Can Carney lead us beyond our 'Yanxit?'

Carney's first days Vs. 100 Trump days

It’s sweeping the Rockies, rustling Superior’s twisty trees, flying across the Plaines d'Abraham, even surging Fundy’s shores. What is it?

It’s the winds of change roiling Canada from coast to coast to coast. Perhaps for many it’s an ill wind, while for others this gale carries whispers of hope that we might survive this existential peril.

I’m talking about Mark Carney who won an impressive but not overwhelming mandate this week, coming at a staggeringly pivotal moment in Canadian history, thanks to the Trump administration’s threats to our sovereignty.

The contrast between Carney and Trump couldn’t have been more stark as the two North American leaders marked electoral milestones. One man bragged nonstop about his first 100 days of a regime beset by slumping popularity, court-challenged deportations, and quaking financial markets.

Meanwhile, the other leader began work on day one in his thoughtful, low-key way. He didn't mince words: Canada deserves US respect and will only enter talks with President Donald Trump “on our terms.”

Yet it has to be noted Carney will form a minority government, winning only 44 percent of the popular vote. So one group threw their lot in with Carney, hoping he might stickhandle us through our Yanxit, the way he did for Britain in its Brexit.

While a whole other group, including a lot of young men, didn’t want any part of handing the Liberals a fourth consecutive term amid dodgy economic numbers. Perhaps, both sides can agree on one thing: the going will be tough—as long as Trump tries to tariff us into oblivion, and tries to lasso us into becoming his 51st state.

Putting all that aside, I’m wondering about something else. Is it possible we will not just survive the onslaught from a darker America, but actually prosper? I’ve been thinking about what happens if we unshackle from a country that’s held our attention for too long, and look for opportunities on all compass points but south?

Why? Because there’s something about this Carney fellow: his CV is outstanding, the one that says he ran two central banks in two different major industrialized countries. Who does that? Apparently no one else! He attended both Oxford and Harvard, ran numerous international bodies, and played with big boys on Wall Street, including a stint at Goldman Sachs.

An added ingredient with Carney is his quintessential Canadian roots—he was born in a former Hudson’s Bay outpost in the far north for Pete's sake. He grew up mostly in Edmonton as a hockey-loving kid, the son of a couple of humble school teachers.

He’s from the north and that’s key because we often embrace the myth that our climate makes for hardy souls—heck, our national sport is played on ice, involving warriors with sticks and not a lot of teeth. Every country needs its myths, which is not unlike the way Americans embrace their western frontier.

The Carney bug is also sweeping over our borders. You can feel the appreciation of the man in opinion columns, especially in the UK where Carney is well remembered for his seven-year Bank of England stint. Now Carney is seen as the first leader to have defeated Trump, becoming the avatar to lead a world away from all things MAGA.

This could prove a burden but it shouldn’t be the main thing. Canadians want Carney to rifle his global Rolodex to connect with like-minded people, to fight like he did during England’s foolish breakup with the EU, and battle like he did as Canada’s central bank governor during the 2008 financial crisis.

We want him to forge brilliant international initiatives so we can live in a free and viable country. It sounds exhaustingly tough, and it is. Reimagining Canada won't be easy, yet our hope lies in Canada's chrysalis, ready to break free, beautiful and new.

Carney's first moves.