A look at 2018
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or historical reasons each new year people make resolutions – promises to change behavior patterns. It is a strange practice as every day is, in a sense, a new start. Remember the old posters which said “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”?
That said, there is a temptation at this time to look back on the year that was and look forward to the year that will be.
This past year has been a time of upheaval and turmoil for political junkies. The Donald’s rippling waves of consternation, disbelief and incredulity. The prime minister being censured for a breach of ethics. The Canadian Finance Minister failing to understand the concept of “conflict of interest.” The province electing a minority government for the first time in forever – and no one being sure what this will mean.
On top of this, we have Site C, Energy East, Kinder Morgan, NAFTA, the Softwood Lumber Agreement, the Inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, the TPP, climate change, legalizing marijuana, and a host of other issues with varying degrees of political importance and implications.
Perhaps the television show The Beaverton is right in labelling 2017 as the “year that sadly was.”
What do we have to look forward to in 2018?
Well, likely more of the same. Or, at least, more of similar sorts of issues.
The Donald will still be flopping around, denying collusion because he is a genius and colluding isn’t something smart people do. He will continue to threaten North Korea, Iran and Mexico. He might even take on China. And all the time, he will be diminishing the role of the United States as a world leader.
Donald Trump is a bit like the guy everyone compliments to his face and laughs at behind his back. Perhaps this is something he is used to, which could explain why he behaves the way he does.
Our prime minister will need to find a way to get out from under the ethics issue.
As he is only halfway through his mandate, he might be hoping the issue will have lost its legs by the time the next election comes around. After all, Justin-the-Fair needs to be seen as the white knight if he is to land the Liberals their second straight majority.
On this point, Citizen editor Neil Godbout is absolutely right when he pointed out Trump’s tantrums make anything our prime minister does look like small potatoes. Trudeau accepted a vacation from a friend. Really? Trump is going to receive about $1.1 billion from the American people via his new Tax Plan.
Site C is a done deal – except it isn’t. It will now be the subject of lawsuits which will, in some cases, pit various First Nations groups against one another. It is a tangled mess which will likely be before the courts until after the dam is completed because construction keeps trucking along.
With regard to our international trade agreements, it seems we are still in a position where the Americans can dictate to us rather than the other way around. It is a bit ironic as the original Free Trade Agreement really only had one objective – securing access to our oil. We should be able to turn off the taps if the U.S. pulls out of NAFTA. Wouldn’t that be interesting?
Of course, our internal economy would take a major hit unless Alberta has some other mechanism for exporting its oil. The internal Canadian economy, as a whole, can’t support their level of production. Indeed, since the oil companies are all multinationals, it would be interesting to see if the government could turn of the taps at all.
The Kinder Morgan pipeline will remain a hot topic and be subject to protest because oil will still need some place to flow. Oil exports through Vancouver?
No way, says the mayor and council along with a number of other local politicians and organizations.
How will we pay for our lifestyle, though, if we do not allow oil exports? It is hard to see an overall lifecycle analysis approach to energy and just how dependent seemingly unrelated aspects are on each other.
As to legalizing marijuana, it will happen, like it or not. However, it is not clear to me from various conversations I have had with the young and old, users and nonusers, liberal and conservatives that people really understand what is involved. Neither THC nor nicotine are harmful compounds in their own right.
They are not the cause of cancer. Burning any organic material at a low temperature – through smoking – does generate a plethora of compounds which are carcinogenic. Eventually, legalizing marijuana will result in the same health issues we see with cigarettes.
But that is for the future and right now, it is 2018. Happy New Year.