Canadian politics, economy: Canada Day, 2026

Self-tutoring about Canada right now: the tutor gives reactions to current events.

The following is by my understanding.

This Canada Day morning, like a Canadian might do, I got up, poured a cup of coffee, and sat down to catch up on the news. There was no shortage.

I was directed to this video presentation by Mark Carney from this article by Catherine Lévesque.

As I understand it, PM Carney acknowledges oil and gas as conventional energy, and that Canada should feed the global demand for it as much as possible – albeit responsibly – while it lasts. With the new Trans Mountain pipeline, that’s become more of a possibility.

Carney acknowledges that the previous course Canada was on, energy-wise, lost its feasibility as upheavals unfolded around the world.

Carney’s approach to energy management seems to me to be both progressive and sensitive. He’s progressive in that he acknowledges the utility of pipelines and also nuclear energy. Moreover, he’s sensitive to the fact that Canada, in its present state, can’t manage the kind of energy transition that some people here and abroad have been calling for.

I recall hearing that among households that earn over 200K, climate change is the main voting issue. I would imagine, under the previous PM, households that earned over 200K from the government probably increased in number.

It was suggested to me decades ago by one of my professors that there is no “average” Canadian. Au contraire, I yet believe there could be an average Canadian, and that such Canadian believes in pipelines and nuclear energy. Perhaps that’s partly because said average Canadian’s household doesn’t earn 200K – neither does mine.

My own personal feeling is that life in Canada is improving. As PM Carney himself says, “we shouldn’t mess that up.”

Happy Canada Day:)