Mark Carney has been prime minister of Canada for 20 months now and so far he has not become snarly with a single premier on any issue.
asserted
he → become → issue
Equally, no premier has stepped forward to bad-mouth the neophyte political leader.
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premier → step → leader
For Canada, where provinces possess significant power and always want more or, at the very least, more federal cash, this is unusual.
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this → possess → least
In the past, prime ministers and premiers clashed often — particularly around federal-provincial conferences.
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ministers → clash → conferences
Most heated were meetings to discuss Ottawa’s contributions to Medicare.
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meetings → discuss → Medicare
It could get ugly.
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It → get → ?
These days it is clear we are in a whole new era of federal-provincial harmony, despite the fact no fewer than two of the provinces lately have threatened a breakup with Canada.
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two → threaten → Canada
He has shown that he is, above all, a pragmatist.
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he → show → all
On the Alberta threat, he opted to become a sort of Danielle Smith-whisperer since taking power.
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he → opt → power
Rather than opposing her referendum about separatism or challenging Alberta’s aspirations, he leaned into her plotting for another B.C.-Alberta pipeline.
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he → oppose → pipeline
He realized, by focusing single mindedly on addressing Alberta’s beefs, he could possibly deflate her balloon.
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he → realize → balloon
In those few short months before the province’s referendum, the two politicians came to an agreement regarding a pipeline across B.C.
Smith also has pushed for Alberta to have a greater say over federal immigration.
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Alberta → come → immigration
Carney, the day after the referendum was voted down, told reporters his government “recognized from the start, the need to take back control on immigration, and we’ve done so.”
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we → vote → immigration
He noted, under his watch, Ottawa has reduced immigrant intake for asylum seekers, foreign students and temporary foreign workers.
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Ottawa → note → seekers
“Where we go from here needs to be established in co-operation with the provinces,” said Carney, adding that he will “look where we can find solutions together, pragmatically.”
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we → go → solutions
He did not rule out constitutional change, if more practical solutions weren’t at hand.
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solutions → rule → hand
From the start of his tenure, the prime minister has nurtured a positive, win-win relationship with the premiers.
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minister → nurture → premiers
He even did a sleepover at Doug Ford’s Muskoka cottage in July 2025, when the two sat by the fire until after midnight, in Ford’s telling: “Solving the world’s problems.”
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two → do → problems
Of course, Carney was greatly helped in his co-operation endeavour by a pretty scary outside enemy — Donald Trump.
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Carney → help → enemy
It has been essential for the premiers and PM to frequently knock heads in zoom calls and in-person meetings in a fight for Canada’s survival.
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premiers → knock → survival
The situation was tailor made for collegiality and bonding.
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situation → make → collegiality
This co-operation model has come in particularly handy when dealing with challenging premiers.
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model → come → premiers
When Quebec sovereignty leader Paul St.-Pierre Plamondon won a majority government on Oct. 5, Carney was calm and focused.
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Carney → win → Oct.
After learning of the Parti Québécois win, the PM simply offered the new premier his congratulations and talked about areas where Quebec and Ottawa can cooperate through joint action: on affordable housing, critical infrastructure, electricity capacity and, most importantly, measures mitigating the impact of U.S. tariffs on the province’s workers.
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Quebec → learn → workers
This is typical Carney — talking past the premiers, to ordinary folks, explaining how the feds intend to do exactly what needs to be done for their welfare.
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what → talk → welfare
Plamondon has since declared he would not adhere to a Constitutional requirement for his MNAs to swear an oath to the monarchy.
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MNAs → declare → monarchy
They instead swore an oath to the people of Quebec.
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They → swear → Quebec
The separatist leader also disinvited Quebec’s lieutenant governor to the Oct. 21 swearing in.
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leader → disinvite → swearing
It was a big ho-hum for the PM, who predicted such manoeuvres would be met “with a shrug” in both Quebec and Ottawa.
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manoeuvres → predict → Quebec
Carney’s style is somewhat reminiscent of former U.S. president Barack Obama who was known as “no-drama Obama.”
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who → know → Obama
Like Obama, Carney has been taunted and insulted by Trump.
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Carney → taunt → Trump
Carney’s reaction, on one occasion when he was told by reporters about some of Trump’s verbal assaults, was to laugh out loud, and refrain from commenting.
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he → tell → assaults
He almost never lobs back a spitball.
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He → lob → spitball
Indeed Carney has yet to show Canadians his temper.
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Carney → have → temper
But he appears to have a long fuse.
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he → appear → fuse
Which does not bode well for politicians like Plamondon who, in his push for separation, will need to stir up negative emotions in Quebecers, rile them up against Ottawa in order to prompt them to want to leave Canada.
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who → bode → Canada
For a newbie on the political scene, Mark Carney — with a mid-October approval rating of 67 per cent according to Ekos Politics, is one savvy and strategic operator.
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Carney → accord → Politics
The Aporia
