Politics

Analysis of Canadian Conservative Loss 2025

A person needs to start at the state of the political landscape before the election of Donald Trump to fully understand the scale of Conservative decline within such a short time frame. Pollsters had the Conservatives up by 20 plus percentage points bolstered by the hugely unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau’s arrogance and fixation on ideology far removed from the every day struggles of Canadians made the prospect of a liberal return to power simply untenable. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had been very effective during COVID of holding the liberals to account on policy while spelling out contrasts in policy. It became clear that Poilievre was a serious man of intellect building momentum toward victory.

However; the November 2024 election of Donald Trump changed everything. Suddenly, there was a requirement to build policy around a Canadian response to U.S. tariffs and articulate a message of how Canada would protect its sovereignty around innuendo from the White House that Canada should become the United States’ fifty-first state. Enter Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Fox News’ favourite guest Kevin O’Leary. Suddenly this dynamic duo was going to negotiate on behalf of Canadians in Trump’s private residence prior to Trump’s inauguration during a leadership vacuum federally given the resignation of Prime Minister Trudeau. Canadians outside Alberta were aghast.

Ironically, Trudeau’s finest hour of Prime Minister was articulating a response to the infamous White House meeting between Trump, Vance, and Zelensky asking viewers to “make sense” of what transpired. Poilievre was nowhere to be seen because he had forgotten where so many Canadians get their news – the CBC. You see…he decided that he wasn’t going to show up and play on a taxpayer subsidized news organization out of principle. Older Canadians not tuned into “social media” or political rally hype were left perplexed. Repulsed by Trump….these steadfast voters became concerned that Poilievre may have had some semblance of affinity toward Trump like policy and even outright fear that there was an ear to fifty first state rhetoric.

Poilievre had one last opportunity to use the word “Trump” in order to help Canadians understand the Conservative platform toward the new division between the nations at the English election debate but failed. While Mark Carney referenced Trump as the theme of his closing remarks, Poilievre finished with a reference to himself of how he rose from a modest background insinuating that others could do it too in the spirit of hard work amidst a climate of conservative policy.

Finally, advanced election polls were already open and the Conservative were yet to unwield their platform officially highlighted by a whopping 15 per cent tax cut. Imagine what those advanced voters must have thought afterward? Were the Conservatives grasping at straws?

Philosophy, Politics

The Canadian English Campaign Debate 2025

Although there were four present there, it was mostly a showdown between Carney and Poilievre. Mr. Singh was rather annoying and unstatesmanlike with his interruptions. Mr. Blanchet was out of step with a preponderance of Quebec’s interests over Canadians as a whole. If one election cycle could defrock the Bloc…let it be this one.

Mr. Singh did him and his party no favors with this performance. In fact, he didn’t seem to be as intellectually engaged on issues of substance which may have compelled him to sling the occasional unsolicited barb to score points that were beyond his reach.

There is no denying the intelligence of Pierre Poilievre but the trouble with his smarts is that in this age of Trump….the visceral from a leader is far more important. We’ve been down this road before in Canadian elections whereby the Conservatives have all the momentum but then seem to sputter when it counts the most – right before election day. Whether it’s a foot in the mouth or a failure to take a swing at the pitch down the pipe…the Conservatives have a problem closing.

Carney defended and kept composure. It was evidently apparent that he possesses the capacity to listen. Poilievre was effective at communicating his positions around industry, the housing crisis, and crime. Carney coyly reminded Poilievre on the conservative record on gun control. There was much agreement on Ukraine but few specifics on how to deal with the plight of Palestinian people.

Carney couldn’t muster an answer on the question of concealing disclosure of his personal assets which leads one to believe that there may be a real conflict despite him meeting ethics rules. His positions around “clean energy” are fuelling speculation.

The elephant in the room was Donald Trump and the only one on the stage who seriously engineered commentary on Trump’s presence was Carney and he did so directly during closing remarks. Carney told you the truth of Trump’s desire for Canada’s resources, it’s land, and it’s people and he gave you a message of defiance toward Trump’s covetousness of Canada. This message has been complemented by handshakes of both France’s President and the U.K’s Prime Minister. In his closing remark, Carney gave you the chance to believe him or not about his conviction around protecting Canadian’s interests from what has grown quickly from a perceived threat to a real threat.

Home run hitters produce the imagery of a water melon when the pitcher’s fast ball loses the heat in and around the sixth inning and the projectile sits there right in the middle of the strike zone looking to be launched into the bleachers. Pierre Poilievre in all his intelligence right close to an election decided not to go on CBC and emphatically denounce the rhetoric of Donald Trump. He looked at the melon stunned like a deer in the headlights. Then almost as if hiding from him again despite the shadow’s succinctness haunting that Montreal debate stage…Mr. Poilievre with a chance for one last swing with his last at bat took the strike and instead emotionally mused about his rise to leadership from modest means.

Lifestyle, Music

Tommy Emmanuel In Calgary

There was much anticipation of the Tommy Emmanuel concert at Calgary’s Jack Singer concert hall. I literally felt giddy earlier this evening upon dressing in blazer and slacks wondering what exactly what was about to unfold. I have watched his youtube rendition of “Classical Gas” about 20 times and “Lewis and Clark” probably ten. I’ve listened to other players rave about his prowess on acoustic guitar. J.P. Cormier ranks him as the best in the world. Other youtubers also put him there.

Made a point of getting there early. I was by myself and envisioned some sharing among a kindred spirit in the lobby. I walked right in and chatted up William. He had just stumbled on his ticket and never heard of the guy. His party hadn’t yet arrived so I eagerly set William up for the evening at hand.

Sat next to Kevin. He was a mandolin player so that was cool. He had just heard Christie Lenee at a folk club here in town and came to know about Tommy via the Christie crowd. Surprisingly, the place was not sold out and the top floor bar was closed.

Unassuming is how I’d characterize his demeanour as he took the stage. He jumped right into lively new material from his latest album. This helped him shake off some nerves. He was a bit tight early into the first set and I was thinking about the sound. The Jack Singer concert hall is spectacular and is particularly amenable to acoustic sound yet he was running his signal through a PA. I knew in advance that this is his typical large auditorium set up and was slightly disappointed that he didn’t decide to just run via acoustic amp akin to Cormier.

“Angelina” and “Never Too Late” came up in the first set and they were both done beautifully. He plays from the heart and his stage show is fantastic. There were no shortage of fast lead lines in between ballads and he wowed the crowd with a demo of his one man band methodology. One song in particular ran half way through full of one note harmonics only. I wondered if he was going to strike a chord and he finally did. This was the talking point between Kevin and I at half time. The precision just to hit consecutive harmonics is tricky never mind half a song worth of them.

I had never heard the song “Eva Waits” and it was solemnly melodic stemming from the story of separated love at the Berlin wall. Despite being fully cognizant of his penchant for using a guitar top for percussion…he dazzled my mind by gymnastically eliciting every imaginable sound from a guitar fixed with a mic and pick up. This was breath taking for him and us.

Tommy didn’t disappoint by bringing his reknown Beatles Medley topped off with select lines from Classical Gas. The Billy Joel song “And So It Goes” was flawless and closed with a colorful story of the “added bridge”. Eric Clapton was on his mind so he brought out an old run down Maton specially equipped with effects in and ode a la creme de la Cream.

Lifes Lessons, Philosophy, Politics

Ambivalence Must Now Be Shown The Door

You grew up in a household which taught values. You learned them and you now hold them dear. You also use them on a daily basis but you’ve seldom been tasked to deploy them within your macro social environment. Now is the time for that.  

You see…not everyone is as blessed as you. Some had not been blessed with a functioning household infused with integrity. Some folks now peer through a dark lens void from the loving canvas of a warm home. Cynicism has overtaken some of them so that their judgment has become clouded with apathy. Some have come to trust no one. Imagine that! 

You cannot allow the cynicism to develop into policy like it has recently in the United States of America. You cannot rationalize complicity and succumb to the lowest common denominator of life. You cannot exempt yourself from expression because of fear. You must speak. You must now express those values which have brought you abundance in spirit and peace in your heart. Help others come to know that covetousness and greed imperil and that love conquers all.     

Politics

Partisanship Exempt of Objectivity

All objectivity is absolutely lost with the partisan digging in deep picking sound bites for support of irresponsible rhetoric and decisions gone mad. The U.S.A. has lost their mind and may be imploding and losing all credibility across the globe referring to “wokeness” as a justification for ego stroking and destruction. Even Steve Forbes who has at times has been eloquent can’t differentiate communism from fascism. Wasn’t that a Nazi salute made by Elon Musk on camera? Now he runs ramshod over the public service whereby his President now gets even warmer to Russian aggressor while Ukraine wonders if they have a seat at the table.