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Apparently not. So what's wrong with us? Has 'elbows up' gone to our heads?Last updated 28 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Prime Minister Mark Carney Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK/PostmediaSomething weird is happening in the fevered little beaver brains of the Canadian collective. The world is going to pot, yet here we are feeling more chipper than we have in years.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 AccountorOil costs a fortune, no one can afford houses and don’t even get me started about health care. Food costs are through the roof. Tech bosses are blithely unleashing algorithms hardly anyone understands and apparently no one can control. Mortgage delinquencies are surging. The economy has shrunk for two quarters in a row, which is the definition of a recession, and the cause of the problem still has more than two years in the White House to start wars, invent tariffs and generally cause havoc before we can (please Lord) be free of him.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 againYet a wave of polls show Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals keep getting more popular, widening their gap over the struggling second-place Conservatives. Depending on the pollster, the prime minister’s party is somewhere between eight and 13 points up on the Tories, having gained up to 15 points since early May.David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, reported that the firm’s May polling numbers showed that, “Government approval has reached a new high, Carney’s personal ratings are at their strongest levels yet and the Liberals now hold a 12-point lead over the Conservatives nationally. At the same time, Canadians are more optimistic about the direction of the country than at any point in more than eight years.”This was a month, remember, in which Iran maintained its blockade of the world’s most vital oil route, adding tanker-loads of fuel to an already burgeoning inflation crisis. Oh, and Alberta’s premier decided the best way to muzzle a small pack of rabid separatists was to hold a vote on a convoluted question that’s pleasing to no one.Are Canadians worried? Apparently not. So what’s wrong with us? Has “elbows up” gone to our heads? Are we turning into Americans, living in a world of alternate facts, happily oblivious to anything we choose not to believe?The press pack in Ottawa isn’t buying it. As Ottawa heads towards its long summer snooze, the parliamentary team at Politico noted that “festering caucus turmoil and national unity questions are hoovering up attention.”That was a reference to the Alberta issue and the slightly bizarre non-resignation of Steven Guilbeault, the former Trudeau environment minister and CN Tower-scaling “climate activist” who inspired days of headlines predicting his imminent departure, only to see him declare that “it’s time me to move on,” without actually moving on.He says he’ll leave, but not quite yet. Maybe sometime this summer. July? August? He left the cabinet nearly a year ago over Carney’s energy pact with Alberta but has been holding onto his seat as an MP. Yet lately his angst has been increasing as the prime minister continues trying to balance his environmental credentials with Canada’s need to market its resources. So he’s going away. Sometime. Just not now. Stay tuned, maybe we’ll get the final departure date once barbecue season begins.Media reports from inside the bubble are rife with stories of discord within the caucus and the eruption of twin unity debates. Quebec’s separatist leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, was highly offended that Canada’s federal leader would support the unity of the country he was elected to protect. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was “just doing her job” by holding a vote on leaving Confederation, he huffed. Carney was “out of line” for suggesting Alberta should be careful what it wishes for.There’s no question the sheer number of dire developments is important stuff, yet the impact appears to fade rapidly beyond the borders of the capital. Don’t we care about Alberta? Has U.S. President Donald Trump become such a figure of absurdity, it’s wasted effort to commit time or thought to him? Or maybe we all just like a good emergency and the opportunity it offers to demonstrate our understated Canadian fortitude.Whether justified or not, credit for the government’s popularity originates with the prime minister. The bulk of his caucus and the leading lights of his cabinet remain holdovers from the Trudeau era. They’re no smarter or more competent than they ever were, but seem less diminished than they did. A year and a bit into the job, the bulk of Carney’s accomplishments remain the Trudeau policies and posturing he’s jettisoned, rather than the results he’s produced.He’s treated measurably more respectfully on international stages and has yet to embarrass himself or the country in China, India or Washington, as Trudeau did. No blackface, silly socks or Bollywood foolery.That doesn’t completely explain the Liberals’ popularity, however. Relief is one thing; confidence in the future is another. It may be that the world has become so worrisome, with crises seemingly erupting on every front, that it’s become more comforting to just not think about it.Guilbeault declared he’s “absolutely at peace” with his decision to leave it all behind. Better not to think about it. Let someone else handle things. Could be a lot of the country is feeling the same way.National Post 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.