A New Cold War

Once upon a time the whole world was completely swept up in a war. Not World War One or Two but something called the Cold War. It lasted from 1947-1991, a period of international rivalry between the capitalist led United States and its allies and the communist led Russia and its allies in the Soviet Union and China. However, because both sides possessed enormous numbers of nuclear weapons they never fought with each other directly for fear of unleashing complete nuclear destruction. This strategy was referred to as Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD. Instead both sides supported smaller conflicts with proxy partners like Korea, Vietnam, and Angola. 

As part of Canada's contribution to the defense of North America a joint defense organization was established in 1957 called the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, and a series of radar stations were built in the 1950's across the country to detect any possible Soviet bombers coming over the North Pole. Called the Distant Early Warning Line or DEW Line it was the biggest military project in Arctic history. However, the construction of this Dew Line had a profoundly negative impact on the Inuit who lived there as their way of life changed radically and the pristine North was treated as a garbage dump.

In the 1960's with the advent of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, this radar technology became obsolete and the stations were decommisioned, leaving even more mess to clean up. The toxic cleanup continues to this day, a project that has cost close to $1 billion dollars and leaves behind 134 landfills containing 283,000 cubic metres of less contaminated soil and non-hazardous waste from buildings, steel drums, and water tanks. The other 35,000 cubic metres of soil contaminated with PCBs and lead have been bagged and shipped south for incineration. The DEW Line was replaced by the North Warning System using a more advanced Over The Horizon radar.

Now with hypersonic missiles being the latest in missile technology, a new type of defense system is believed to be required which Trump is calling the Golden Dome. This would integrate both land based and space based missile detection systems to shield the U.S. from ICMBs, hypersonic missiles and missiles launched by submarines. Once again Canada is being asked to pony up for a share in the cost which will be in the billions.

But before Canada decides to help pay for the Golden Dome or something similar as part of the U.S. pressure to increase our contribution to the defense of North America and end our so-called "free ride" perhaps a closer look at a polar map would be warranted. The first thing to notice is that nobody will ever be invading Canada from the North. The frozen seas, arctic wasteland, and topography make it impossible. There won't be any tanks or troops marching across the frozen tundra to Churchill or Yellowknife. The ICBMs and other missiles won't be aimed at Winnipeg or Toronto either. They will be aimed at non-Canadian targets like Chicago, New York and other U.S. cities. Nobody is coming after us so we don't need America's protection. Besides the Cold War is over and MAD is still an effective deterrent. There are other more important issues.

Thanks to climate change and water use, the falling water levels of the Hoover Dam reservoir known as Lake Mead, point to a much bigger issue the U.S. is facing and that's a shortage of fresh water. This shortage of fresh water is happening all over the U.S. particularly in the Northern and Southern plains  but it is also starting to affect the Northwest and Minnesota. In the West the Colorado River basin is particularly stressed with major reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell sitting at low capacity. A shortage of fresh water is much more of a threat than any missiles, particularly for Canadians.

With Canada possessing 20% of the world's fresh water in its millions of lakes and rivers, not to mention parts of the Great Lakes water system, it's no wonder the U.S. would look enviously at us and try to come up with a way to tap into it. Already Trump has suggested building a pipeline from the Columbia River to California and there have also been discussions about tapping into the Great Lakes themselves with a pipeline across America. The hotter our world gets the more thirsty it gets as well and if we don't cooperate when the time comes we could very well find ourselves invaded from the south.

All the more reason to build up our military separate from that of the United States. German made submarines along with our domestically built icebreakers and frigates are the first step. Next is signing up with Sweden for their Saab fighter jet design that has proven to work well in the North and we can also build in-house instead of buying the overpriced and unreliable American F-35s. Taken together these and other initiatives will enable us to patrol the North and all of our coastlines while creating jobs in manufacturing and all sorts of trades. We don't have to start a fight with the U.S. but we can certainly give them the cold shoulder and that's the kind of cold war we can win.

Lock Up The Separatists

 

At a time when we are under an economic and possibly a military threat from the U.S. why would the nutbars in Alberta think this is a good time to talk about separating? It's always the same misinformed, red-faced, overweight, loud mouthed rural bumpkins spouting nonsense about how hard done by they are and how much better it will be for everyone if the kingdom of Alberta was a country on its own. 

Maybe we should start with a little history lesson, something these seditious idiots have obviously never learned.

• In 1867, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were the first 4 British colonies that became the founding provinces that formed Canada
• In 1869, following the dissolution of the Hudson Bay Company's fur trade, Rupert's Land was given back to Britain who, in turn, sold it to Canada and was then made into the North-West Territories
• In 1870, following the successful Red River uprising, Manitoba was created out of the North-West Territories
• In 1871, another British colony, British Columbia, voted to join the Canadian federation
• From 1871-1877 the first 7 of 11 Numbered Treaties were signed with various First Nations in order to facilitate the settling of the land and construction of a railroad across the Prairies
• In 1873, Prince Edward Island, another British colony, voted to join Canada
• In 1880, the Arctic Archipelago/British Arctic Territories, were transferred to Canada
• In 1898, the Yukon Territory was created out of the North-West Territory
• In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created out of the North-West Territories.
• In 1912, the Provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec were expanded with territory from the North-West Territories 
• In 1949, Newfoundland, the oldest English colony in North America, voted to join Canada

In other words Alberta was a creation of the federal government and I'm surprised the Feds don't threaten to repeal whatever act it was that made Alberta in the first place and turn it back to the North-West Territories. Half of Ontario and Quebec are also the creation of the federal government, and it's time all of the Provinces realize they have no right to separate, particularly the ones in the Prairies.

Furthermore, 5 of the 11 Numbered Treaties cross the Alberta borders and, in spite of the trickery and dereliction of fiduciary responsibility involved in getting the First Nations to sign these Treaties, you don't hear them calling for their abolition. All they ever ask for is that we, as a country, live up to the terms that we agreed on, specifically hunting, trapping, and fishing rights on unoccupied Crown land. In 1930 the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement transferred control of Crown lands and natural resources from the Canadian federal government to the Prairie provinces which they did not have upon entering Confederation. However, this transfer occurred without the free, prior, and informed consent of First Nations, whose land and resources were affected, and has led to ongoing legal disputes. This is not something that's going to go away.

Unfortunately for Danielle Smith, the Premier of Alberta, her party seems to be dominated by the crackpot separatists and, in spite of being told their petition efforts are illegal, she has to coddle them along by promising to appeal the courts ruling. After Trudeau took over the first out-of-control pipeline project and brought it to conclusion, and Carney now helping them with a 3rd pipeline, people in Alberta should be on their knees giving thanks to the Federal government and the rest of the country. With Alberta now able to access the world market through B.C., instead of just the U.S. market, they are finally getting the proper price for their oil. Good luck moving any of that oil if they were a seperate land-locked country. 

If the separatists think the U.S. is such a great place then they should move there, or at least try to because their actions are nothing short of treasonous and they should be tried accordingly. Being convicted of treason means an automatic life sentence in prison. In the old days treason was punishable by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Premiers who talk of separation, or worse, joining the U.S., should be locked up, and the Federal government needs to bring in legislation outlawing any effort to break this country apart. It's taken a long time to put this country together and we've all had enough of this separation nonsense.

Carney Charts A New Path For Canada And The Rest Of The World

 

On January 20th, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, gave a speech of the ages denouncing American hegemony and offering a roadmap to NATO allies of how they can stand together against the bully in the schoolyard. It was a masterful performance that quoted Thucydides and Vaclav Havel, and called out the hypocrisy of the so-called rules-based international order. He stressed that Canada and its allies need to acknowledge the old world order is gone, that nostalgia is not a strategy, and we must move forward with new alliances and value-based realism. To do otherwise is to put ourselves on the menu.

Only a few days earlier Carney was able to announce an engineered reset between Canada and China that rolled back tariffs on Canadian farm goods and lobsters in exchange for rolled back tariffs on Chinese EVs. Whether Trump liked it or not wasn't of any concern to Canada, in spite of putting up the tariffs in the first place because of  U.S. pressure, it was time to chart our own course. This was great news for the beleaguered prairie provinces and Ontario in spite of a short sighted and petulant Rob Ford.  The existing Canadian auto industry is an over subsidized and dying business that needs Chinese investment if it's going to survive.

At any rate Ontario will soon be busy making jeeps, trucks and other military vehicles instead of cars. And it's virtually assured now that we won't be buying any more F-35 jet fighters from the U.S. and instead will be partnering with Saab to buy and build their Gripens. The F-35 never made any sense in the first place and even less now that the Americans can't be trusted. The only question now is whether Germany or South Korea will get the submarine order.

In the meantime the U.S. (actually President Trump) threatened to take over Greenland, part of Danish territory and a fellow NATO member and to impose tariffs on any country that disagreed. It was a good opportunity for a coalition of European countries and Canada to demonstrate they are prepared to stand up to America and not only put boots on the ground but also threaten economic retaliation. Ultimately Trump decided to back down. 

But while Trump was once again exposed for the blowhard clown and blackmailer that he really is (in addition to being a gangster, crook, and rapist) it reinforced the need for Canada to build military bases in the north. We have virtually no military presence north of the 60th parallel, never mind the Arctic Circle, but cities like Inuvik, Iqualuit, and Resolute would be ideal locations, as well as Churchill, to set up airforce and navy bases. And we need to get started ASAP.

It's going to take some time to shift our trading dependance on the U.S. but there are other markets for our goods and services. While China is an obvious choice there are also risks in getting too integrated with yet another hegemon. Closer ties with Europe would be the first choice but there is also Japan, South Korea and the Southeast Asian countries that could use our products. Again, speed is of the essence and Carney has been busy with almost non-stop globe-trotting, signing trade agreements, and lining up investors.

Canada has never had a Prime Minister this smart or well connected and he is demonstrating to the country and the rest of the world what real statesmanship looks like. Clear headed, calm, and always diplomatic, he has a plan for getting things done and won't be sidetracked by anyone. Thanks to Mark Carney, Canadians have never felt prouder or looked better on the world stage. Elbows up everyone.