ɫɫ��

Here’s what I’d do.��

These are not easy moves, but they are necessary.

Move at crisis speed — even if it’s not a crisis

Remember 2020 when Covid19 hit? Suddenly governments across Canada that usually dithered about all kinds of issues acted at lightning speed.

Within days — sometimes hours — they sprang into action with emergency response plans, wage support, border policies and supply chain pipelines.

It all happened at a pace no one thought possible.

We may or may not be in an economic crisis right now.��CertainlyIt seems like we are, with the never-ending threat of��Trump tariffs��and��global��trade tensions.

Why wait to decide if it’s a crisis? Our government should aim to function at warp speed.

If I were running things, I’d make everything urgent. I’d create a ‘rapid decision mandate’ for��national priorities: economic growth, digital infrastructure, housing supply and climate sustainability.

It’s always easy to say we need more consultation, but right now it’s better to act fast and consult as we go.

That’s what our competitors do, and so should we. Speed isn’t reckless. Delay is.

Eliminate interprovincial barriers��— now!

Canada is a country. We should act like one.

It’s commendable that the prime minister and our premiers are paying attention and working to knock down interprovincial barriers.

But even the speed they’re working at, which is unprecedented, is too slow.�� If a Canadian-made product is cheaper to buy in another country than in another province, something is broken.

I’d fix this now.

If U.S. President Donald Trump could impose tariffs overnight which are bad, why can’t we do the opposite overnight and lower trade barriers within Canada, which is good.

Let’s do it now and work out the details later.

Drop the prime rate to get mortgage rates under three per cent

Interest rates are supposed to be just a monetary policy lever. But they’re a national anxiety.

Too many Canadians are not investing, building, or spending. It’s not because they don’t want to, but because they’re terrified of what will happen when their mortgage comes up for renewal.

It’s a huge squeeze, particularly on middle-income Canadians.

The Bank of Canada decides monetary policy independently. But Carney used to run the central bank��and by most accounts did quite well.

Right now, the bank keeps hinting that it’s open to dropping rates to stimulate our economy. But when?

If I were running Canada, I’d send strong, public signals. The bank should take the hint.

A healthy economy needs optimism.

Promote, don’t punish wealth creation

We say we want innovation, growth and success. But we still tax ambition like it’s a liability.

You know this if you are a company founder, a professional or a global earner.

When you manage to break through in Canada the message you hear is “we need claw it back.”

This often drives people to leave, look for tax havens or sell their successful businesses to foreigners.

Everyone must pay their fair share, but we shouldn’t be using peoples’ success as a crutch.

Too often, there’s a disconnect when governments say they need to “tax the rich” but hit people who are just breaking through to success.

And governments aren’t good at explaining what they’re going to do with the extra tax revenue.

You can’t build prosperity by vilifying those who create it.

If you want more people to climb the ladder, keep it strong and steady — stop shaking it.

Prioritize the contributors, not just the cases

I’ve built a successful business here and I’ve scaled it globally, despite the barriers Canadian entrepreneurs face.

But I’ve also seen how hard it is to build momentum in Canada even when you’re doing everything right.

We need to support entrepreneurs who contribute to the economy.

It’s a mind shift and��we need to do everything to encourage innovation, whether it’s from a self-funded tech startup exporting Canadian intellectual property��or internationally trained doctors who could be practicing here tomorrow if rules were streamlined.

If we don’t fuel the engines of growth, there won’t be anything left to redistribute.

It all comes down to this: We should act like we don’t have a lot of time.

That’s what I’d do if I were prime minister.

Mark Carney should do the same.