Volume 7, Issue No. 36
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .
Our latest as of Tuesday, January 27, 2026
~ One fine moment when the world looks up to the True North happened last week in Davos, Switzerland where Prime Minister Mark Carney basically defined what Canada is and what Canadians are. It instantly awed his listeners and jolted the convicted felon and adjudicated sexual offender in the White House.
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AT DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
PM Mark Carney's Speech
Makes Us Proud Canadians
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim.” ― Tim Fiel
TORONTO - The day after Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland last week, I feel a sudden surge of pride in being Canadian. That's not to say I abandon my heritage either, just to be clear.
I'm no political partisan. Come election time, I vote my conscience. Whoever conforms with my fundamental principles gets my vote regardless of party affiliation.
I know Mr. Carney is a Liberal, but it is not because of that which prompts me to write this bit of praise for him as Canada's top leader.
Perhaps it's in my nature to resist being bullied. Threats, intimidation, name-calling, the whole nine yards of personal and verbal attacks - they don't work with me; rather they are my triggers.
Having said that, I feel a certain affinity with how Mr. Carney delivered a scathing blow to our neighbour to the south.
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Being here for a decade and a half, I had not seen high-ranking Canadian officials stood up to the likes of the convicted felon and adjudicated sexual offender now occupying the White House.
Mr. Carney's immediate predecessor, though charming, looks bland to me. No offense, please. At the beginning, he had practically allowed himself to be verbally abused, and had tolerated for quite a time such demeaning description of him as "governor" when he's the prime minister.
Not as charismatic as him, Mr. Carney appeared vulnerable. That changed the moment he ascended the rostrum in Davos with the eyes of the world on him.
When he began his speech, I see right away that he was affirming a distinct Canadian identity. He served strong notice to the world's biggest bully that Canadians are not silent suckers.
Mr. Carney's address reflects Canada's high moral standing amidst America's devolution under the current dispensation. That in itself builds confidence, especially for visible minorities.
Though Mr. Carney did not mention Donald Trump by name, his references to a "hegemon" and "great powers" were unmistakable.
Even then, Trump reacted, saying Canada "lives" because of U.S. goodwill. To which Mr. Carney responded, thus: "Canada doesn't live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian."
The US is the global hegemon. It's also one of the three great powers, on top of Russia and China. On the other hand, Canada, Australia, and South Korea are the "middle powers."
" . . . middle powers like Canada," says Mr. Carney, "are not powerless. They have the capacity to build a new order that embodies our values, like respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states."
Here are excerpts from his speech (Full text at: https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2026/01/20/principled-and-pragmatic-canadas-path-prime-minister-carney-addresses):
"Let me be direct: we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.
"Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics laid bare the risks of extreme global integration.
"More recently, great powers began using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.
"You cannot 'live within the lie' of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.
"The multilateral institutions on which middle powers relied - the WTO, the UN, the COP - the architecture of collective problem solving - are greatly diminished.
"As a result, many countries are drawing the same conclusions. They must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance, and supply chains.
"This impulse is understandable. A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself.
" x x x The question for middle powers, like Canada, is not whether to adapt to this new reality. We must.
"The question is whether we adapt by simply building higher walls - or whether we can do something more ambitious.
"Canada was amongst the first to hear the wake-up call, leading us to fundamentally shift our strategic posture.
"Canadians know that our old, comfortable assumption that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security is no longer valid." (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
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