Rivers on Canada Day

By Ray Rivers

July 3rd, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

It was fate – the invisible hand of global justice… or maybe an angry God.  Just as Carney and Smith were heading for a Calgary podium to announce their new oil pipeline, which the PM contended would make us the global energy super power, a climate disturbance – a massive storm – the third in as many days, took out my satellite TV, internet and hydro.

Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Carney had dug into his background as a dealmaker, banker, and venture capitalist to save Premier Smith from falling on her face over this pipeline matter.  It was an obvious solution assuming Canada really does need another pipeline.  And it may be necessary because fossil fuels make up something like a quarter of our US exports and who knows when Mr. Trump will want to roll over on us again.

Danielle Smith

Pierre Poilievre

Smith and her federal colleague, Mr. Poilievre preferred a pipe into the environmentally sensitive northern BC waters.  They wanted to declare war on environmentalists, British Columbians and the indigenous.  But the optimal solution was a no-brainer.  Add another pipe on top of the existing TMX – the one Justin Trudeau had built a decade ago.  Though nobody at the podium, including his successor, thanked the former PM for his foresight a decade ago.

Carney may be helping to further destroy the planet’s environment as we know it, but he is doing what he said he would do – building a new pipeline.  That same day, he quashed potential criticism from anti-pipeline critic BC premier David Eby by preserving the tanker free zone on BC’s northern coast (also Trudeau) and promising him loads of federal cash for west coast projects.

Carney was busy that day, also signing onto another free trade deal, this time with the Philippines, to help counter our losses in export revenue to the US.  Canada’s percent of exports south of the border has fallen from 76% to 68% since the Trump tariffs arrived.  And more Trump tariffs are on the way.  The US president has refused to extend CUSMA or USMCA, the so-called free trade pact that gets most Canadian products duty-free access into the hands of Americans.

He will roll over on us again.

Trump seems to like the 15% tariff he imposed under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, though that is only a temporary measure in theory.  But 15% would be better than the 50% now applied to Canada’s metals and the 25% on autos.  Trump is rarely deterred by treaties, so has no remorse about these tariffs that boldly contravene CUSMA.  So we need to get used to it – the virtual end of CUSMA is around the corner.

Meanwhile, as we pass another Canada Day there are very positive milestones.  For example, the LCBO ban on Yankee booze has been a real boost for our local industry.  Canada has performed magnificently in the soccer world cup games.  CBC has announced that we will be participating in future Eurovision music contests.  And Canadian music icon Bryan Adams has released another song telling Mr. Trump to keep his hands to himself.  Much to be proud about but much more still to accomplish.

Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.   Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa.  Tweet @rayzrivers

Background links:

Climate Change – Eurovision –  FIFA –   Bryan Adams –