Nancy's Notes

Today matters more than most Canadians realize. A federal budget will be tabled today. Not voted on, just tabled. But that act alone carries the weight of what kind of country we want to be. I don’t care which party you usually support, which province you live in, or which language you speak, because none of that matters if we fracture now.

We went through an election six months ago. The last thing Canada needs, on every measurable level, is another one. And yet, I can feel the opportunism creeping in. The political gamesmanship of Pierre Poilievre circling like a shark who smells distraction. But here’s the truth: he has never once offered a real alternative plan. He is all toxin and timing, poisoning every conversation without a single antidote to offer.

If he were in office today, facing the chaos south of the border, he’d dropped the oars in the water just when we are nearing the shore. His entire worldview depends on rage, not reason, on looking clever in the moment rather than leading through a storm.

Because make no mistake: this is a storm. Globally, economically and politically. And yes, this budget will hurt. It will not be what we want to see. It won’t make everyone happy. But it must spend, to protect Canadian workers, industries, and sovereignty. We cannot “balance” our way through instability any more than we can calm a tempest by pretending it isn’t happening. Sometimes the only choice is to hold steady, face into the wind, and keep rowing toward the far shore.

For those who keep trying to paint Mark Carney as “radical left,” please stop rewriting history. His politics, thoughtful, measured, pragmatic are where most Canadians have always lived: that red Tory, blue Conservative, centrist ground where the country was built. The ideological edges are loud, but the majority of Canadians still believe in balance, competence, and decency.

That’s Carney. That’s the middle ground we stand on.

I grew up in that middle ground, in New Brunswick, in a household where people voted for the person, not the party. My parents believed in integrity, in character, and in service to community. Some years they voted Liberal, some years Progressive Conservative. They never confused loyalty to Canada with loyalty to a party banner. I was raised to believe that good governance means getting your hands dirty solving problems, not shouting about them from a podium.

That’s the spirit I see in this government’s work today, even when it’s hard, even when it’s unpopular.

Because real Canadians, and I mean those working, parenting, caring, and surviving aren’t asking for ideology. They’re asking for stability. They want their electricity and utility bills to stop climbing. They want to be able to afford their rent or mortgage. They want to see their kids get the health care they need, when they need it. They want to put groceries on the table without having to choose between milk and medicine.

That’s what today’s budget will speak to. And that’s why we need to let it stand.

We are not in a normal time. Every global market is shaking. Our closest trading partner is led by a man whose moods can tank industries. The instability in the Americas is not something we can “spin” our way through. It demands strategy, calm, and endurance. And that’s what we have in Carney: not perfection, but purpose. Not flash, but focus.

To anyone thinking another election would “fix” this, please, step back. What it would actually do is rip this country open again. The cost of campaigning might seem political, but the cost of instability is deeply personal. It hits every paycheque, every investment, every piece of infrastructure we can’t finish because we’re stuck in campaign mode instead of governing.

And while the political right might relish the drama of it, the adrenaline of “winning,” Canada itself would lose months, maybe years, of progress.

So yes, today is political. But it is also profoundly patriotic. And to everyone reading this: your voice still matters. Write your MP. Call their office. Tell them that no matter which party they belong to, they have a responsibility to hold this government up, not tear it down. The NDP and Green votes will matter. The Bloc’s choice will matter. And every Canadian watching from home will matter, too, because this moment defines whether we can still govern ourselves like adults in a storming world.

Mark Carney will not emerge from this unscathed. No one could. He must be exhausted, fighting daily battles for a country that too often forgets to thank its leaders until they’re gone. But what strikes me most is that he’s doing it without spewing hate, without dividing, without turning neighbour against neighbour. He understands that when you lead a nation, you represent everyone, not just those who voted for you. So when that budget is tabled today, it will not be a partisan document. It will be a Canadian one. And that, more than anything, is why I’ll stand firmly behind it, bruises, doubts, and all.
Because the only way through this storm is together, gripping the same oars, rowing toward a common shore, no matter how high the waves get.

Everyone who knows me knows I have a deep passion for aviation. But what really captures my heart are the stories behind flight, the human ingenuity, the teamwork, the courage to take off when the runway’s still being built. That’s exactly what we did with Forever Canadian. We built an airplane in flight.

When we started, there was no hangar, no tower, no pre-flight checklist. Just a handful of people who believed Alberta could build something bigger than grievance or division. We could build something that could truly soar. And so, out came the tools, the duct tape, the spreadsheets, the coffee, and a whole lot of determination.

Bit by bit, the airplane took shape. The wings were built by farmers, the fuselage by teachers, the landing gear by truck drivers, nurses, retirees, students, and parents. Every rivet, every bolt, every clipboard held by someone in the cold became part of the aircraft.

And while every good airplane needs a captain, (thank you Captain Lukaszuk,) ours also needed an entire flight crew. Dozens of first officers. Hundreds of ground crew. Thousands of passengers. Every single person who signed a sheet, carried a clipboard, or offered encouragement was part of the same flight plan. This wasn’t a solo mission. It was a full flight, every seat occupied by people who believed in something better.

Now, no one said the skies would be calm. We hit turbulence. Sometimes it was a crosswind of misinformation. Sometimes it was a bureaucratic headwind. Sometimes it was the emotional fatigue of just keeping the engines running through wind, rain, and postal strikes. But the beauty of aviation, and of this movement, is that you correct course and adjust altitude. You ride it out. You trust the aircraft, and more importantly, you trust your crew.

And what a beautiful aircraft she turned out to be. Not one of those sleek corporate jets with separate cabins and tinted windows. Ours is the people’s plane, sturdy, bright, full of character, and unmistakably Canadian. Inside, there’s no first class or economy. Everyone sits together. Farmers beside lawyers. Nurses beside truckers. Students beside retirees. The conversation is rich, the laughter is loud, and the sense of purpose is palpable.

When you look out the window of this plane, you see something breathtaking, small towns lighting up with hope, people rediscovering what community really means, strangers becoming friends in the common cause of unity. Every sheet of signatures became a patch of sky we claimed together.

As October 28 approaches, the final day, I can’t help but marvel at how far we’ve flown. The last few days are like the descent into final approach: you feel the shift in cabin pressure, the sense that you’ve crossed something monumental. Most of the crew have already landed their sheets, taxiing them in for tally and inspection so Elections Alberta can do its part. But the aircraft itself? She’s still in motion. She’s gliding on purpose, powered by pride.

To my friends south of the border who sometimes ask, “What can I do?” in their current situation. This is what you can do. You can build something that unites instead of divides. You can take off with people who don’t all share your politics but do share your country. You can stay steady when the air gets rough. Because what we’ve proven here is that a small group of ordinary people can build something extraordinary, something that flies.

As for me, this has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, one of those rare flights you never forget because you know you’ll never fly on one quite like it again. I got to sit in the cockpit of history, right alongside people who cared enough to build something bigger than themselves, with their own hands, their own hearts, and often in some serious headwinds. I’ve never felt more grateful to share a sky with such people, ordinary citizens who became co-pilots, navigators, mechanics, and dreamers.

And yes, there may still be turbulence ahead. Frankly there always is when you fly through real weather instead of sitting safely on the ground. But we’ll keep correcting course, adjusting altitude, and trusting the lift we’ve already created together. Because this aircraft, this Forever Canadian, isn’t just something we built. It’s something that built us. And for that, I am profoundly thankful.

It’s been a while since I’ve written in my usual way, and there’s a reason for that. Most of my time, heart, and focus have been devoted to the Forever-Canadian Citizen Initiative. But sometimes the world shakes your keyboard and says, “Put the clipboard down, Nancy. Type.”

So here I am, sitting in Mexico, the southern slice of what I call the North American sandwich, surrounded by people from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The conversations by the pool drift inevitably toward politics. Some Americans are furious about their leadership, others are numb to it, and some don’t even know anything is different. Most have no idea what’s happening in Canada, except to wonder why we’re upset.

But this morning brought something worth a few keystrokes. The orange buffoon spent the night on Truth Social, searching for a distraction from his gilded ballroom and the latest headlines involving Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, including Virginia Giuffre’s new book. What he found instead was Canada.

Trump claimed that the Ronald Reagan Foundation had “caught” Canada in a $75-million “fraudulent” ad, one that allegedly misused Reagan’s words about tariffs. He ranted that “Canada cheated,” that we’ve “long defrauded the U.S. with 400% tariffs on dairy,” and that our government was trying to “illegally influence” his Supreme Court case.

Let’s pause there. The man who regularly steals music, photos, and even faces for his AI campaign videos, including one last week of himself flying a golden jet to Danger Zone while wearing a crown, is suddenly a crusader for copyright law? That’s not irony. That’s self-parody.

This latest tantrum isn’t about Reagan or Canada. It’s about fear. He’s staring down a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, one that could flatten his economic mythology, and he’s looking for a new villain. He found it north of the border. He’s trying to turn a provincial ad into a federal conspiracy.

Could the ad have overstepped by using Reagan’s image without approval? Possibly. I’m reasonable enough to admit that. If a clip was condensed or spliced out of context, lawyers can sort it out. But let’s not pretend that Donald Trump, who’s spent his entire public life mangling other people’s words, suddenly found religion on ethical editing.

Reagan, for all his faults, valued Canada. He believed in partnership, not punishment. When he talked trade, he spoke of allies, not adversaries. His remarks in that original clip were about Japan, not us, but his message was clear: tariffs are blunt weapons, not strategies. Trump, on the other hand, loves tariffs in a way that has concerns only for his own personal gain.

When the walls close in, whether from courtrooms, creditors, or reality, he grabs a megaphone and a scapegoat. Canada became both. He’s desperate to muddy the waters before the Supreme Court rules, to create just enough noise that if he loses, he can claim it was “rigged.” It’s not strategy. It’s survival instinct.

The tragedy isn’t just his behaviour, it’s the normalization of it. Sitting here by the pool, I hear Americans say, “Oh, that’s just Trump being Trump,” as if pathology were personality and chaos were leadership. The indifference terrifies me more than his words. Democracy doesn’t die with a bang; it dissolves quietly in apathy.

And here’s where the poolside analogy writes itself. Canada and Mexico are like the sturdy pieces of bread, still strong, still holding together, still trying to keep the middle from spoiling. But the middle, the United States under Trumpism, has become the rancid filling. The mayonnaise has gone off. The tuna’s turned. You can smell it from both borders.

And yet we still love our neighbours. We share history, trade, and friendship. We want the sandwich saved, not thrown out. But we can’t pretend the smell isn’t there. When the U.S. turns inward, the world loses balance. When it lashes out, it wounds not just others but itself. The gilded ballroom becomes a bunker, and its golden glow turns toxic.

Back home, we’re far from perfect. But we’re led by a government that still values integrity, international cooperation, and evidence over ego. We debate fiercely, but we still believe in decency. And as John F. Kennedy told our Parliament in 1961: “What unites us is far greater than what divides us, for what geography has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

That’s still true today, even as another American demagogue tries once again to divide us.

So yes, I’ve been quiet for a while, working on something deeply Canadian, rooted in unity and respect. But this morning reminded me why voices matter. The world doesn’t need more silence in the face of absurdity. It needs clarity, compassion, and a little Canadian sarcasm.

So from the poolside in Mexico, the southern crust of this slowly spoiling sandwich, I raise my coffee to the hope that the filling gets fresh again someday. Until then, I’ll just try not to lose my appetite.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy

Many years ago, I wrote those words at the top of a Thanksgiving post that still lives somewhere deep in my blog archives. I told a simple story about standing in a Walmart checkout line, oversized roasting pan in hand, oversized turkey in cart, and overhearing a man behind me say, “Thank you for the work you do for our community.”

I didn’t know him, and he didn’t have to say it, but he did. And in that moment, I remember how deeply it landed. I had been through a few rough weeks with what felt like more criticism than kindness in the air. That man’s words stopped me short and reminded me why gratitude matters most when things are messy, not perfect.

That was eleven years ago. Gratitude was something I was learning then. Today, it’s something I live. It’s no longer a theory or a virtue on a poster, it’s the quiet awareness that shapes my mornings and softens my nights. It’s what steadies me when life comes apart at the seams and humbles me when it doesn’t.

At this stage of life, gratitude looks different. It’s smaller, simpler, and yet somehow deeper. I’m grateful that I wake up most mornings feeling healthy. I’m grateful that not a single ambulance has pulled into our driveway in many months, and that sentence, in our house, carries more weight than anyone might guess.

I’m grateful for my husband’s strength, for two sons who have found their paths and their purpose, for a daughter-in-law who fits seamlessly into our family, and for a little granddaughter whose laughter can erase any bad day I’ve ever had.

And I am even grateful, in a way I never expected, for the care and compassion being shown to my sister as she faces one of life’s most difficult roads. It’s not easy to witness, but I find comfort in knowing she’s being treated with dignity and love, something that reminds me, again, how fortunate we are to live in a country that still believes healthcare is a human right.

That’s the kind of gratitude that sneaks up on you. The kind that isn’t tied to success or celebration, but to survival and grace.

When I wrote that first post, I was living in a small town in Alberta juggling meetings, community events, and political debates. I thought I understood gratitude because I had a full plate. What I didn’t realize then was that fullness isn’t the same as fulfillment. Gratitude isn’t measured by what you achieve or acquire; it’s in what you notice.

It’s the small mercies that hold the big moments together.

And as Canadians, we mark that differently than our southern neighbours. Our Thanksgiving is earlier, quieter, simpler. We gather around tables that might not have every trimmings-laden dish, but they’re rich with conversation, with shared stories, with the comfort of being together. It’s not about travel or shopping or consumption, it’s about connection.

Even with the cost of food these days, families still find a way to make the table feel full. And I think that says something about us, that gratitude in Canada has never been about abundance. It’s about belonging.

This year, I’m also grateful to be part of something I couldn’t have imagined back then: a citizen-led effort called Forever Canadian. It’s about unity, about holding this country together, and about the quiet pride that comes from giving back to the place that has given so much to me.

And I’m grateful that I live in a country where we can do this, where ordinary citizens can organize, speak, gather signatures, and work toward something we believe in without fear. We may not agree on every issue, but we still have the freedom to engage, to participate, and to care out loud. That’s no small thing in today’s world.

Gratitude doesn’t mean everything is easy. Far from it. It just means we don’t lose sight of what’s still good, what’s still worth fighting for, what still makes this life beautiful.

So today and each day I’ll give thanks for the obvious things, health, family, laughter, the smell of good food cooking but also for the harder things: the lessons disguised as challenges, the moments of patience I didn’t think I had, the quiet resilience that comes with age and experience.

And I’ll give thanks for all the people who keep showing up, in my life, in my work, and in my country. For those who choose hope over cynicism, kindness over cruelty, unity over division.

Eleven years later, I still believe what I wrote back then: gratitude isn’t about pretending life is perfect. It’s about knowing that even in the imperfection, there is still light, still meaning, still joy.

And if I’ve learned anything since that Walmart checkout line, it’s that gratitude is less about the words we say, and more about how we choose to live them.

Still grateful. Still Canadian.