation and a punishing 25% tariff on Canadian exports. This double whammy has reshaped the political landscape. A surge of patriotism has breathed new life into the politically spent ruling party. Mike Carney, Trudeau's successor, has taken over as the knight in shining armor to defend Canadian honor and sovereignty. As a political outsider, he has the chance to reverse his party's downward spiral.
Is Carney living in a bubble?
Carney, a former central banker, enjoys the optics of a patrician leader blessed with economic literacy. But wait, doesn't he come with a bit of baggage as a key economic advisor to the Trudeau administration which has brought the Canadian economy to a shambles? Canadian quality of life has plummeted. Carney bears an unshirkable share of responsibility for the sorry state of the economy. People are right to question whether he is out of touch with reality. As governor of the central bank, was he living in a bubble? Crucially, is his judgment fundamentally flawed? This is a legitimate question because running the country is more than taming the Trump threat.
Is Carney's judgment flawed?
Initially, Carney made the right move by making a beeline to Europe to meet the leaders of France and Britain, to align themselves against Trump. But then, he did the dumbest thing imaginable. Before Trudeau stepped down, he rightly retaliated against Trump, matching US tariffs tit for tat. But suddenly, without provocation, he slapped punitive tariffs on Chinese products, up to 100% against Chinese-made electric vehicles. This instantly opens a second front on the tariff wars, when Canada is scrambling to fight off the Trump threat.
It was bitterly disappointing to see that Carney did not wisely U-turn on this juvenile stupidity. He did not use China as a bargaining chip in a stare-down with Trump. It looks like we have overestimated Carney's strategic intelligence. By unthinkingly inheriting Trudeau's folly, and doubling down on his anti-China rhetoric, Carney has turned Canada into a loser. The tensions between Canada and China were authored by Trudeau who foolishly executed a US arrest warrant against the CFO of China's tech giant.
Re-engineering Canada's relationship with China
A change of leadership is the perfect opportunity to change course on a policy blunder on China, Canada's second largest trading partner. Trump's unilateralism means it cannot be business as usual. Carney himself has said that Canada's love affair with the US is over. If so, its US-inspired hostility against China no longer makes sense. The anti-China narrative is an outdated US concoction that ill-serves Canada's national interests. China is a victim; America is the troublemaker. There is zero evidence to support the fiction that China poses a threat to Canadian security. China celebrates the "live and let live" philosophy. Canada should, too.
Instead, Carney tethers himself to Trudeau's strategic blunder. He lacks experience and expertise on China. He should rectify this deficiency by hiring wise China hands. Dealing with China is simple. All it demands is respect.
To understand China's cultural DNA, look at the behavior of Chinese Canadians
Closer to home, he can judge China from the behavior of Chinese Canadians. Of all the ethnic groups in Canada's multicultural society, the Chinese are the most peaceful and productive. Their collective behavior is a mirror-image of their country of origin. China's cultural DNA is simple: it ploughs its own furrows, and doesn't meddle in other people's affairs. That is China in a nutshell.
The Canadian election has become a one-issue contest: Elect the loudest Trump critic. The Trump factor has overshadowed all other concerns. But this is dangerously one-dimensional. Running a country is much more than shadowboxing with Trump. Is Carney well-versed in bread-and-butter issues? Does he judge other countries such as China simplistically by labels? As the leader of an international country, can he transition from a narrow domestic political perspective to a strategic worldview? Does he ever ask himself: What does Canada gain by antagonizing China, the world's second largest economy and an otherwise peaceful Pacific neighbor? Why swallow the US anti-China propaganda?
No dog fight with China- there are no winners, only losers
At the end of the day, Carney's achievements may be measured not by his fight-to-the-finish with the madman in the White House but by the strategic gains he makes beyond the US sphere.
Forget Trump puppet Justin Trudeau. Be a friend to China like his father and reap the peace dividends
One thing is for sure. A dog fight with China is a dirty fight in a blind alley that leaves only bloodied losers. Is Carney China-smart or Trump-dumb? A strong Canada doesn't need a puppet-master.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Philip Yeung:
Opinion | Great diplomat from small country
Opinion | DeepSeek, China's Sputnik momen
Opinion | Don't do the Trudeau-dumb thing
Opinion | Three hot issues in a cooling economy for Two Sessions
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