Wednesday Night #2243

Welcome PM-designate Carney
and congratulations on the landslide victory – 86% is not too shabby!
We enjoyed the excellent CBC coverage of the announcement event; good speeches by everyone, but Chrétien -aka the Liberal Lion in Winter- topped them all.
On Monday, Mark Carney appointed [current MP and former cabinet minister] Marco Mendicino as chief of staff — angering Muslim supporters; his good friend, former justice minister David Lametti is also helping with Carney’s transition.
Alan Hustak suggests
Even at his age Chrétien should be in Cabinet. This is no time for partisan politics. I’d like to see the PM-designate establish a committee of a team of rivals including Chrétien, Charlie Angus, Stephen Harper, Jean Charest, Joe Clark and Perry Bellegarde to deal with the existential threat to the country.
He may get his wish. On Monday evening, CBC reported Mark Carney camp offers role to former Quebec premier Jean Charest: sources
Thanks to Terry Jones for the WSJ’s singularly uncritical piece Canada’s New Leader Mark Carney Embodies Trump’s Least Favorite Things – A former central bank chief in Canada and the U.K., he is a defender of the multilateral order that Trump seeks to overturn NB It notes without further comment:
“Commentator and author Jordan Peterson recently compared Carney to a ‘tyrant’ who wants to use fear about climate change to curtail personal freedoms and to subjugate businesses through implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion policies and environmental and social governance initiatives.”
Anything-or one- that Jordan Peterson disapproves of gets our vote.
Finally (for now), Le français de Mark Carney, a welcome opinion from L’Actualité contributor Jean-Benoît Nadeau who argues that accents are natural and should be embraced rather than judged. He values Carney’s ideas over his accent, contrasting them with those of Pierre Poilievre, whose French is stronger but whose policies he finds less compelling.
Challenges welcoming Carney are above all Canada-U.S. relations and most pressing, THE TARIFFS. However, long-term preoccupations have to be Trump’s continuing threats of annexation (Canada – the 51st state). See below Long reads URGENT WARNING

Peter Frise maintains his role as WN’s expert on all things automotive and directed us to the account of Wednesday morning’s press conference ‘We need to fight back’: Canada announces $29.8B in tariffs in response to Trump. Dominic LeBlanc is scheduled to travel to Washington on Thursday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Not only Canada is facing Trump tariffs. However, different nations react differently.
EU retaliates against Trump’s trade moves and slaps tariffs on produce from Republican states, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25 per cent. Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, said in a speech Europe’s economic outlook is being clouded by policies ‘unthinkable only a few months ago.’.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said her government would wait until April 2 to decide whether to retaliate with reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods.
China can live with Trump’s tariffs – his bullish foreign policy will help Beijing in the long term
Xi Jinping will order China to stand fast. In putting America first, Trump has done more than Xi has ever managed to make China great again.

Dizzying turnaround in US-Ukraine relations leaves all eyes on Russia
The turnaround in U.S.-Ukraine-Russia relations is yet another whiplash moment of the week. We are confused. Is Trump Putin’s puppet? Or has he opted for the role of peacemaker without guidance from Putin? Zelensky has played a major part, apparently coached by the European allies on making proper obeisance to Trump.
Text of US-Ukraine statement paving way for resumption of aid, intelligence sharing
(Reuters) Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation.
Update: Trump hints at financial repercussions if Russia rejects Ukraine ceasefire
US president’s comments come after Ukrainian counterpart said he believed ‘strong steps’ were under consideration
For another view of Trump, see uber conservative Marc Thiessen 5 things people get wrong about Trump and Ukraine
I’ve spent hours talking with the president about the war. Here’s what you need to know.

Everyone Has a Plan for Gaza. None of Them Add Up.
Since President Trump’s suggestion to expel the territory’s population, Middle East leaders have rushed to propose options for a postwar Gaza. Each is unacceptable to either Israel or Hamas, or both.
Under President Trump’s plan, the United States would govern Gaza and expel its residents. Under the Arab plan, Gaza would be run by Palestinian technocrats within a wider Palestinian state. By one Israeli proposal, Israel would cede some control to Palestinians but block Palestinian statehood. By another, Israel would occupy the entire territory.

Greenland voted and we are confused. Some say the result favours a future with Trump, others say no.
Greenland votes for change but coalition talks will govern how it reacts to Trump – The tone of relations with the US may depend on whether second-placed Naleraq ends up inside the government.

Melanie Joly is hosting the G7 Foreign Ministers in Charlevoix.
Joly said Wednesday morning that she also will use the meeting to push back on U.S. tariffs.
“In every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to co-ordinate our response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans,” Joly said.
She added that Trump’s “unjustifiable trade war” is based on a series of pretexts and seems to be aimed at eventually annexing Canada.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, has said the G7 meeting will focus on Ukraine and North American security. “It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada,” Rubio told reporters in Ireland, adding Trump’s tariffs are “policy decisions” and that Trump himself is putting forward the idea of Canada joining the U.S.
Seems to us the host country gets to set the agenda, no?

‘Elbows Up’ became a rally cry against Trump
In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Canadian actor Mike Myers may have started a movement by pointing to his elbow and mouthing the words ‘elbows up’ during appearances on Saturday Night Live. The phrase has caught on and has become a rallying cry in the trade war.

Tariff war: Does Trump actually know what he’s doing?
While U.S. President Donald Trump was pausing some tariffs, Andrew Chang breaks down two schools of thought: whether Trump’s chaotic approach stems from lack of planning, or a much more intentional strategy.

The Trump Slump is now
Robert Reich:  You can’t take a battering ram to every major institution in America and expect the economy to do well

As we keep searching for glimmers of positive news from the U.S., this cropped up ‘operative-turned-politician-turned-diplomat’ Rahm Emanuel Is Gearing Up to Run for President, which should inject some life in the moribund Democratic Party. If you need convincing, see Overtime: Rahm Emanuel, Fareed Zakaria weigh in on what the Democratic Party must do to improve its performance at all levels of government.

Bestselling Canadian author Louise Penny cancels all U.S. engagements, citing trade war.
Last month,  Louise Penny announced that she had pulled out of the planned launch of her forthcoming The Black Wolf at the Kennedy Center in DC. Last Friday, in a social media post, she shared the news that she has cancelled all upcoming appearances and engagements in the United States. Instead, and with the support of her publishers, Penny said she will launch the book at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa on Tuesday, October 28. She will then hold other Canadian book launch and promotion events before she ends her tour at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which has recently become the subject of bilateral tension. See long reads below A library, divided

Say what?
RBC says it has laid off some employees as part of its “growth strategy.”

Varia – animal stories in the spotlight
This is the most adorable creature you might never see
If you really want to know when spring arrives, you’ll need to ask the spotted salamanders. They’ve been doing it right for millions of years.
Grazing against blazing: How landowners and local governments are embracing goats as a wildfire mitigation tool
Colombian ‘hotel for cows’ could help reduce deforestation in the Amazon
This “hotel for cows” is something called silvopasture. That’s the intentional integration of trees, grasses and livestock. doubles the number of cows raised per hectare and the dairy cattle make more milk.
Charles Darwin couldn’t find these legendary curly horses. Centuries later, they’ve reappeared.
The mysterious curly coated horses in South America evaded the famed naturalist. But now one couple is forming a herd of their own—and trying to save the species.

Events
Saturday, March 22
2-3:30 pm
Westmount Public Library
Diana Bruno,dictionary writer, will tell you if cancer is easier the second time around, about becoming fluent in Medicalese while navigating the healthcare system, and getting her active life back.
Conférence | Lecture – Apart From Cancer, I’m Perfectly Healthy, and…

Tuesday, March 25, 3 pm
The Indo-Pacific: Canadian and Indian Perspectives –
The Montreal branch of the Canadian International Council is pleased to invite you to this discussion with Indian journalist and scholar C. Raja Mohan, who will present an Indian perspective on this important relationship for both countries.
Room 232, Leacock Building, McGill University
Canada’s government is counting on its Indo-Pacific strategy as a key piece of its foreign policy approach. At this moment of change, with an election imminent, is there an opening that could lead to a thaw in relations? What is the potential for resetting our diplomatic relations and expanding trade with this growing giant?
The event will be moderated by T.V. Paul, Distinguished James McGill Professor in Political Science, McGill University, with discussants Vincent Rigby, Slater Family Professor of Practice, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University; Vina Nadjibulla, Vice President, Research & Strategy, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada; and Christopher Neal, Secretary, Canadian International Council, Montreal Branch. Please see the attached poster; admission is free, but RSVP (click RSVP on the poster) is requested by March 18.

Follow-up from last WN:
Tactical nuclear weapon
A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon (NSNW) is a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations, mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territory.

Good (Long) reads
URGENT WARNING: Trump is Planning to Invade Canada & Greenland
The Regime’s Big Talk Indicates that the Decision Has Been Made; They Just Don’t Know How or When.
By Malcolm Nance
Apparently, Trump’s guiding principle is the children’s board game Risk. This game is about imperial domination, where your strategy can win or lose on the roll of dice. There is no public plan for Trump’s actions, but Trump’s statements give us guidelines to show that they are serious about seizing these two nations. They are clearly willing to roll the dice and see what happens.

Jeremy Kinsman: The Madness of King Donald
The New York Times reports that Donald Trump told Prime Minister Trudeau that he “did not believe that the treaty that demarcates the border between the two countries was valid and that he wants to revise the boundary…(and) mentioned revisiting the sharing of lakes and rivers…which is regulated by a number of treaties.”

Out of Putin’s war and Trump’s treachery, a new Europe is being born
Nathalie Tocci
The EU has its Trojan horses and Nato’s cornerstone has crumbled. But European allies, including the UK, are bound by an urgent shared purpose

A library, divided
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, split between the Vermont-Quebec border, has become uncomfortably enmeshed in geopolitics thanks to the antics of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

May I Have Some More?
How two stars of the wonk left are making abundance the new Democratic buzzword.
The timing of Abundance, the new book by the journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, is extraordinary.
…Klein and Thompson offer a vision of a “liberalism that builds,” a can-do antidote to blue-state malaise.
The writers acknowledge up front that parts of the book are sewn together from their own published articles, and it suffers at times from a lack of clear structure. But Abundance is unabashed in synthesizing good ideas, stringing together (and generously citing, in the text) books and papers about NIMBYism, construction, environmentalism, clean energy, government technology, procurement rules, medicine, science, and invention to make its point. Klein and Thompson argue that liberals (with the occasional assist from conservative saboteurs) have hamstrung their own ability to do good.