​Canada’s Premiers Happily Lined Up Looking Like Boys and Girls Waiting to see Santa at the Mall

Hope was in the air on Tuesday at the First Ministers’ Meeting in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Perhaps the Premiers knew in their hearts that Prime Minister Mark Carney could not give them everything they wanted following their meeting. But one after the other the Premiers shamefacedly put forward their priorities for projects of “national significance” in their province and Santa Carney had them dancing and smiling.

Never one to have much good to say about a federal government, let alone a Liberal federal government, Premier Danielle Smith said she was encouraged by the new tone at the meeting. Despite the wildfires causing devastation in his province, the host Premier, Scott Moe was all smiles sitting beside Carney at the “Knights of the Roundtable” meeting.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said this was the best meeting in ten years, and the best in his seven years as Premier.

New Brunswick was well represented at the table, with Dominic LeBlanc, minister responsible for Canada-US Trade, and Premier Susan Holt who put forward development of Saint John’s bustling port, including the realignment of the famous Simms Corner to accommodate increased rail traffic to the port from city industries. Holt is also making a priority of a new East-West oil pipeline through Quebec into Saint John with its largest oil refinery in the country.

John Hogan, the new Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador put forward Gull Island project, another major new hydroelectric project in the Churchill River area of Labrador, which he said could produce 14,000 jobs.

“There’s a lot of good will (at the table),” said Hogan.

There are risks to the inner workings of cabinet and to the environment and to First Nations rights from the championing of these giant expedited projects.
 
Prime Minister Carney has named what are effectively Super Ministers such as in Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson. At a recent speech in Calgary which was well received by oil and gas executives, Hodgson vowed to reduce the permitting time for new projects to two years.

No doubt this was music to the ears of Alberta Premier Smith, but are there risks for the environment in this approach?

Within cabinet will these new super ministers clash within cabinet itself with ministers, such as environment, with less clout.

Ontario Premier Ford has his eye set on the Northern Ontario “Ring of Fire” project, which offers huge potential for mineral development, but also with great environmental concerns and opposition from First Nations.

The optimism expressed in Saskatoon, was soon dampened from South of the Border by President Trump’s decision to go ahead to increase tariffs on Canadian and other nation’s steel and aluminium to 50 per cent.

Minister LeBlanc pointed out that these would have a very negative impact on American firms which use Canadian steel and aluminium in their projects. Still, Trump blunders ahead with his “beautiful word” of tariffs.

Meanwhile, all is not well in Trump land. One of his original backers, Elon Musk, came out furiously against Trump’s spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” The spending bill would add $2.4 Trillion (that is a ‘T’) to the debt of the USA.

Could it be that Trump’s MAGA crusade is in the advance stages of decay?

Still, there is a new optimism in Canada. Despite the reality of ten years of rather aimless Justin Trudeau government, it “feels” like there has been an actual change of government in Ottawa. The Carney government is marching ahead to the meeting of the G-7 in Alberta in two weeks.
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For now, at least, Prime Minister Carney is the Teflon Man, and Canadians appear happy with him in his Santa Claus role.