A Joke, A Prophesy, Politics and A Drink

In 1965, as I was graduating from Eighth Grade from my local Catholic school, we had autograph books, which were cheap imitations of yearbooks, (no pictures) where we would write clever send-offs to our classmates. Some were kind, some a little raunchy, especially from other boys. And some, ultimately, have become increasingly memorable and prophetic.

Especially now, sixty years later.

Two which have come immediately to mind are:

YOURS TIL US DRINKS CANADA DRY. And…

YOURS TIL CANADA BECOMES OUR 51ST STATE.

Hmmm… Amazing how a smart@$$ kid could actually be a Nostradamus and not have realized how close he may have come to seeing it occur.

Now, I offer this all in jest because it would never happen (I think). But recent statements and events have conjured this thought up from some imbedded memory.

After Donald Trump met with Justin Trudeau post-election, and had discussed immigration, tariffs and other common interests, in a fit of pique, Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, long one of Trudeau’s most powerful and loyal ministers, resigned from the Cabinet. This has rocked the Canadian government to its core and has shown how weak Trudeau really is.

In typical Trump humor, he joked that perhaps Trudeau should apply to become governor and cede Canada to the US to become our fifty-first state in order to avoid tariffs. But since that time, Trudeau’s government has begun to crack, and may actually collapse this week.

All weekend, it was reported that Trudeau may resign as Prime Minister as early as today, before the Liberal Party meets on Wednesday, ostensibly to show him the door on the way out. This news is raging hotly on both sides of the border, and around the world.

In the wake of his anticipated resignation, it would leave the Liberal Party with little hope to continue to govern effectively, and give time to a more popular Conservative Party to rise and take the reins of the Canadian government, led by Pierre Poilevre in an election that must be held by late October.

Poilievre has described himself as a "true conservative”, while journalists have also described him as a “libertarian” and a “populist." Poilievre is also widely considered to be part of the Blue Tory faction within the party.

Poilievre has explicitly stated that the four major priorities he will be campaigning for in the next election are to Axe the Tax, Build the Homes, Fix the Budget, and Stop the Crime.

It remains to be seen how quickly the events in Canada will transpire and the unknown impact on the US-Canadian relationship going forward over the next few months.

Meanwhile, kick back and have some ginger ale. Eh?