Prime Minister Mark Carney declared in a recent YouTube address that Canada must revive its historic virtues to confront U.S. tariffs and emerge stronger, more resilient and independent.
Historical Inspiration
Carney invoked Sir John A. Macdonald, praising the former prime minister’s nation‑building ambition and likening the federal Major Projects Office to the Canadian Pacific Railway, the “iron spine” that stitched the country together.
He argued that the virtues of past generations are essential for the current crisis, urging Canadians to view their history as a source of pride rather than shame.
Education System in Decline
PISA results show a steady drop in math and reading scores since 2003, with the proportion of students in the lowest performance tiers rising in almost every province.
University of Winnipeg professor Anna Stokke warned that the decline is especially pronounced in British Columbia, where the 2010 curriculum has failed to reverse falling test scores and Vancouver’s school board eliminated honours programs in math, science and English.
Research and DEI Conflict
A 2025 Aristotle Foundation study found that 477 of 489 job ads at ten Canadian universities required DEI criteria, often at the expense of scholarly excellence.
Professor Eric Kaufmann’s recent analysis of a UBC Tier 1 Canada Research Chair posting in forestry highlighted a requirement that applicants identify as having a disability, raising concerns that merit‑based selection is being sidelined.
The federal government ties Canada Research Chair funding to DEI compliance, monitoring institutions and threatening consequences for non‑compliance.
Call for Excellence
Carney said “Canada Strong” means not merely withstanding the crisis but excelling afterward, a vision that demands an education system and research apparatus focused on merit.
He urged a return to teaching Canadian history honestly and restoring rigorous standards in schools and universities.
If Canada wants the resilient, independent nation Carney envisions, it must place excellence at the centre of its institutions now.
David Livingstone, PhD, senior fellow with the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, authored the analysis.
Views expressed are his own and do not reflect those of The Epoch Times.
