OUR CANADA! Today, post-election, here’s where I’m at. We have a Liberal minority government under Mark Carney. The voters made a choice, and it’s a choice for moving forward, not backwards.
And while a minority government shouldn’t be a bad thing, it only works if Parliament actually works, not if it’s a daily game of “how fast can we blow this thing up.”
I’m going to hope, in the spirit of positivity, that Mr. Poilievre meant it when he said he wanted to work together with Mr. Carney. I’m going to believe, until proven otherwise, that he sees the stakes here. Because there is no time to waste. We have serious security issues to face, strengthening our military, securing our northern border, and being ready in a world that is no longer as stable as the one many of us were lucky enough to be born into. Post-World War II, cushioned by alliances and a strong friendship with our neighbour to the south, we avoided the kind of fear much of the world lived with. But that world has changed.
We have urgent economic work ahead, from fighting tariffs and protecting Canadian jobs internationally, to dealing with housing, affordability, and cost-of-living pressures at home.
And now, we need to move: We need a Parliament sworn in, we need Cabinet ministers appointed, we need a government ready to govern and yes, the Conservative Party will have its own internal questions to sort out, but Canadians can’t afford to sit in limbo while they do.
Some things will move easily. Others will be much harder. But either way, the work must begin. There are important projects on the table. like the national corridors that Mr. Carney championed, corridors that would move resources like oil and gas, and help connect our country more deeply. But they will require real collaboration, including with Quebec.
So here’s my question for my fellow Albertans: Do we want to stand with the rest of Canada to build this future? Or do we want to be, as I’ve sometimes called it, terminally unique, so proud of being different that we lose sight of what’s possible together?
Terminal uniqueness won’t build pipelines, open markets, protect jobs, or grow our country.
And here’s another phrase I’ve often used: Everyone loves to talk about “collaboration.” But real collaboration must end with something else: Action. Not just conversation. Not just sitting in a room feeling good about talking. So let’s create our own word.
Collabor’action’. I like that made up word. We don’t have four years to waste whining or re-fighting this election. We have a country to secure, an economy to rebuild, and a future to prepare for.
And here’s what else I want to say today: Let’s have engaged conversations. Let’s talk about the things that matter. Will I be a little edgy sometimes? Probably. Will I lean centrist, sometimes slightly left? Likely. But the point is: we can all find somewhere to sit on that line, and work together.
A country is a family. And no real family is made up of identical people. Some are career-driven, some stay at home. Some are finance whizzes, some are artists. Some live by numbers; others live by stories. And somehow, in the mess and beauty of it, they sit down at the same table and find a way to stay together. Sometimes pretending. Sometimes pushing through. But staying.
Canada is no different. We are messy. We are complicated. We have sharp corners and soft spots. But we’re ‘ours’. And we have a chance, right now, to show our kids, our grandkids, and ourselves what it looks like when people choose the hard, beautiful work of getting along.
Because right now, Canadians need to be the winners. Not a party. Not a leader. Not a slogan. ‘Canadians.’
And if any brilliant analogies hit me when my brain isn’t fried from the last few days, I promise I’ll bring them to you.
But for now, I just want to say: Thank you. Thank you to everyone who commented, shared, agreed, or disagreed respectfully with me these past weeks. Let’s keep talking. I won’t be posting every day (I do still have a life to run), but this conversation is just getting started. Let’s stay upbeat. Let’s stay a little bit utopian. And let’s stay committed to being the great country we already know we can be.
And one last thing: If you’re still stewing about who won, remember this: History doesn’t hand out trophies for temper tantrums. It hands them out to the ones who build something better. So pick up a hammer, not a grudge. Canada needs builders, not sore losers.
Nancy's Notes 