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Watching a country unravel in the face of failing leadership is not a pretty sight. We see it in Venezuela right now and, sadly, right here as well.
The final straw may have been the federal court ruling on the pipeline. It has triggered plenty of movement – suspension of work that had previously been approved – provinces realigning themselves, with Alberta pulling out of Ottawa’s climate strategy.
Then there’s the NAFTA stuff. We have been isolated by our biggest trading partner and our big priorities for the deal – things like gender balance and the environment – are nowhere to be seen as we seem to be in a completely different game than everyone else.
For those of us in the West, the latest decision on pipelines is being viewed as the ultimate notice to the world that we are not open for business. An ex-pat Saskatchewan business person now living in Europe pointed out that from the European vantage point Canada is an exporter of commodities – we have never been world leaders in technology or manufacturing. And now we seem to be trying to kill the one thing we’re good at.
