Jonathan Pedneault🟢 on Bluesky
What is this « new economic and security relationship, » you’ll be promoting? Canadians must know.
If any of this means you’re caving in, you’ll find us on your path.
Canada doesn’t bow to a bully. And we don’t deal with fascists who undermine democracy and human rights.
This illustrates precisely how I feel. The wording was very worrying. I know he probably has to walk a verbal tightrope to even get a minor concession out of a malignant narcissist like Trump without setting him off, but I’m not even sure how many Canadians even want to try and get concessions out of him anymore, he’s not trustworthy and can’t be held to them and I would hope someone as apparently smart as Mark Carney realizes that.
I understand your concern. This situation highlights how our national relationship with the US is hostage to the personal whims of whoever holds power there - a direct consequence of our diplomatic asymmetry with a much larger neighbour.
What’s particularly troubling is that the Liberal party’s refusal to support proportional representation weakens Canada’s democratic legitimacy during precisely these kinds of international confrontations. A government elected with a true majority of votes would have much stronger standing when defending Canadian interests against foreign pressure.
In 1998, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that “a state whose government represents the whole of the people… on a basis of equality and without discrimination… is entitled to the protection under international law of its territorial integrity.” Our winner-take-all system fundamentally undermines this principle.
You’re right to be skeptical about negotiating with someone who consistently acts in bad faith. Unfortunately, Canada’s position is made even weaker when our government typically represents a minority of voters while governing for the majority - exactly the democratic deficit our electoral system creates.
If Carney were truly concerned about strengthening Canada against external threats, he’d be advocating for the electoral reform that would give our government the democratic legitimacy it deserves when standing up to bullies.
I agree, I generally consider myself a Liberal voter, and I voted for the Liberals when Justin Trudeau promised electoral reform. When they threw that promise away I felt so betrayed I swore I would never vote for him again, and even though he’s gone now, I don’t truly believe it was just him, and their lack of commitment to electoral reform still burns me badly. I think that was an example of acting in bad faith as well, and just like I said about Trump, I don’t even think their promises can be trusted anymore.
If they want my vote back they’ll need to make a serious commitment to PR once again, and somehow convince me they actually mean it this time. So far I’ve seen nothing reassuring on that front.
Your experience mirrors that of many Canadians. That betrayal on electoral reform was particularly painful because it wasn’t just a typical policy promise - it was about fixing the very foundation of our democracy.
What’s frustrating is that this wasn’t the first time Liberals promised and failed to deliver electoral reform. As far back as 1919, Liberal leaders from Mackenzie King to Pierre Trudeau have campaigned on PR during elections, only to abandon it once in power.
The 2015 broken promise was especially egregious because Trudeau later admitted he “should have immediately shut down talk about proportional representation” and that Liberals were “deliberately vague” to appeal to reform advocates. All while knowing he only wanted Instant runoff voting (a non-proportional system that would benefit the Liberal Party).
Both major parties have calculated that maintaining the broken system serves their interests. When 68.6% of Liberal MPs voted against even creating a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform in 2024, it revealed their true priorities.
I’ve concluded that supporting parties with consistent records on PR (like the Greens and NDP) is the only viable path forward. Looking at Carney’s responses on electoral reform so far, it appears the Liberal calculation hasn’t changed. They’re hoping we’ll forget again.
The hard truth is that parties benefiting from a broken system rarely fix it voluntarily. Until we make proportional representation a ballot box issue that costs them elections, the cycle will continue.
Walk softly and carry a big stick.