Canada In The 21st Century: The Path Ahead

This short essay was written as a response to a YouTube video on the CaspianReport, titled, Geopolitics of Canada. At some point I may re-write it to be more in the form of a stand-alone essay, or a stump speech; but considering I am back-logged with 96 finished essays and 12 finished books that are waiting for me to proof-read and publish, I can’t promise that will be right away. So I thought I had better send this piece off into the world as it stands. Considering the enormous challenges at hand, I think we need all the critical reflection we can find, at this point in time, and time is of the essence.

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With all due respect, I have to say, This video passes for high level geopolitical analysis?

I am Canadian, and have lived 54 years in Canada, and have spent four decades and tens of thousands of hours researching and studying global issues, political-economy, geopolitics and philosophy. I would say from my perspective, that an intelligent first year university student could present a better geopolitical overview – while binge-drinking beer at the local pub with buddies. To focus on regional differences as the central challenge facing Canada, is so far off of the realities of this nation, that I don’t know where to begin.

In terms of challenges facing Canada, regional differences would rank somewhere in the top ten, but not likely in the top five – and it is an almost miniscule problem compared with the truly great challenges facing the country.

The top challenge, which anyone who has been paying any attention can see tops all others, is the global corporate fascist coup, which had been slowly unfolding for more than 50 years, and which in spring of 2020 entered into endgame stage. Anyone who does not yet recognize this fact, is not living in the real world, and is certainly not remotely qualified to comment on geopolitics or world issues.

The second greatest, and closely related challenge, is the long-standing policy of successive generations of Canadian business and political elites to keep Canada in the role of a colony – first of Britain, essentially until after WWII, then of the US, from 1945 up to the present.

Washington is indifferent to what happens in Canada? What planet do you live on?

The US is heavily dependent on Canada’s resources, which are among the richest in the world: oil and gas, water, uranium and lumber, being among the key strategic US dependencies for Canadian resources. If Canadian politicians ever found their spine, and simply imposed fair and reasonable export tariffs, Canada would be far richer than Saudi Arabia, and the Washington and Wall Street elite would panic and lose their minds.

This was the reason for the rabidly anti-democratic, sovereignty- and democracy-shredding treaties known as NAFTA and the SPP: secure Canada’s resources at bargain-basement prices for US business elites, and secure low-wage manufacturing labour in Mexico, for the benefit of the same US business elites (via NAFTA); and ensure a “deep integration” of the three nations into “Fortress North America”, under strict authoritarian corporate rule (via the SPP), in order to retain US global hegemony as long as possible. (What rock did you say you have been living under?) Canada was to be the resource base, Mexico the cheap labour pool, and the US business elite would bring the capital and reap the bulk of the rewards – with, of course, the Mexican, American and Canadian people being viewed, as usual, as fodder for the great Wall Street money-making machine.

Ask any Canadian whether the US is indifferent to Canadian politics, or whether Washington, Wall Street and Hollywood together exercise far greater influence, and dominance, than is good for Canada and the Canadian people, and probably 9 out of 10 will look at you like you just asked if the sky is blue, or if hockey is played with a puck.

Washington has never been indifferent to Canada. The US elite tried to take over Canada during the War of 1812, during which Canadian, British and First Peoples’ combined forces drove the US military all the way back to the US capital, and then set fire to the US capital building, just to make a point. Ever since then, the US capital building has been called the White House, and ever since then, the US has sought less overt ways of turning Canada into a colony. And it succeeded marvelously, between 1945 and the government of Trudeau Sr. in the 1970s, and it has succeeded to an even greater degree since our last decent Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, left office 40 years ago.

Anyone who does not realize that Canada has played the role of colonial vassal, first to Britain, long after Confederation and the formation of Canada as a nation, and then to the US, has no slightest idea of the realities of this nation.

And now, with the US being an empire in clear and steep decline, and set for economic collapse, the Canadian business and political elite are hedging their bets, by prostrating themselves before the feet of Beijing.

And the cycle of colonialism continues…. Unless we Canadians change it.

The Canadian people are far more united than your extraordinarily superficial and confused video suggests, and share a common philosophy and vision, in general, of strongly preferring sovereignty, independence, constitutional democracy and freedom, with a strong sense of multi-culturalism and social justice, as well as strong ecological concerns. What Canada is lacking, and has lacked for four decades, is leadership that merits the peoples’ high values.

The greatest challenges facing Canada in the 21st century, then, are as follows:

1. Defeating the global corporate fascist coup, at least in Canada, and restoring and renewing constitutional democracy, freedom and human rights.

2. Choosing a path of true independence and sovereignty, while retaining friendly relations with the US, China, Britain, Europe, and the rest of the world.

3. Tackling the growing environmental emergency facing both Canada and the world, without sacrificing the poor, the middle class, small and medium businesses, farmers, First Nations Peoples, economic vitality, or the values and rights of a free and democratic society.

Considering these grave dangers and great challenges, among others, our regional differences pale by comparison. While we must find new ways to accommodate both the dignity and the dreams of all Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, what unites us is greater than that which divides us; and further, the challenges ahead require us to be united. And one thing that is true of Canadians, perhaps above all others, is that when we are jammed between a rock and a hard place, and the times are the most challenging, we do unite, we do rally, and we do come through – with tenacity, with perseverance, with resiliency, and with great courage.

Your dreary and superficial analysis was way off the mark. Canada has great challenges – and you missed all of the greatest ones. And we have great strengths – and you missed those completely, as well.

To my fellow Canadians I would say, this is a very incomplete picture of the challenges ahead, clearly. But what I wanted to crystalize is a few of the top challenges, and to provide some historical perspective and some analysis on them – and to say to my fellow Canadians, that we have overcome great challenges before – and we will again. The future, as always, truly is in our hands.

J. Todd Ring,
February 12, 2021