The triumph of Donald Trump has pulled Canada into close quarters and into a new sort of limelight. He keeps mentioning it as a 51st state. It’s an awkard request for a country that knows it still owes itself to the Crown. Yet the overtures are flattering in a time when being noticed gets you to places anyway.
However, it’s the sort of popularity that puts some people on edge. If a rebound from Canada is on the cards it might do it for Trump too. It has already started to make sure plans. The stepping down of Justin Trudeau has come at a shaky time. If a rocky start is ahead for a new incumbent it will include outreach.
It looks like Canada already has a new drive behind it that’s epitomised in part by a bunch of business people getting together. The new Apprentice-looking type of formation, called ‘Build Canada’, is an enterprising initiative with an optimistic goal in mind: to make it the richest country in the world.
It’s led by a top team. It’s worth taking a look if you’re Canadian. The rest of us will have to wait. They’ve got a lot of experience. It’s also a Canada-first project that draws swords early. The priorities listed so far are in the trending category of popular culture. If it can pack a punch in a competitive arena isn’t yet clear.