Does Canada have a strategic vision for at home and abroad?
I have thought about this a lot since returning to Canada after 35 years of living abroad. I feel it most acutely when watching grainy National Film Board documentaries from the post-war years.
The films are fascinating time capsules that capture the immense hope of Canadians at the time about their country and its future. Narrators marvelled at the scale of the country and its potential.
There were lovely bits of Canadiana showing the prairie harvest, miners in northern Ontario, woodcutters in Quebec and fishermen on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Many of the vignettes would be considered politically incorrect and patronizing today, yet they were produced by the progressives of that time. Women figured prominently in many of the stories. So did Indigenous peoples and poor immigrant families.
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Excitement was expressed about the RCAF’s Canadian-made Argus reconnaissance aircraft, the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the launching of polar icebreakers such as the Louis St. Laurent.
It was a time of great pride in Canada’s peacekeeping missions to places such as Congo and the brigade and air squadrons in France and Germany that helped keep the Soviets in check.
2:38 Both sides trying to sway opinion on Teck Frontier mine
Both sides trying to sway opinion on Teck Frontier mine
Developing natural resources was a national obsession, and it was acknowledged that the lucre they created brought greater prosperity to remote areas and to cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
There was a universal sense then that Canadians were embarked together on a great national project and that the country punched above its weight. There was confidence that the nation — which was far more prosperous than Europe at the time — had become a world-beater and was just about the fairest place anywhere.
Those threads have unravelled a lot since then. Not many Canadians, whether oldtimers or newcomers, have much interest in the can-do mentality that propelled the country for its first century.
Though much of the population now lives in fast-growing cities, rather than the hinterlands, many urbanites are convinced that smaller is better. Such a philosophy is difficult to reconcile with an expansive frontier mentality.
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What we have instead are provinces bickering constantly, and sometimes spitefully trying to do each other economic harm. There is little patience anymore for the notion that what is good for one can actually be good for all.
No political leader has figured how to convince Canadians that the best way forward must be to continue to responsibly develop the country’s natural resources, while at the same time urgently investing billions into projects that seriously mitigate the effects of climate change and will encourage the super high-tech industries that will eventually overtake resource industries as the backbone of the economy — but not soon enough to walk away today from oil, gas, coal and the like.
Nor does any politician articulate a far-sighted nation-building vision that includes, say, a high-speed train corridor from Quebec City to Windsor or a partnership with the Inuit, who tend to be practical and business-oriented, to finally exploit the treasures of the High Arctic archipelago and adjacent waters.
Not to do so harms Canada economically and is a gift to China and Russia, who have no compunctions about resource development.
Canada’s lack of a strategic vision was underlined last week by a development that got relatively little attention. With no more poorly thought out federal or provincial bailouts coming, Bombardier Inc. must soon decide whether to sell its business jet or its rail arm.
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Worse than that, even Quebecers have stopped caring about what, given how much it has cost taxpayers, should have been one of the country’s crown jewels for decades to come.
Would the Japanese, the South Koreans, the French or the Germans have ever let a company with such great international potential as Bombardier sell off its world-class C series jet company to Airbus for $1, only to see it immediately rack up hundreds of millions of dollars in new sales?
The indifference surrounding Bombardier’s fate today reminds me of the way many Central Canadians and British Columbians regard Alberta’s energy industry. It is commonly viewed as evil and unnecessary because Canadians are smart enough to find alternatives, although this natural gas and oil still fuels the national economy and pays a lot of bills in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
1:28 Oil cars continue to burn at site of Saskatchewan CP train derailment
Oil cars continue to burn at site of Saskatchewan CP train derailment
The consequence of this illogical sentiment about the energy industry was underscored last week when a freight train carrying crude oil derailed in Saskatchewan, triggering a fire and spewing great black smoke clouds into the prairie sky, reminiscent of a similar crude oil train fire that in 2013 killed 47 people at Mégantic, Que.
These disasters happen because it has somehow become more politically correct to endanger Canadians by sending long oil trains snaking across the country than to build pipelines, which are a much safer option. Yet there seems to be little political will or skill to sort out what has become a hugely divisive problem.
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For all that, Canada has muddled through until now because of the resource-based economy that was largely created between 1880 and 1970 by visionary politicians, captains of business and labourers willing to do the bull work and trade with the world.
Perhaps it is naive to think this, but with the country badly fractured along east-west lines and divided into traditional and progressive camps today, there is a huge opening for an internationally-minded political leader who can inspire Canadians with an articulate, coherent dream of a united Canada.
Finding such a visionary — or having him or her find us — is a daunting task in these cynical times.
Matthew Fisher is an international affairs columnist and foreign correspondent who has worked abroad for 35 years. You can follow him on Twitter at @mfisheroverseas
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.
It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.
While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.
The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.
Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’
Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.
Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.
“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”
Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.
But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.
It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.
“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”
Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media
In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.
White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.
Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.
“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”
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Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.
The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
