There’s a trade-off for putting my opinions out into the world, and my family has made it very clear: no images, no specifics. That’s the boundary. And I respect it. So instead, I post what I can, like this photo of me, messy hair and all, sitting on the Canada 150 F-18 sitting on the tarmac in Yellowknife on July 1, 2017. That jet? That sky? That’s where so much of my pride lives anyway. Aviation. Military service. It’s the country I love.
I wasn’t going to write another Canada Day post. But here we are on the edge of something. A moment in my life, a moment for our country, and a moment for the world. It’s all pressing in. And somehow, that photo, wild and imperfect, captures exactly what I’m feeling: reverence, pride, tension, and the ache of transition.
Because this isn’t just about celebration. It’s also about decision. Last night, Prime Minister Mark Carney made the call to hold back the digital services tax (DSA). Some are calling it a climbdown. I call it strategy.
Was it a revenue loss? Yes. But sometimes you make a decision to abort a landing and do a go around. The U.S. under Trump is playing hardball. Carney knew that. We all should’ve known that. And as I said in my post a few days ago protecting Canadian jobs, from autos to aluminum might mean stepping back on the DSA for now. That tax was always a card to play. And he played it.
Not weakly. Wisely.
Some of you voted for Carney because of climate, or housing, or health care. And I support those things too. But many of us, especially those of us watching the geopolitical weather patterns, voted for him because we knew he could handle the chaos from the south. And now, in real time, he is. Steady hands, sharp mind, no bluster.
The other side of July 1st is where things get real. We’ll see if the trade talks hold. We’ll see if Trump escalates. We’ll see if calm can prevail. But I know this: we’re not rudderless. We’ve got someone who understands the game, sees the next moves, and refuses to let Canada get steamrolled.
I look out over blue skies today and think of the last hundred years. Not just the image of that centennial jet, but the men in my family who flew and fought before me. We are nearing the 100th anniversary of the start of World War II. And somehow, that history is humming under everything right now. The stakes feel high because they are. For our economy. For our democracy. For our future.
And that’s why I posted the photo. Not because it’s perfect—but because it’s real. Because it’s mine. And because it reminds me of what we’re trying to hold onto in this moment.
Hold the line, this flight’s not over, and the storm isn’t done circling.
June 30, 2025 NDM
Nancy's Notes 