Published in the Hamilton Spectator, 19 September 2025
Re: Editorial Cartoon, Carney and Poilievre have competing projects underway, Sept. 13
I always enjoy editorial cartoons, even ones that mock politicians and parties that I support. However, Graeme MacKay shouldn’t get too smug just yet.
The list of nation-building projects that Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced, and others to come, are just that: announcements. I’ll wait until the projects are completed, funded by private capital, not taxpayer dollars, before I celebrate his achievements.
As former prime minister Justin Trudeau proved, making announcements is the easy part.
Bruce Forsyth, Barrie (formerly of Burlington)
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Unedited version:
Re: Editorial Cartoon (Hamilton Spectator, 13 September): I always enjoy editorial cartoons, even ones that mock politician and parties that I support. However, Graeme MacKay shouldn’t get too smug just yet. The list of nation building projects that Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced, and others to come, are just that: announcements. I’ll wait until the projects are completed, funded by private capital, not taxpayer dollars, before I celebrate his achievements. As former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proved, making announcements is the easy part.
As Brian Lilley points out in his column in the Toronto Sun, “On Thursday, Carney released a list of five projects for his list of “nation-building projects” and all of them would be moving forward whether or not he won the election in April – regardless of whether or not Donald Trump was threatening out economy.” So there’s that, too.
Additionally, I haven’t heard anything about telling opponents of energy development to pound salt and get out of the way, nor have I heard that he will be repealing Bill C-69, aka, the No More Pipelines bill and Bill C-48, aka the tanker ban. Carney has been non-committal on whether he would or wouldn’t overrule any objections from Indigenous groups and Quebec, when it comes to pipelines transiting through their territories, despite his pronouncements that nation-building projects will receive priority. Having consultations are important, but they can’t be a synonym for a veto, especially in situations where the elected band councils approve projects, only to be overruled by the Hereditary Chiefs.
I would suggest that Indigenous Nations need to get together and sort their crap out, but that’s another issue.
Many Liberal supporters will crow about the fact that the Trudeau-led government built the Trans-Canada Pipeline expansion. That is very true, but they only did it after making it so economically nonviable that the previous owner, Kinder Morgan, walked away from the pipeline. Trans Canada was ready, with private capital, to build and operate the pipeline. Instead, Trudeau forced T.C. out, paying $4.5 billion for the pipeline and subsequently spending.
The Trans Mountain Pipeline officially commenced operations on 1 May 2024, the long-delayed project had taken 12 years and cost $34 billion. How many hospitals, police officers, social housing and other benefits could have been funded with that money? The Liberals could have just stood back and waited for the tax dollars and royalty money to roll in, but Noooooooo!
Further, the Liberal government spent the last 10 years chasing away private business investment, so why would any energy producer want the risk of investing in Canada, knowing there is a good chance their project will get mired in bureaucratic quicksand and endless protests from paid agitators. In fact, I can already visualize the press conference where PM Carney “dejectedly” tells Canadians that no private companies want to build pipelines and port facilities to export our energy resources to international markets, so none will be built.
I hope I’m wrong, but let’s not hold the victory parade just yet.
Sources: https://www.indigenouswatchdog.org/update/first-nations-dont-have-a-veto-over-nation-building-projects-mark-carneys-justice-minister-says/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Mountain_pipeline#, Carney says speedier development requires Indigenous partners, Carney’s response to Canada’s economic challenges underwhelming | Toronto Sun.
