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That's like saying you're half-pregnantEnough with the external blame games. The bell is ringing. It's time to buildLast updated 27 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Photo by JASPER JACOBS /Getty ImageWhen you find out you’re pregnant, the test is clear: positive or negative. Canada’s recession debate isn’t so binary.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 AccountorSome economists point to two straight quarters of negative GDP growth and declare a “technical recession.” Others, like the C.D. Howe Institute’s Business Cycle Council, demand something more pronounced, persistent and pervasive. Half-pregnant or fully in labour, the alarm is ringing. Wake up, Canada — we’re slipping.This mild contraction — Q4 2025 and a razor-thin Q1 2026 dip — lands like a wet blanket after years of warnings. Blame games are easy: it was COVID lockdowns in 2020; greed in 2008-09; oil prices tanking in 2015. Today, fingers point at Trump tariffs and trade whiplash.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 againFair enough on the external squeeze. But external shocks expose internal weaknesses.Pierre Poilievre wants an emergency debate on solutions. The Liberals seem content to filibuster reality. Meanwhile, the usual chorus — Avi Lewis types branding Mark Carney a fossil-fuel traitor, or Steven Guilbeault ghosts plotting their next “build nothing” sequel — offers theatre, not therapy.Enough kvetching. Let’s name the useful problems and fix them with urgency.Uncertainty is investment kryptonite. Investors aren’t fleeing because they hate maple syrup. They’re dodging confusion.In British Columbia, property rights chaos has would-be miners and developers hitting pause or packing up. Fix it. Courts and governments have authority — use it. Clarify title and consultation rules that respect both Indigenous rights and economic reality. No more endless dithering dressed up as reconciliation.In Alberta, a separatist hum grows louder every time Ottawa slow-walks an export pipeline to tidewater. Premier Danielle Smith says she trusts Carney. Trust is nice, but results speak louder. Approve pipelines with speed. One decisive west-coast oil outlet would quiet the naysayers, fill federal coffers, and remind every province what Confederation actually delivers. In a recession, political games are a luxury we cannot afford.Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston just did the unthinkable: he lifted a decade-old fracking moratorium and uranium mining ban. He’s courting investment while his neighbours import the very energy they refuse to produce at home. New Brunswick and Quebec — how long will you cling to these dual standards? Hypocrisy isn’t a growth strategy. Open the door — safely, responsibly — but open it.Talent is leaking out faster than we admit. Canada has record emigration — over 65,000 net in recent tallies, heavily skewed to the young, educated, and ambitious. I’ve sat across from bright 20- and 30-somethings weighing offers south of the border and bitten my tongue. Why tie them to a country that regulates creativity, taxes ambition, and celebrates caution? CRTC busybodies, endless permitting mazes, bureaucratic “maybe later” culture — talent and capital flow to places that say “yes.”Look at Poland: once a post-communist laggard, it’s now Europe’s growth leader. Young entrepreneurs who left are flooding home, energized by opportunity. Canada could spark the same return wave. Cut the red tape that treats innovators like suspects. Reward risk-takers instead of cushioning everyone equally. Celebrate success loudly.Constraints can catalyze brilliance. Estonia’s Skype founders built a global disruptor from Soviet-era scarcity and isolation, forcing clever, low-cost communication hacks. Israel became the Start-Up Nation amid existential threats, scarce resources, and relentless pressure — necessity mothered world-beating advances in cybersecurity, water desalination, agriculture, and defence.They hacked solutions because they had no choice. Canada’s trade pressures and regulatory thicket could do the same — if we stop whining and start hacking. Shopify thrived despite our burdens; imagine what a leaner policy environment could unleash.Wallowing in old grievances is a pre-recession luxury. Dithering on pipelines, resource projects, or talent retention is now unaffordable. Major Projects Office tweaks and one-year review targets are baby steps; they need teeth and speed.Ordinary Canadians — muted for fear of being shouted down — need to speak. What are the useful problems Canada must fix right now, and what are the tangible solutions?Streamline Impact Assessment Act delays that turn shovel-ready projects into decade-long ordeals. Prioritize critical minerals and energy exports that pay the bills while we green the grid. Reform immigration to retain high-skill arrivals instead of watching them onward-migrate to the U.S. Cut duplicative regulations that raise costs without raising standards. What else?This technical recession is a modest warning, not Armageddon. But warnings ignored become real pain. Canada has the resources, the people, and the geography to thrive. We lack only the collective will to stop talking aspirational nonsense and start delivering results.The bell is ringing. Wakey, wakey. Time to build.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.