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Or sign-in if you have an account.Ontario Treasury Board President and Minister of Francophone Affairs Caroline Mulroney has announced she is leaving politics — for now. Letter writer Douglas Cornish speculates that her ultimate goal may the office once held by her father, the late Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorWhenever a politician resigns suddenly in the middle of a successful career to “begin a new chapter” it’s usually a harbinger and rarely means just stepping back for personal reasons. More likely it’s an attempt to step forward and move up for professional reasons.The Mulroney family has politics flowing through their veins; it is part of their DNA. Caroline Mulroney is the obvious continuation of the legacy of her father, former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Whatever Ms. Mulroney’s plans are, one could hazard that they are likely political. Her departure is setting the stage for higher office. Replacing Ontario Premier Doug Ford would be an initial step to becoming the federal Conservative leader, or she could skip the provincial leader’s job and jump right for the higher office.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againCaroline Mulroney has the real opportunity of becoming the first “elected” Canadian female prime minister, not only setting a political first, but completing a Canadian pattern of the child of a prime minister going on to hold that office themselves. It’s in the cards, and this player has a good hand.Douglas Cornish, OttawaI was heartened to read Christopher Dummitt’s perceptive piece on the leftward tilt of honorary degrees awarded by Canadian universities.One recipient on his list was Desmond Cole, whom he identified as a Toronto Star journalist turned activist.Cole, however, isn’t any old activist. Back in the fall of 2021, he was invited by the Toronto District School Board to speak to staff — mostly principals and vice-principals — in four “professional learning sessions” about anti-Black racism. Unfortunately, the sessions turned into “Free Palestine” rants. He even intervened in a personnel matter, defending Student Equity Program Advisor Javier Davila, who had been put on home assignment (though later reinstated to his job) for distributing anti-Israel materials to staff, including a link to the website of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. Cole should not be honoured by a Canadian university.I especially appreciated Dummitt’s list of eminent Canadians from the conservative end of the spectrum who deserve equivalent recognition. The only one missing was Prof. Frances Widdowson, Canada’s Sharansky/Sakharov, a model of moral courage.Marjorie Gann, TorontoI am deeply saddened by the decision of Gad Saad to leave Canada for his own safety. I have been following Saad for a number of years now, and would recommend his book Suicidal Empathy as required reading for anyone who values the civilization our forebears built.Saad’s departure is a comment on and a condemnation of our institutions of what might loosely be called “higher learning.” It is not surprising Concordia University could not summon up the will to keep him here. Instead of independent thinkers like Gad Saad and Jordan Peterson, we find universities hiring clownish figures who are only to happy to spout progressive twaddle about the U.S. and Israel, and bypassing true statesmen like former PM Stephen Harper for honorary degrees because they are too conservative (big and small “c”).Our politicians, too, have to bear responsibility for the decline in our civilization. I would like to call them leaders, but in truth there is no leadership coming from Ottawa, only politics and self-interest. Courage and integrity are not in the lexicon of our government. Too inconvenient and too risky, one supposes. Votes are all that matter, followed by the need to secure a lucrative pension.A Saad state of affairs, indeed.E. Joan O’Callaghan, TorontoAs the cat was escaping the bag, Prime Minister Mark Carney dispatched the humbled defence minister and RCAF commander to announce the grounding of the Snowbirds. Airshow season is starting up and those who plan and host them knew what was coming as they began planning for the 2027 season. So someone had to get out and pre-empt the leak.The problem, however, was created by the prime minister of a decade ago, now gracing the gossip sheets with a popstar, who abandoned the Canadian military at every turn. Unfortunately for his replacement, the death blow to a proud, prominent and proficient aviation tradition will cost the current government more than they know.One of, if not the best, air demonstration in the world showed how good our pilots are and made young aspirants excited at the chance they might become one. The Snowbirds’ reach across Canada was almost too broad to comprehend. They brought an excitement about serving in Canada’s Armed Forces to all corners of the country.As the true impact of this mistake sinks in, it should be marked as the beginning of the ultimate decline and failure of Carney’s premiership.Shawn Sutherland, CalgaryI commend Tristin Hopper for taking the time to find the things that Prime Minister Mark Carney has actually done. However, we must point out that many of these things are only one side of the coin. The scrapping of the emissions cap is moot as the body of anti-pipeline legislation still stands. The consumer carbon tax was suspended but there is still an industrial carbon tax. Carney dialled back immigration, but it is still extremely high. The cutting of the gas tax is something most governments in the world have done; it’s not really an original idea. Even the increase in defence spending has not changed how the world or many allies see us as a military power.The issue is Carney is playing it safe with Canada. He is doing some things, but only at a very nominal amount. Nothing too much to rock the boat. Philip Cross points out in his recent article that Canada needs an overhaul on many things we are taking for granted. I would amend the ending to Cross’s column to say, “However highly we think of ourselves, we won’t do what is necessary to alleviate our slow growth.” That would be a much more appropriate description. Cross is telling Canada to check their engine (the light is on), but the small things that Carney has done amount to checking the windshield wiper fluid level.Michael Szumigaj, Oakville, Ont.Prime Minister Mark Carney comes back from a January meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and announces a new strategic partnership that includes a law-enforcement co-operation agreement between the RCMP and China’s Ministry of Public Security. Two months later the Liberals introduce Bill C-22, which allows for warrantless surveillance by law enforcement while also permitting certain elected officials to initiate such surveillance.In Canada, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In China, the government can arrest anyone at any time — just ask Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, Canadians working in China who were imprisoned for three years for the sole purpose of pressuring Canada.Politically targeted law enforcement is China’s specialty and Canada’s Liberal government following suit isn’t a coincidence.Gary Krieger, North York, Ont.Columnist Donna Kennedy-Glans cites Prime Minister Mark Carney’s frequent assertion that we accept the constitutional duty to consult with First Nations on development projects.But is that correct?Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982 states: “The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.”It says nothing about future Aboriginal or treaty rights. The Supreme Court of Canada’s 2004 ruling that the Crown has a duty to consult Indigenous groups was a judicial interpretation, not a constitutional amendment. As a court decision — one that can be narrowed, clarified, or overturned by a future court — it should be treated as exactly that, not as an immutable constitutional obligation.When First Nations challenge Canada’s authority to make sole and final decisions on major nation-building projects, Canada must be far more precise in its interpretation of both the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings.John P.A. Budreski, Whistler, B.C.Tristin Hopper’s article left me wondering, as an executive coach, whether we sometimes evaluate political leadership differently than we evaluate leaders elsewhere.In organizations, popularity is not performance. Vision is not results. Future potential is not execution. Leaders are evaluated against goals, measurable outcomes, stakeholder impact, and evidence that meaningful change occurred because of their efforts.As coaches, we routinely distinguish between aspiration, activity and execution. These are not equivalent. Particularly in sales organizations, leaders are not rewarded because they have opportunities in the pipeline. Pipeline activity matters, but ultimately leaders are evaluated on what actually closes and what measurable impact occurs.Canadians have heard promises from Prime Minister Mark Carney about becoming an energy superpower, accelerating major projects and transforming the economy. One year later, organizations would expect to see early evidence that vision is beginning to convert into measurable outcomes.Not all Canadians experience time in the same way. Some can comfortably wait 10 or 20 years for promised benefits to eventually materialize. But if Canadians are being asked to absorb the costs now, it seems reasonable to ask whether measurable benefits are beginning to emerge now as well.Political leadership often appears to receive a longer runway between vision and measurable outcomes than organizational leadership typically receives. The question may be whether Canadians believe that should remain the standard.Sandra Bobkin, TorontoNational Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (250 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email letters@nationalpost.com. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.