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Geoff Russ: Mark Carney commits to Trudeau's empty postnationalism

The prime minister invoked Wilfrid Laurier with little understanding of what Laurier stood for

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Like Justin Trudeau before him, Prime Minister Mark Carney is embracing “postnationalism.”

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During his speech at the Liberal party’s convention in Montreal on Saturday, Carney praised multiculturalism and “inclusivity.” He declared that Canada was a nation “forged through accommodation, not assimilation”.

Geoff Russ: Mark Carney commits to Trudeau's empty postnationalism Back to video

The prime minister proceeded to misrepresent Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Carney praised Laurier because he “governed a country that had once conquered his people.” He certainly got the first half of that sentence right, as he did govern a country. As for the second party, Canada never conquered Laurier’s people, for his own people helped to build Canada itself.

Regarding Canada’s tradition of accommodation, Carney was not entirely wrong. Confederation in 1867 was the maturation of the old colonial pact struck by the British and French-speaking Canadiens after the Seven Years War. Once the British conquered New France in 1760, they realized that governing the King’s new French-speaking subjects would require concessions.

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