Canada: good for nothing and not so great?

By coincidence, I'm sure,  The Star and The Globe have run op-ed pieces today on the question of a national vision, role of the federal government. Timely, coming after last week's premiers' conference.

Deborah Coyne is writing in our paper; she asks: "Does anyone in the federal government believe in Canada anymore – in the intrinsic value of the greater entity 'Canada' and the Canadian national interest?"

Jack Granatstein writes in The Globe. He asks: "But if we can't be a great power, can we at least be great?

As an unapologetic federalist, I'm hoping that these two pieces generate some debate ... and remind us of this 17-month-old article by Canadian Press, very important, but which didn't get the attention I thought it deserved at the time.

Comments

[Andrew]

Here's a funny line from the CP article: "One economist has expressed concern that Ottawa is teetering on the edge of a deficit for the first time in a decade." What a difference 17 months can make.

[Wascally Wabbit]

Thank you Susan - well - we keep trying - don't we?
I'd like to hear a little more about the big Canada picture from Michael Ignatieff too - and I don't want a paraphrase of Joe Clark's headwaiter to the provinces..

[Observantq]

This wouldn't the state of affairs if Pierre Trudeau were still PM of Canada. Maybe Coyne should motivate JustinT to carry the Canadian flag his father so proudly upheld. ... Ignatieff certainly isn't the true patriot Canadian to stop the barbarians raping Canada. Who will lead Canada into the future now?!

[Johnnyk]

We lack vision and purpose as a nation. Its not enough to put our time and energy into being nice and inoffensive, hoping other people like us.
We have NO industrial strategy much beyond resource extraction. And few 100% Canadian companies even there.
The good management jobs and the decision-making have gone offshore. We don't even control our oil and gas - we can't cut back exports unless we cut back our own consumption an equal amount (see Mulroney, Brian and Reisman, Simon. Water is next and we can't defend the Arctic.
We are down to one world-class outfit and how long until RIM is gone?

[MyThought]

My, my - if you read all the articles in the papers these days the same Con trolls, specifically the likes of Observant just use the comments sections to do partisan slagging - no input in the debate whatsoever - PM talking points.

Do any of these Con trolls think for themselves? Do they not wish to participate in a discussion instead of the usual slagging, trashing, etc.

What a shame and what a waste.