Message from Charles Aulds

The finest Canadian leaders have been pragmatic men. Canadian historian and author Pierre Berton made that point in one of his books about the trans-Canada railroad, that the most dramatic Canadian decisions have been pragmatic as well, not guided by ideological, patriotic, or religious zeal. And it works for Canada. The great Canadian leaders of the past were visionary and ambitious, but for the most practical of motives, in some cases for personal and corporate profits. Even Confederation in 1867 was largely for the most practical of motives: after witnessing the horrible American war of state secession that ended in 1865, Canadians were eager to settle their own provincial sovereignty issues without resort to a war like the one that cost Americans so much (the lives of at least 3% of the entire population).

And that's yet another way that Canadians differ from their neighbors to the south. Canadians aren't guided by ideology, and that is the primary reason, I believe, that the Canadian political system works. It's the primary reason Canadians don't allow mere politics and social wedge issues to divide our country. Contrary to what a lot of Americans believe about Canada, Canadians don't have strong notions about socialism; particularly not as a political system ... they just do what works; and discard what doesn't work. 

Canadians are simply being pragmatic when they make the choice to distance themselves from a United States that is no longer stable, reliable and (most importantly) trustworthy.

Canada knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that international law applied with varied rigor, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim. 

This fiction was useful, and American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes. 

We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality. 

This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. 

We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. 

— Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, 20 January 2026, speaking to the World Economic Forum

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Prime Minister Carney framed the choice that all nations face today ... and what Canada's choice is. Canada has always had pragmatic leaders; those that do what's best for Canadians. Contrary to what a lot of Americans believe about Canada, Canadians do not have strong notions about democratic socialism; particularly not as a political system ... they just know that it works for Canada. Canada adopted this system, not out of notions of building a socialist society, but because it works. And it benefits millions of Canadians. It was a pragmatic decision. It's what works best for Canada. And it works great. It no longer matters what Americans choose instead.

My opinion: Our Prime Minister is asking Canadians to make a choice to distance themselves from a United States that is no longer stable, reliable and (especially) trustworthy. Pragmatism. I've seen it referred to as "strategic realism."

Prime Minister Carney is asking other nations to do the same: discard what is no longer working. 

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Charles