By Pepper Parr
May 9th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
One has to step back and think about how much has been done in the very short period of time .
From the date on which he won the election and became Prime Minister to the day he met with US President Donald Trump – ten days.
In that time, he set out what his government planned to do – this was AFTER being elected – these weren’t election promises –
In his first media event since being elected Prime Minister, Mark Carney:
“On Monday, Canadians elected a new government to stand up to President Trump and to build a strong economy. Canadians also sent a clear message that their cost of living must come down, and their communities need to be safe. As prime minister, I’ve heard these messages loud and clear, and I will act on them with focus and determination. The
“Canadians made their voices heard with a voter turnout rate that hasn’t been seen in the last 30 years. Nearly 20 million Canadians voted, and even more of them voted in early voting than ever before.
“The engagement of Canadians at rallies, on social media and around the dinner table was very high, and while different visions were put forth by various contenders, we disagreed agreeably, and the leader of every party quickly and graciously accepted the results. At a time when democracies around the world are under threat, Canadians can be proud that ours remain strong, as I’ve been clear since day one of my leadership campaign in January.
I’m in government to do big things
“I’m in politics to do big things. I will work relentlessly to fulfill that trust, as I stressed on election night, I am committed to working with others, governing as a team in cabinet and caucus, and working constructively across parties in Parliament, working in real partnership with provinces, territories and indigenous peoples, and bringing together labor, business and civil society to advance the nation building investments that will transform our economy.
“This will be an incredibly exciting time as we take control of our economic destiny to create a new Canadian economy that works for everyone. We will begin to set out that new path for Canada with a new cabinet to be sworn in on the week of the 12th of May and the recall of parliament on May 26.
The last time a monarch opened Parliament in Canada was 1977, when Queen Elizabeth II delivered the speech from the throne with Prince Philip as part of her Silver Jubilee tour.
“We will have the privilege of welcoming His Majesty King Charles III, who will deliver Canada’s Speech from the Throne on May 27. This is an historic honor which matches the weight of our times.
“I’ve stressed repeatedly, that our old relationship with the United States, based on steadily increasing integration, is over. The questions now are how our nations will cooperate in the future, and where we in Canada will move on.
“Earlier this week, I had a very constructive call with President Trump, and we agreed to meet next. Our focus will be on both immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations.
“My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada. We will take all the time necessary, but not more in order to do so. In parallel, we will strengthen our relationships with reliable trading partners and allies. Canada has what the world needs, and we uphold the values the world respects.
“We will remove federal barriers to internal trade to help unleash the full potential with provinces, territories, indigenous groups, to identify projects that are in the national interest, projects that will connect Canada, deepen our ties with the world and grow our economy for generations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney: That means bringing down costs for Canadians and helping them get ahead. So we will put more money in Canadians pockets with a middle class tax cut that will take effect by Canada Day.
“We’ll make the Canadian government a catalyst for these projects, not an impediment, and we’ll always be guided by our conviction that our economy is only strong when it serves everyone.
“That means bringing down costs for Canadians and helping them get ahead. So we will put more money in Canadians pockets with a middle class tax cut that will take effect by Canada Day, saving two income families up to $825 a year, we will protect the programs that saves families thousands of dollars a year – that includes PharmaCare and $10 a day daycare. The dental care plan is serving 8 million Canadians, saving the average family over $800 per visit.
“To lower costs for first time homebuyers, we will cut GST on new homes at or under $1 million allowing them to save up to $50,000 and we will lower the GST on homes between a million and a million and a half. These tax measures will provide immediate relief, but they won’t be sufficient to make housing affordable again.
“We have to address failures in the housing market head on, unleashing the power of public private cooperation at a scale not seen in generations. We will slash development charges in half for all multi unit housing. That’s about $40,000 off the cost of a two bedroom apartment in Toronto, and we will create an entirely new Canadian housing industry in modular and pre fabricated housing using Canadian technology, Canadian skilled workers and Canadian lumber.
Housing starts have been weak, particularly in Ontario, where the province has yet to meet any of the housing starts it set.
“We will build houses faster at lower costs, with a smaller environmental footprint in construction and greater efficiency once families move in. To kick start these efforts, we will create a new entity, Build Canada Homes and provide $25 billion in financing to private developers who will construct two times as many homes each year and create a new construction industry.
“We will focus on keeping Canada secure as a sovereign nation and Canadians safe in their communities. We’ll build a stronger Canadian Armed Forces to protect Canadians, defend our sovereignty and support our allies.
“We will strengthen our border security with 1000 more CBSA officers, as well as scores of drones and scanners to fight the traffic of guns and drugs. We’ll strengthen Canadian law enforcement by hiring 1000 more RCMP officers and giving law enforcement more tools to fight crime. We will toughen the Criminal Code and bail laws for those threatening the safety of Canadians, including making bail harder to get those charged with stealing cars, with home invasion, human trafficking and smuggling.
“We will return our immigration to sustainable levels by capping the total number of temporary workers and international students at less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027; it’s a sharp drop from the recent high of 7.3%. This will help ease strains on housing, on public infrastructure and social services. At the same time, we will work to attract the best talent in the world to build our economy. Canada has what everyone wants.
Canada has a very diverse population, seen from coast to coast to coast. Few nations have what we have, especially our neighbour to the south.
“We’re a confident nation that celebrates our diversity, that believes in and practices free speech, that respects the rule of law, that has a vibrant democracy. We value innovators and builders. We trust science. We protect our immense natural heritage. For Canadians abroad thinking about returning to build their lives in our nation, there’s never been a better time to come home.
“We will be guided by fiscal a new fiscal discipline. The government’s operating budget has been growing by an unsustainable 9% every year. We will bring that down to 2%, less than half the average nominal growth rate of the economy.
“We will not cut any transfers to provinces, territories or individuals. Instead, we will balance our operating budget over the next three years by cutting waste, capping the public service, ending duplicative programs, and deploying technology to boost public sector productivity.
“We will use scarce taxpayer dollars to catalyze massive private investment. By working together, we can give ourselves far more than the Americans can ever take away.”
With that, Mark Carney ended his first media event as Prime Minister. He proved to have a sense of humour, and while his French is not yet what he wants it to be, he nevertheless used it frequently.
Realize that in setting out what he planned to do, Carney was setting a new agenda – and now he wanted to get on with it.
The day after the media event, Mark Carney flew to Washington and met with President Trump.
Not only was he elected by Trump. We see he is taking a Trump approach signing meaningless pieces of paper. Let’s avoid a confidence vote this year, keep taxpayers in the dark spend like bandits until we can buy enough NDP members and rule with a slim majority.
Plans are easy.Delivering is another matter.Will keep on file to see how he does in a year.