Even though – or perhaps because – Canadians are preoccupied with the ongoing pandemic, Quebec decided that it would be a good time to amend unilaterally the Canadian constitution. This initiative would elevate further the primacy of the French language within Quebec and declare that Quebec is a nation.
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One of the most painful lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic is how vulnerable Canada is when it has to depend upon other countries for supplies of the life-saving vaccine. But Canada has to rely on other countries for a great many goods and services and, indeed, this has always been the case. Long before Confederation, Canada’s economic development was primarily as a supplier of staple commodities for export, such as fur, cod, and timber. After Confederation, the construction of the railway and the opening of the Prairies added wheat to the list of key exports, while “finished products” were mainly imported. Secondary manufacturing gradually developed in Canada, but mostly in the form of branch plants of American industries. Free trade agreements, beginning in 1988, tied our economy even more closely to the U.S. Our poor political leaders, nobody tells them anything. They are like mushrooms – kept in the dark and fed bullshit. At least that is what the Ontario Premier and federal Prime Minister would have us believe. In a rare but welcome spirit of bipartisan-ship, both are sticking to stories that strain credulity. |
AuthorC. Richard Tindal, Ph.D is a retired Professor of Government. He taught for 30 years at St. Lawrence College, Kingston and was an occasional Visiting Professor at Queen's University. He has also written and consulted extensively about government. Archives
October 2023
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