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Mark Carney Is Governing like It's Wartime
(thewalrus.ca)
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this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2026
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The USA literally declared economic warfare on Canada, and made multiple threats to Canadian sovereignty.
How is that anything but a war-level action?
Canada is acting out of survival. Like an abused wife, we are doing everything we can to get out the door, while keeping a smile on to placate to this egomaniac in the Whitehouse.
I'm sorry, isolationism by the US is not "war" no matter how much the media tries to use that specifically terminology.
And neither is it an excuse for centralizing power, making partisan appointments when they've historically been democratic, or running up a war budget when a quarter of the population can't afford food on the table.
Venezuela is being run by Rubio as a Banana Republic, except with oil. The president is talking openly about annexing us. Do the math.
Yes, and Iran invasion, and Cuba blockade, etc..
Again, we are not at open war (bullets flying, missiles dropping) for us to not care if centralization of power or when subverting parts of our democracy is happening.
The premise of the post and article is centralization of power as if it's wartime, and we're not at active war.
There are more kinds of wars than shooting wars.
Did we forget the whole "join us, voluntarily or not" rhetoric coming from the White House? That language alone was a threat of war. Actual war. Like, with tanks and shit.
Carney is engaging in disaster capitalism, and must be called out for that. But let's not forget the disaster part.
Well I'm just glad that someone is mentioning disaster capitalism and that really is my main point to the premise of this post about centralization of power.
My "war" in quotations was about the economic war. Trump's posturing is fucked up, aggressive, and definitely threatening; and he was betting on Canada buying weapons from the US for protection like Denmark is doing.
You can reframe the point all you want. Bottom line is trump laid a wide suite of tariffs against Canada to create a win lose dynamic.
Its has direct negative impacts on the canadian economy and it was every bit intentional to do exactly that.
Trump attacked Canada, full stop.
Nice how you manage to conveniently gloss over his direct threats to canadian sovereignty.
And remember I said economic war, never suggested there was military involvement.
My friend, the point is he's governing as if it's a military war by centralizing the power of government. If you were looking at a different country and saw the same actions, you would judge their leadership a lot more harshly
Even if they are, so what?
If you were looking at a different country that was actively being bullied, would you argue some crap about centralizing power?
If Denmark started centralizing power in response to trumps threats to the sovereignty of greenland, then what?
You talk like this is a problem that government is responding to external existential threats in the means that are available to them.
Are you arguing the Carney government should relinquish power?
Should they decentralize their capacity to influence things inside the country?
Perhaps you can answer just this.
What is your point?
Um...its not a choice of centralization or decentralization of power. What? Those aren't the only choices!
Point: The choice is don't go against the Democratic process and principles.
Like when he made a partisan appointment to roles of governance
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-senate-tom-pitfield-9.7261037
Following that thread, him appointing Martel to open another seat in that riding which Carney is betting goes to a liberal seat
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/politics/2026/07/07/pm-carney-poaches-conservative-mp-in-latest-batch-of-senate-appointments/
The liberal majority can already pass laws through with little discussion as we've seen with bill c-22 unfortunately. The majority is a democratically given centralization, for sure, but passing laws undemocratically and making partisan appointments is not the right way.
And Denmark didn't centralize their government if you want to use that example. They increased spending, sure, but didn't go against political norms.
I'm sorry, but when you use 'historically' to refer to a policy that was enacted for less than a decade in a country that is over a century and a half old it reduces your credibility for me.
My point is that existential threats override real concern about incremental gains in administrative power by the government. I used Denmark as a hypothetical and parallel example of a country that could centralize given the same condiitons, threats to sovereignty, not anything to do with what theyre actually doing.
If this is how we're rolling over with the "existential threat" of Trump going back and forth about a 51st state, the hell is going to happen if/when an actual war breaks out?
That's literally why the article is titled the way it is. War powers as if its wartime. But its not wartime.
Trump waging economic warfare against Canada.
Done the same and worse to Mexico. They're neither arming up or dismantling parts of their democratic process.
Mexico capitulated to the US
Mhm
I agree that it's only a "war" in the sense like a "price war", not an actual war. But it's still open aggression and falls on the same gradient.
If we're willing to abandon Democratic principles when war (actual battle) hasn't even been declared, then I don't see much hope for what will be left of our current democracy when/if that happens.