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Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Mark Carney DAVOS 2026 speech

 

Mark Carney DAVOS 2026 Speech


CARNEY ELECTRIFIES: GROWS INTO HIS OWN AS A WORLD LEADER!


By Professor Gilbert Morris
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas


Hon. Mark Carney’s DAVOS 2026 speech was the finest by a western leader since 1945.


Carney admitted: THE ENTIRE WESTERN ENTERPRISE OF A RULE GOVERNED WORLD ORDER HAS BEEN A LIE: invasions, bogus regime changes, sponsored genocides must all be rejected.


We must turn to “principled pragmatism”: a beautiful term for framing a cooperative world order; pioneered by role model nations like l Singapore, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland and Estonia.


Canada struck a blow for the only sort of world order in which nations like The Bahamas and other middle states can survive.  But Singapore’s Prime Minister Hon. Lawrence Wong, former Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, its former foreign Minister Hon. George Yeo and its former Ambassdor to the UN, H.E. Kishore Mahbubani made similar speeches during the last four months.


With artful aplomb, Carney also foregrounded diplomatic honesty as a key principle and practise.


Carney admitted openly, that Canada was complicit “living within the lies” of the old order.


HERE IS HOW HE PUT IT (EXCERPT):  

“Every day we are reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry.  That the rules-based order is fading.  That the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.

This aphorism of Thucydides is presented as inevitable – the natural logic of international relations reasserting itself.  And faced with this logic, there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along.  To accommodate.  To avoid trouble.  To hope that compliance will buy safety.

It won’t.

So, what are our options?

In 1978, the Czech dissident Václav Havel wrote an essay called The Power of the Powerless.  In it, he asked a simple question: how did the communist system sustain itself?

His answer began with a greengrocer.  Every morning, this shopkeeper places a sign in his window: “Workers of the world, unite!”  He does not believe it.  No one believes it.  But he places the sign anyway – to avoid trouble, to signal compliance, to get along.  And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists. 

Not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false.

Havel called this “living within a lie.”  The system’s power comes not from its truth but from everyone’s willingness to perform as if it were true.  And its fragility comes from the same source: when even one person stops performing — when the greengrocer removes his sign — the illusion begins to crack.

It is time for companies and countries to take their signs down.

For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order.  We joined its institutions, praised its principles, and benefited from its predictability.  We could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection.

We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false.  That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient.  That trade rules were enforced asymmetrically.  And that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim. 

This fiction was useful, and American hegemony, in particular, helped provide public goods: open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.

So, we placed the sign in the window.  We participated in the rituals.  And largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality.

This bargain no longer works.”


IN FACT THE BARGAIN NEVER WORKED…EVERYONE - ITS VICTIMS ESPECIALLY - KNEW IT WAS A LIE! 


CORE OF THE SPEECH FOR ME:


1. Canada was like gangster Tony Soprano’s wife: it went along with Tony (US) and benefited and when after all that blind loyalty, Tony turn on her (Trump’s abuse of Canada), she spoke as if innocent.

2. As such, I’m touched by Carney’s unprecedented honesty in reference the thinking person’s hero Vaclav Havel - the playwright President - who used the metaphor of the complicit shopkeeper in the old soviet system; whose mundane habits kept the system going.


Every country expecting to survive within a RULES BASED SYSTEM should call on Carney now reaffirming their commitment; as he seems possessed of the inner steel of a great man.  But do not assume that his load is light or the wisdom and courage of his posture makes him safe; even at home in Canada.


There are US influenced Canadians who say he should let the U.S. abuse happen and just ride it out.  He has separatist and MAGA flares in Quebec and Alberta; with noisy little groups wearing 51st state T-shirts.  As such he has to hold Canada together as he attempts to galvanise the world out of its lazy, cowardly complicity.


But Carney is not merely talking…like Dr Nigel Clarke former Jamaican Finance Minister - expert skill and experience changed the global equation: Carney never reacts.  MAGA gloated that Canada would come running back. But instead in just 6 months…Carney completed 50 trade deals…because when one knows what one is doing, timescales are paper thin! 


Whilst Europe and NATO languish as desperate chatter boxes and linger at great risk, Carney has spoken more firmly and courageously than any Euopean leader in its history: insisting ArticleV will be honoured; breathtaking that such a statement comes from within NATO toward a founding member of NATO….but as Lenin said: only Christian democracies attack each other and plunge the entire world into war. 


It’s happen twice already. 

 

There hasn’t been a single great leader on the world’s stage since the death of LeeKuanYew: Carney is emerging, but like all things…in this time, yet only for a time.


ACT NOW!


Source / Comment

Friday, February 17, 2023

The Caribbean Community Heads of Government commended Canadian Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau for continuing the legacy of strong relations between CARICOM and Canada

CARICOM, Canada Strengthen Relations



Canada’s Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau at CARICOM Heads of Government Conference 2023
Diplomatic relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Canada were strengthened on Thursday 16 February with an engagement between the Conference of Heads of Government and Canada’s Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, in The Bahamas.

The two parties discussed the situation in Haiti, climate change and climate financing, trade, increased people to people contact, regional security, among other issues.  

In his address to CARICOM Heads, the Canadian Prime Minister announced a new funding initiative totaling $44.8 million to tackle the climate crisis in the Caribbean.

He said the fund will support projects within regional organisations like the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs), and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund to improve marine and coastal ecosystem management, increase water security and to help governments respond to the impacts of climate change.

Acknowledging the challenges CARICOM countries face with accessing concessional development financing, he applauded the Bridgetown Initiative led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados.  The Initiative has “re-energised the conversation on International Financial Institutions’ reform to the overlapping health, climate, debt, and liquidity crisis affecting many CARICOM countries,” the Canadian Prime Minister stated.

On the trade side, he said Canada is seeking a renewal of a waiver from the World Trade Organisation for goods from the Region to enter Canada duty-free beyond 2023, through the CARIBAN programme.

CARIBAN was announced in Nassau during a CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in 1985 and Prime Minister Trudeau said it is “only fitting” that CARICOM-Canada Heads of Government renew their commitment to the trading agreement during their meeting Thursday.

CARICOM-Canada reciprocal trade reached $1.9 billion in 2021, while bilateral trade in services reached $3.9 billion, Prime Minister Trudeau told CARICOM heads as he highlighted the strong trade ties between the two parties.

Heads of Government commended Prime Minister Trudeau for continuing the legacy of strong relations between CARICOM and Canada.  They advocated for his country’s support on concessional funding for climate change related loss and damage, recovering from disasters, and development financing.  Heads also emphasised the need for increased people-to-people contact between CARICOM and Canada through the restoration of visa-free travel.  In response to the latter, Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canada will in the coming days, announce new measures to simplify access to “trusted travelers” from CARICOM and other countries in the Region.


Source

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What did CARICOM get from Canada?

The greatest foreign affairs prank by the Caribbean Community, CARICOM on Canada


Caribbean Community CARICOM

By Ian Francis:

CARICOM Press Communiqué 98/2012 of April 16, 2012 under the caption “CARICOM lobbies Canada for G20 help” has caught my interest and curiosity, which warrants a Caribbean News Now Article on this critical issue.

It is important to state that my curiosity meant reading over the press communiqué several times in order to avoid criticisms from my analysis and response. Therefore, it is incumbent upon my part to address the content of the release in a chronological manner.

Paragraph one of the release highlighted that a meeting was held between the heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada. At the meeting, CARICOM heads requested Canada to continue the lobby to the G20 nations to focus on the plight of small vulnerable economies and highly indebted middle income countries. Harper nodded and maybe there is a reason why he opted for a non-verbal response.


Paragraph two lamented that it was the second meeting with a G20 nation, citing Mexico as the previous one. Again, there are no indicators as to how Mexico responded. Given the fact of increased drug trafficking, crime and lawlessness, human rights violation and recent natural disasters, one wonders if Mexico is seen as a reliable partner within the G20 community. Given this situation, it will be interesting to see future political development in Mexico and its relations with CARICOM states.

Paragraph three highlighted four topics that apparently consumed Prime Minister Harper’s time. These were 1) economic issues; 2) the ongoing negotiations for a trade and development agreement between the two sides, which it is believed is the CARIBCAN trade agreement; 3) security cooperation; and 4) an acknowledgement of the special relationship between Canada and CARICOM, which has existed for almost a century and described the relationship as “dynamic and evolving based on mutual respect and shared interests, from which the respective nations have benefitted.”

Paragraph four is very interesting as CARICOM states expressed appreciation to Canada for its assistance in advocating CARICOM’s views in a global forum such as the G20. Canada was asked to continue its advocacy role with even greater urgency, taking into consideration the seemingly endless global economic and financial woes that continue to wreak havoc on the small, vulnerable economies in the Community.

Paragraph five outlined an information sharing mechanism aimed at increasing Prime Minister Harper’s awareness about some of CARICOM initiatives. The prime minister was advised of CARICOM’s efforts to use its collective strengths to combat the challenges and secure the future through diverse measures. They emphasized the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) although they were not able to indicate its current status; establishment of CARICOM enterprises, which fell short of details even when the prime minister sought information about future participation by Canadian entrepreneurs; and, of course, they took the opportunity to express appreciation for the support provided to the CARICOM Secretariat through the CARICOM Trade and Competitive Project, which will likely integrate Haiti into the CSME.

Post Summit Perspective on the Canada-Caribbean Meeting:

The communiqué’s synopsis gives a clear indication about the Caribbean Community and Canada meeting. Once again, Canada should be commended for affording the opportunity to meet with a group of leaders who three months ago was unable to show guts by telling Venezuela and their misguided Latin nation allies that Canada should be invited to attend CELAC meeting in Caracas. They went along and joined the Latin pariah states in excluding Canada. In my view, Canada will always remain a friend of the Caribbean Community irrespective of their transience when El Presidente speaks.

The meeting with Canada demonstrated the show of regional collectivity, cooperation and leadership given by the CARICOM Secretariat. However, those who attended should understand that, although Prime Minister Harper was impressed by the show of solidarity, his briefing books and three ring binders would have indicated a totally different situation. So, Caribbean Community leaders, do not be fooled. The same applies to Mexico and the United States.

The Caribbean Community leaders who participated in the meeting need to clearly understand Canada’s role in the Caribbean. Traditionally, in the conduct of its foreign relations, Canada has always recognized the region as two distinct vantage points. Canada has traditionally maintained strong bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Belize and the Republic of Guyana. They have established diplomatic missions in each of these nations as well as strong cooperation agreements ranging from military to education.

What was previously known as the Windward and Leeward grouping, which is now the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Canada has opted to allow its High Commission in Barbados to handle OECS Affairs. There, OECS states must understand that, although Canada recognizes and understands the plight of the OECS, there are indeed preferential treatments to the five nations mentioned above. Unfortunately, OECS leaders have not spent the time to re-orient Canada’s strategy in the region. A clear indicator of OECS deficiencies is accepting the suggestions of a soon to be retired Canadian diplomatic official to close the OECS diplomatic mission in Ottawa as a cost containment effort. To many diplomatic observers, it is an extremely dumb move to close a vehicle that provided an OECS diplomatic presence in Ottawa. The decision to close the OECS diplomatic mission in Ottawa was ill-fated and many leaders are now privately expressing regrets at the decision made in St Vincent.

The Caribbean Community’s desire to see Canada continue lobby efforts with G20 countries is laughable and could be considered the greatest foreign affairs prank by the Caribbean Community on Canada. Why is it laughable? Many of the G20 nations have bilateral diplomatic relations with most of the independent nations that constitute the community. While the exchange of diplomatic personnel might be at a non-resident level, the mere fact that all community members have flourishing and active diplomatic missions at the United Nations and in Washington should provide them the opportunity to access G20 nations to discuss economic and vulnerability issues on a bilateral level rather than begging Canada to ensure that the regional economic plight is mentioned in the final communiqué of G20 meetings.

Three other issues caught my attention. These are: 1) Canada’s significant multilateral assistance to the CARICOM Secretariat to implement the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) program, and the inability of the Community leaders to give an accurate progress report on the status of the CSME to Harper; 2) Canada’s false belief that OECS nations’ economic problems can only be effectively resolved by plowing more multilateral assistance within the CARICOM Secretariat, knowing full well that such assistance is not impacting on daily conditions faced by the poor and disadvantaged; and 3) the OECS Caribbean Community leaders shortsightedness, and lack of an economic development bilateral strategy for presentation to Canada.

To conclude, I will not add any further comments about the revised CARIBCAN trade agreement. However, I am curious about what OECS nations will sell and market in Canada, as the Caribbean rum environment in Canada is very competitive.

So, personnel in OECS foreign ministries need to become more visionary and place less emphasis on the next foreign posting.
April 23, 2012

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