An "energy powerhouse"

This is what we still need to fuel our economy -- and that of the rest of Canada.

That's what Carney said he wants Canada to be, "in all respects".  But notice he didn't say in what kind of energy.  That's because he is a net-zero fanatic -- a fact he kept hidden during the election.  And since Canadians are for the most part ignorant and ill-read, they bought it.

The key phrase here is, "in all respects" and we know what that means.  Ladies and gentlemen, we've been had.

All you had to do was google him -- and his equally-green fanatical wife -- and you'd quickly have learned that his environmental agenda is one big Trojan Horse just whinnying to be unleashed.  In the process, he will do severe damage to our economy -- especially to the Western oil and gas sector, which funds the entire country.  Duh!

You will note that his new chief of staff, Marc-André Blanchard, is also a net-zero zealot, so that is another indication of where Carney wants to take Canada's main financial cash cow, i.e., into the financial dumpster.

Allo, Quebec, are you listening?  We in Alberta float your entire economic boat!

With apologies and thanks to Tim McMillan, former president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, from whom I am lifting a few ideas, here is what Carney must do:

• Tell the world there is a business case for Canadian LNG and approve the LNG Canada Project, Ksi Lisims LNG and Woodfibre projects right now;

• Build pipelines to move natural gas and oil safely across the country because without them, our reserves are just another wasted Canadian opportunity in our quest to becoming the energy superpower to which Carney aspires;

• Scrap the cap on our natural gas and oil industry immediately to clear the way for currently-hesitant investors to get going;

• Fix the broken approval system and get rid of C-69 -- the "no more pipelines" bill.  Ten years to a "no" is not a process, it's paralysis;

• Be careful with carbon taxes; they are anchors to our economy.  Ridiculously, Carney committed to raising the price for large industries -- another poison pill during an economic crisis;

• Send clear signals to investors that we support the responsible development of natural gas and oil and are open for business; and

• Ignore the activists -- and that includes the destructive Indigenous.  We can no longer allow them to dictate Canada's energy and environmental policy.  Too much has already been lost and too much is at stake to allow the continued stonewalling of big Canadian projects.

That's what he needs to do, but I bet he won't.  We can't survive Carney's net-zero agenda because it cannot be reconciled with growing -- or even simply sustaining -- existing hydrocarbon production in this country.

Thanks to the Liberals, we have endured a decade of economic stagnation because of the obstruction of hydrocarbon production by the lunatic lefties.  Emission caps are essentially production caps.  Carney must remove the self-destructive limits on the development of our most important resource.

If you suspect I am now an enlightened Albertan on this file, you would be correct.

  

Blue Hair

There were a lot of weird things that happened during King Charles III and Queen Camilla's visit, but the worst was on display thanks to the GG, Mary Simon, sporting blue hair.

How could the Monarch's representative in Canada greet the Monarch himself with unkempt blue hair??!!!  It was a disgrace.  

Blue hair indeed!

Has she no grace whatsoever?  Evidently not.  And while we're at it, why was she front and centre everywhere when the Monarch she represents was there himself?  She should have greeted him, bowed out and retreated to Rideau Hall until he came to plant a tree.  But, of course, she couldn't.  She was draped all over every event.  And what was her husband doing hanging around waving?  He's a nobody, but there he was, flapping his arms and smiling as if people had come to see him.  They hadn't.  

(Note:  Congratulations to Charles and Camilla for doing so much all day without a bathroom break.  How do they do that?  I certainly couldn't.)  

The absolute worst was that in her press release about greeting King Charles, Simon called him a "foreign" Monarch??!$$%^Y$%@!#$%^

A FOREIGN Monarch!%^&#$%#!

OMG times a thousand!!!!  She is the Governor General and she doesn't know that Charles III is OUR KING!!!!!  That is completely unacceptable.  She should be given the Julie Payette Heave Ho!  It was the most embarrassing f-ck up I have heard in a long time!^$$#!!!!!  

Mary, Charles III is our Head of State!!!!  He is the King of Canada and I was so thrilled and honoured he came to deliver the Speech from the Throne!  It would be nice if civics were taught at school because I've lost count of how many ignorant people are on facebook, raving about how we don't need a foreign king, etc., etc.  He's not a foreign king, as Simon thinks he is.  He's our king and that will never change because to do so would be impossible.  Those who framed our constitution (and B was one of them) made sure the rules were so stringent as to never be attempted.

Important to see so many Indigenous represented, but I thought that went a tad too far.  And what were Mila Mulroney and Margaret Trudeau doing there?  Last time I checked, no one elected either as PM.  In Trudeau's case, she went on to marry Fried Kemper and had two more kids, so that made her sitting front and centre even more inappropriate.  And don't get me started on the finger Trudeau gave the King by wearing ludicrous, blue sneakers.  Unreal!

And when was the last time you strolled down your typical Canadian street on any given day and came across traditional Mexican and East Indian dancers?  Exactly.  What was that all about??!!  Obviously, some genius thought this display would highlight our diversity.  It didn't.  The whole thing looked jarringly out-of-place.  At that, I was tempted to hide under the sofa.  

But Carney pulled out all the stops and -- apart from some of the bizarre bloopers -- it was marvelous to behold!  Twenty-eight RCMP Musical Ride horses behind the State Landau, a 100-person honour guard and a 21 gun salute -- all brilliant displays of "Canadian-ness".  Bravo! 

As you know, B was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the King Charles Coronation Medal.  I am very proud of that -- although, since I did most of the work over the years, I thought I should get one too.  But never mind, we have them displayed in all their glory.

Hip hip!

Brian being presented with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (below) by then-GG David Johnston (above). 

 

King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Duh?!

My blogs often start with "Duh", because I regularly have no clue about why our "leaders" do the things they do?

Take the recent G7 Finance Ministers meeting in Banff.  Astoundingly, Trump's tariffs were not even on the agenda!  When I heard that, I was flabbergasted.  These people run the finances of their respective countries, but they left off the most impactful measures currently skewing their country's fortunes! 

A fun time was had by all in Banff.

Here's what they agreed to:

• "A G7 Financial Crime Call to Action to spur further concrete progress in tackling financial crime, including money laundering and terrorist financing. Canada will contribute $4.8 million in new technical assistance to developing economies so they can contribute to this effort;

• "Support the expansion of the World Bank-led Resilient and Inclusive Supply-Chain Enhancement (RISE) Partnership to strengthen the integration of developing countries into critical minerals supply chains. Canada will contribute $20 million to support the expansion of the RISE Partnership, including in Latin America and the Caribbean;

• "Address risks stemming from the large increase in low-value shipments imported into G7 markets; and

• "Continued unwavering support to Ukraine, an agreement to continue to explore all possible options to hold Russia to account, including further ramping up sanctions, as well as efforts to foster private sector participation in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine."

Supporting Ukraine remains a very dumb idea; that conflict is unwinnable.  Throwing billions at Zelensky with absolutely no accountability is ludicrous.  The guy seems to be feathering his own nest big time.  According to the 'Pandora Papers'  Zelensky won election on a promise to clean up corruption, but it seems he's right in the middle of it.  

He has given himself a salary of between $20 and $60 million.  Really?!  The guy was a standup comedian, for Gawd's sake.  He has also bought luxury properties and villas in the Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Belize, Egypt and London, as well as a fleet of luxury cars and other goodies.

And isn't it a coincidence that his relatives and in-laws also started buying luxury properties and yachts right after the war began and the money started flowing his way.  Just saw coverage of yet another international meeting during which he asked for, yep -- more money!  The brass neck of the guy is unparalleled!  Let's face it, no matter how much the world hands him, he will never defeat Russia.  Never.

The more fundamental question is, why was Tiffany (Tiff) Macklem co-hosting the event?  As the governor of the Bank of Canada, his principle mandate is to ensure price stability.  That's it.  Unfortunately, he is prone to yapping about politics, and this meeting is about nothing more.

So, Tiff, start staying in your lane and leave the politics to the politicians.

Worse than Kamala Harris

Watching Carney answer questions on when he will deliver a budget was painful.  Try as I might, I could not figure out what he was saying?  Even re-playing it several times, I remained lost.  This guy's word salads are even worse than Kamala Harris's by a country mile!

Apparently, he plans to deliver an "ambitious and prudent" budget in the late Fall.  What the h-ll does that mean?  How can you have an "ambitious and prudent" budget?!  You can't.  It's either "ambitious" or it's "prudent".  Can't be both.  Can't.

The other blooper was jetting off to Rome for the Pope's first Mass on the public dime.  Yes, we know he is a devout Catholic, but charging that vanity visit to the taxpayer was wrong.  Now, he'll have to attend every other religion's sacred ceremonies because he can't favour just the Catholic one.  Did anyone notice this?  Someone should remind him of the principle of the "Separation of Church and State".  

By the way, who is advising him?  I doubt anyone.  I am convinced he thinks he is above the lowly, unwashed media fray and can answer any question without giving a toss about how his responses land.

He's got a few hard lessons to learn.  Already, both his housing and finance ministers are contradicting him.  Mark, you're no longer in the velvet boardrooms of bankers, where you can do no wrong.  This is the dirt, grime and blood of street politics.  Take some advice, if you want to survive.

Speaking of chiefs of staff, when did we begin to be led by these unelected staffers?  And why should we even know their names?  It was Trudeau-the-Elder who started this.  Hitherto, the prime minister was in charge and we had no idea who the ventriloquist behind the podium was, let alone the secretaries.  

Did chiefs of staff rise to prominence because Pierre was insecure?  Because he did not have command of the national files?  Probably both.  But, frankly, we should never know who these people are -- let alone what they think and what words they insert into prime ministers' mouths.

And where did "Elbows Up" go??  After meeting with Trump, Carney quietly cancelled all the tariffs he was going to impose on the Americans.  Now, it's not Elbows up, it's Knees down!  So disappointing, but I predicted it.  Carney is revealing his true colours, as I knew he would.

We're effed. 

 

Drives me nuts

There are two signs at the Spray Lakes Pool, where I swim, that drive me nuts.  One says:

"Please swim in a lane with swimmers at a similar pace as yourself."

You don't need ".....as yourself."  The period goes after "pace", but I have to look at it every time I hit the end of the lane.  We know it's you the instruction is for!

Then, when I am leaving, the sign on the exit says, "No re-entry through this door."

The period should go after "re-entry".  We know the door you are talking about, for Gawd's sake!

So, that's off my chest.  But I will run through the insufferable Andrew Coyne's column tomorrow and bore you with his ludicrous and unnecessary verbiage.  As I have said, I would give anything to edit his copy!  How he has risen to the heights he has when he is such an atrocious writer beggars belief.  And listening to him on 'At Issue' is torture.  The guy takes himself soooooo seriously!  Sense of humour?  Non-existent.

_______________________

But here's the latest Alberta outrage:  The equalization formula.  Here, Alberta has been royally screwed for decades.  Since 1957, when the formula was conjured up, Alberta has reaped not a single penny since 1965 -- the only payment in the past 60 years!  60 years! 

Alberta contributes $246 billion in payments every year, but gets not a penny back.  Instead of crapping on Alberta, Carney should be kissing our ass-s. 

Premier Smith is on this big time.  Why, she wonders, has Quebec received $129.9 BILLION in equalization payments in the last 10 years?  Why indeed?!

Even wealthy Ontario receives $576 million this year and $546 next.  These are preposterous handouts to Canada's largest economy by far.  Smith says it's a farce huge payments are given to provinces with big, wealth-generating economies.

She's right, it is.

This is the reality of equalizations payments.  It's a scandal.

The whole thing is solely to placate Quebec and keep separatism from raising its ugly head.  No wonder rumbles of secession are so loud here.  Frankly, I have become an Albertan when it comes to equalization payments, but not to secession.  That's a no-go for me.

Notwithstanding the fact that both my birth and adoptive fathers were Americans, I am a proud Canadian.

 

That's why so few come forward

Reading about the grotesque trial of five former junior hockey players charged with raping a then 21-year-old girl they met at a bar, I was once again reminded of why no woman ever presses sexual assault charges.

They don't because they end up being charged with luring, "wanting it" and "asking for it".

This is what is happening to the women named "E.M." in a London courthouse, as she is subjected to seven days of intense grilling by defence lawyers for the accused -- right down to the "sexy" shoes she was wearing that were brandished about and waved for all to see!

It is ludicrous.

Apparently, she had consensual sex with one guy, but then he invited all his buddies to come in and have a go.  To this, she claims, she did not agree -- although her texts apparently belie this.  As for the truth, no one will ever know.  Her reputation, however, lies in tatters for the rest of her life.

That's why no woman ever presses charges.  The consequences are too grave.

I can relate to her predicament.  When I was 13, my orthodontist sexually assaulted me, but as my Mother was sitting in the waiting room, I did not make a scene.  I mean, that's how so many of us were reared.  "Don't make a scene, dear," she would say if a situation became heated or uncomfortable.

So, I said and did nothing.  Actually, I thought it had been my fault for being too cute -- that he couldn't help himself!

Reading his obituary a year ago, I was tempted to add a remembrance of those horrible days trapped in his chair of horrors.  I didn't, because I still didn't want to make a scene.  But maybe I should have?  I could not have been the only young girl he assaulted; there must have been many of us.  Why did no one ever report him?  For the same reasons I didn't.  But reading his glowing obituary about how Dr. Braden was such an upstanding member of the community and president of the Britannia Yacht Club....yadda, yadda, yadda.........I have kept on speaking about him to friends and family -- although never to my Mother.

Not always a safe seat.

Ever heard of "date rape"?  Ya, that also happened to me when I was 20 and visiting a friend's cottage with my cousin and her boyfriend.  Again, I said and did nothing because his parents were in the next room and, "I didn't want to make a scene".  It got uglier, but I will spare you the sordid details. 

I did, however, get my revenge at a parent/teacher event at my children's elementary school, Rockcliffe Park Public.  Who was holding forth as the president of the association?  You guessed it, none other than Bill Mitchell. himself!  So I sauntered over and greeted him, as he was impressing the gathering.  "Hi, Bill, remember me?  I was the girl you assaulted at your parent's cottage in 1968."  He stopped dead in his tracks, turned red and then white, as a shocked hush fell over the group.  He bolted immediately, laughing to minimize what he had done.  

So, yes, I can relate to E.M.  And don't kid yourself.  It's still happening in doctor's offices and schools all over the world.  Men of authority should be carefully monitored and parents should always warn their daughters about inappropriate touching.  Always.  

 

  

The Emperor's New Clothes

That's what the "new" cabinet was wearing, as the same old, same old, tired, worn-out gang was trotted out and sworn in as Carney's cabinet for "change".

Carney and his minions.

Hard to believe, but there wasn't a new face in the front-bench bunch.  Not one!  Sure, there were a bunch of new ministers of state, but the main cast was still all there.  I was flabbergasted that Freeland was there!  After Trump called her a "horrible woman" and lambasted her in the Oval Office for her bombastic handling of the trade files, Carney has still given her a seat at the table!  Either her riding is key, or she has dirt on him.  Contrariness or stupidity are also possible reasons but there are no other to keep her.  

But the saddest spectacle was Rechie Valdez, the minister of women's something-or-other.  There she was taking the oath and crying.  Crying!  What a great look for the women of Canada!  Strength, force and might did not spring to mind, as I watched her shaking and bawling taking the oath.  Pathetic.

But Evan Solomon was right up there in the ludicrous category.  Here was a guy who was fired from the CBC for having a secret art brokerage business on the side.  Solomon actually brokered the sale of paintings belonging to Mark Carney.  I kid you not!  Then he buggered off to the States to earn the big bucks, but came right back when Carney dangled a juicy, cabinet carrot under his nose.  His portfolio is artificial intelligence.  That just describes the whole cabinet!  Do cynicism and hypocrisy know no bounds?

But there they all were, beaming and smiling smugly as the ceremony unfolded.  You could not find a more self-satisfied, smirking bunch if you hunted all day.  The only positive moments for me were when they all had to swear allegiance to King Charles the Third.  That surely stuck in the craws of all the francophones who had to utter that odious oath.  

Sorry, guys, but The Monarch remains our Head of State, so you have to grin and swear it.  

All in all, it was a dismal display of the future of our country.  Ruined by Trudeau for the last 10 years, the economy appears to be again in peril, with Carney keeping the whole, sorry mess on track for another dilapidated and ramshackle term.

Sigh.............