Captain Canada

Canada’s natural governing party styled as Liberals managed to retain power in a nation where recent hints had been of “better chances” for the Conservatives. The 60-year-old Mark Carney, a greenhorn in politics who led this victory for the Liberal Party, brought with him a new vigour to the party in the few weeks he functioned as its head and as interim prime minister following controversial premier Justin Trudeau’s decision on January 6 to step aside. Between this time and now, dramatic changes in public mood were palpable also as Carney led the campaign for the elections on the plank of national pride and dignity.
Donald Trump’s designs against Canada, provocatively urging it to become the 51st province of the United States, addressing prime minister Trudeau as “governor” were stuff that were more than what Canadians could digest. Worse, Trump’s declaration of higher tariffs for imports from Canada created the necessary conditions for an abrupt spike in the nationalist spirit among a population of four crore people. While Justin Trudeau’s 11-year-(dynastic) rule through repeated terms caused economic hardships to the people in recent times, the Conservatives’ attempt to seek votes on this plank failed amid the marked rise in the nationalistic spirit arising out of Trump’s aggressiveness towards Canada. Of special significance in the present win for Liberals are the encouraging words about India from Mark Carney during his campaign — that he aimed to rebuild ties with India with a “shared sense of values,” meaning also to “diversify” Canada’s disrupted trading relationships. The fag end of Justin Trudeau’s term was marked for its strong anti-India sentiments; the fly in the ointment being the separatist Khalistani indulgences in Canada where the Sikh population is prominent, and Trudeau’s accusation that “Indian agents” were behind the killing of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in 2023. The resultant diplomatic row and the suspension of trade treaty between the two nations complicated matters further. This, even as the Indo-Canadian population there is three million strong. Notably, the New Democratic Party of Jagmeet Singh, whose parents were of Indian origin, faced major reverses in the polls, winning just a handful of seats.
Relations between Canada and India are also marked by the huge inflow of students –a major source of income for Canada – from here, numbering around 4.5 lakh now. These youths also work part-time and further add to Canada’s economic well-being. Mark Carney, now hailed as Captain Canada, is bound to bring in a fresh feel to the nation’s governance. Liberals have been shaping the landmass’s policies for long, it having remained as the ruling party there for 70 years in the last century — a trend it continued in recent years too. Having functioned as the head of two prominent banks – Bank of Canada and Bank of England – his global exposure and high sense of professionalism should be a guarantee to Canada’s better future and the uplifting of its strained economy.