The Canadian federal election is 28th April, later today Hong Kong time.
My prediction is for the sitting Liberal government (ie, Democrat equivalent) to win, led by Mark Carney.
This mainly because of the Trump nonsense of trolling Canada and Trudeau as a 51st State of the US. That's sure got Canada's hackles up and piqued their patriotism. Absent Trump's shenanigans, the winner would likely have been Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative opposition.
Meantime, the Australian election is this coming Saturday 3 May.
Again, like Canada, the likely winner is the sitting government of Anthony Albanese of the Labor Party. Absent the Trump factor, it would more likely have been the Liberal (in this case, the Republican equivalent) of Peter Dutton.
In Carney's case, the main thing I have against him is that he's a Net-Zero zealot. With all that goes along with that: an obsessive focus on renewables, on shutting all fossil fuels, making electricity more expensive and less reliable for a Net-Zero carbon emissions economy in 30 years, that will have no measurable impact on future global temperatures, according to all the models. (Canada, like Australia, accounts for only around 1% of global carbon emissions).
BUT... Carney has a redeeming feature in his policies: support for expanding nuclear energy:
Carney has stated unequivocally that a net-zero economy is “impossible without wider adoption of nuclear power.” At a 2022 Brookfield investor day, he said, “There’s no transition that works without nuclear, full stop”. [Ref]
If elected as expected, he ought speak to OZ. Who don't believe that.
Australia also has a Net Zero zealot in the shape of the PM Albanese's Climate Czar Chris Bowen. Bowen -- and the rest of the Labour Party, it would seem -- are adamantly against nuclear power. That's despite the fact that we, Australia, have abundant uranium resources, which we are quite willing to sell to countries who don't share our delicate sensitivities, our ideological aversion to the clean, green, safe, NewClear power.
These two similar countries, massive, resource rich, small in population, members of the Commonwealth, couldn't they at least get together on Nuclear? Canada is keen to export its Candu nuclear technology, long tried and tested, long safe, clean and green. Carney supports development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which form part of the Liberal party proposals for Nuclear for Australia.
How about an AusCanNewClear alignment? Or "Canada, Australia, Nuclear", aka CAN. As in "Yes, we CAN".
If only. If only sanity would descend on our politicians. To replace zealotry.
