Mansoor’s Musings: Chaotic time for Canada

By Mansoor Ladha on May 22, 2025.

The last few weeks have been tumultuous, historic and exciting time for Canada. Canada elected a new Liberal PM who had his first face-to-face meeting with US President Trump.

Surprisingly, prior to their meeting, Trump mentioned he didn’t know why Carney was coming to see him. Surprise, surprise!

The country awaited with eagerness as Carney came back to appoint his first cabinet. The “purpose-built” cabinet ended up being of 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state whose portfolios overlapped. A disappointing appointment is of Steven Guilbeault, Minister Canadian Identity, who is renowned to be “anti-oil and gas.” Although the subject is not in his portfolio, Guilbeault didn’t waste any time in making headlines with uncalled-for comments on pipelines.

He said Canada needs to maximize its use of existing pipelines before building more – a day after Carney, his boss, indicated an openness to new pipeline construction. He was also wrong in claiming less than half of the Trans Pipeline’s capacity is being used. According to data from the Canada Energy Regulator, utilization appeared to be up around 76 per cent as of December 2024.

The comments were also contrary to the principles of collective cabinet responsibility adhered to by members of the government worldwide. Ministers of the government are expected to follow policies and decisions made by the cabinet after discussions and those who don’t feel comfortable to toe the cabinet line are expected to resign.

Carney has been criticized for including several Trudeau era ministers in his new cabinet, but critics have failed to acknowledge that these ministers have been handling crucial files in the past administration, and they must be kept maintaining continuity.

The biggest mistake Carney made in the selection of his cabinet was to exclude Calgary’s lone elected Liberal, Corey Hogan, 43, a lifelong Liberal who also served as executive director of the Alberta Liberal Party. Mr. Hogan was also a deputy minister under former NDP premier Rachel Notley and former UCP premier Jason Kenney. Hogan is currently the vice-president of communications and outreach at the University of Calgary. Hogan has an extensive background in the oil and gas sector and that there wasn’t a major pipeline project in the past 15 years that he wasn’t involved in, such as Northern Gateway, Energy East, TMX and KXL to a lesser extent.

The omission of Mr. Hogan has created a significant absence from Alberta at the cabinet table, especially since Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been advocating separation.

Quebec’s several attempts to separate and bitter experiences of the Brexit vote in the U.K. are well documented and are records for history books. In both these cases, there had been a flight of businesses and capital. There are already signs of uneasiness among the business community due to Alberta’s threat of separation.

Chief executive Nancy Southern of Calgary-based ATCO said that “Canada as a unified country is going to be far stronger than if we try to be independent little states, provinces.

“… it’s impacting investments now, as we look to (have) partners for our large projects that are from offshore.”

ATCO, a global energy company, employs 21,000 around the world. Southern said there is a lack of business confidence right now, and ATCO’s export partners in Asia are “very worried about what is happening in Canada,” on issues such as tidewater and environmental rule.

Premier Danielle Smith may have some valid points of dissatisfaction with the previous federal government, but she has chosen a wrong time to bring them up. This is the time for Canada to present a united front against the country’s common enemy, the U.S. Trump will obviously pounce on any signs of weakness or discord. Ms. Smith has introduced a bill that, if passed, would make it far easier for Albertans to launch referendums on various topics – including splitting from Canada. There is definitely chaotic time for Canada coming.

As an Albertan, my free advice to Premier Smith is to be less confrontational and be more conciliatory in dealing with Ottawa which needs all the help and support that the provinces can give in its fight against Trump and his cronies.

Opposition to the proposal has already been sounded by Indigenous leaders. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak reiterated her previous condemnation of the move, saying First Nations are standing firm against any discussion about separation.

“Any smart province or premier would speak to First Nations directly and work with First Nations directly before they make irresponsible statements and irresponsible decisions,” she said on a virtual news conference. She said First Nations were never consulted on natural resource transfer agreements with the Prairie provinces that date back to 1930, and any effort by Alberta to split the country would be “illegitimate” and “unconstitutional.” Woodhouse Nepinak has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney asking his government to launch a review to determine if the natural resources transfer agreements are compatible with the Constitution.

I doubt if Ms. Smith’s attempts to separate Alberta from Canada would come to fruition. There are visible signs of patriotism springing up everywhere and in Ms. Smith’s home in High River, row after row of Canadian flags have been flying high.

Kathleen Sokvitne, a High River resident who has lived for 30 years, said in an interview that those flags show that not all Albertans agree with renewed efforts to secede from the country. “She (Smith) is manipulating the people of this province into believing that we should seriously look at separating,” Sokvitne said. “It is just ludicrous. Not all of us think like that. I absolutely disagree.”

Majority of 5,000,648 Albertans, who are proud to be called Canadians, will not let that happen. I guarantee you that.

Mansoor Ladha is a Calgary-based journalist and author of five nonfiction books: Canadian Experience, Aga Khan: Bridge between east and West, Off the Cuff, Memoirs of a Muhindi: Fleeing East Africa for the West and A Portrait in Pluralism: Aga Khan’s Shia Ismaili Muslims.

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