Trade, trade-offs, and O’Leary: three ways politics touched Canadians this week
OTTAWA — The pageantry of the Donald Trump inauguration absorbed most of the political oxygen in Ottawa this week, mainly because the subtext was a growing realization that so many facets of Canadian politics have been turned on their head.
The Jenga tower of assumptions that have allowed the Canadian, and global, political economy to function on a relatively stable basis is being disassembled from the bottom, threatening to wobble before policy makers understand how to react.
Even the many women’s marches in Washington or across Canada on Saturday to protest sexism have turned into partisan events — many Canadian politicians are staying out of the fray to preserve Canada’s relationship with the United States.
While Trump has barely had an official moment in the White House, his ruminations have already begun to affect Canadians in material ways — from puzzling through investment strategies to the value of the Canadian dollar.