Pichette’s exit fee comments and the unhinged reaction to Carney’s push for Canadian self-reliance both represent the small-mindedness Canada needs to move beyond

There has been a strong negative reaction to comments made by former Google executive Patrick Pichette at the Liberal convention. Speaking to attendees, Pichette pushed for either ending the Canada-US TN program (which allows skilled Canadian professionals to work in the United States) or imposing a $500,000 ‘exit fee’:

Now, it should be noted that Pichette’s remarks are not government policy, nor did the Liberals pass any policy recommendations along those lines. The government is not imposing such an exit fee. That said, the intense reaction to Pichette’s remarks is rational, and we’ll look at why later in this article.

First, we’ll look at another set of remarks that has generated significant reaction: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s factually correct acknowledgment that Canada’s reliance on the U.S. is now a weakness:

If you look at the comments in reply to the Tweet above, you’ll see both significant support and criticism for Carney’s remarks. Much of the criticism – also evident in other posts on Carney’s speech – comes from people on the right of the political spectrum, and is based around the idea that Canada ‘shouldn’t poke the bear’ by criticizing the actions of the U.S. Government, and that – given our geography and overwhelming trade dependence on the U.S. – we shouldn’t seek to diversify that trade, but that we should instead double down on deepening Canada-U.S. ties. That criticism is wrong.

Why Pichette’s remarks and criticisms of Carney’s push for self-reliance are both examples of small-mindedness

There is a link between Pichette’s remarks and the negative reaction to Carney’s push for Canadian self-reliance: Both are based on a small-minded idea of what Canada can be, and what Canadians are capable of. To claim that Canada’s best and brightest should be financially locked in the country is to claim that Canada can’t ever become a place where the best and brightest wish to voluntarily remain. To claim that Canada must submit to whatever the U.S. demands and can never meaningfully reduce our reliance upon the U.S. is to claim that Canadians can’t innovate, become more productive, or deepen trade partnerships with other nations. Both attitudes assume Canada is weak and incapable of becoming stronger.

It’s a form of small-mindedness, the kind of small-mindedness that has been holding Canada back for far too long. The idea that we can’t achieve anything, that we should be suspicious of our high achievers, and that we need to ask other nations for permission to maximize our potential, are all examples of thinking small. It’s a kind of attitude that is sorely ill-suited to the moment Canada finds itself in.

Rejecting unearned guilt and restoring our belief in the heroic potential of Canadians

It took a heroic amount of strength, resilience, and relentless adaptation to build Canada. Heroic personalities, whether those who directly brought Canada into being, like John A. Macdonald, or fought for their vision of freedom like Louis Riel, have long been a part of the Canadian story. And in the immense personal bravery of Canadians like Terry Fox, we are reminded of the inspirational power of heroic individual achievement that endures throughout time.

The heroic spirit is still alive in Canadians, including in the entrepreneurial Canadians who develop innovative companies and new technologies. Those innovators and creators have nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, just the opposite. They should feel a deserved sense of pride in themselves, and Canada’s goal should be to make our country a place where they can achieve to the fullest of their potential, rather than be restrained. Locking our creators and innovators in Canada – or forcing them to pay an immense sum if they want to leave – is a deeply immoral idea, given that such a policy would result in treating those creators like beasts of burden rather than as individuals free to follow their rational self-interest, which is why it is rational for people to view Pichette’s comments so negatively.

It’s time for Canada to become a nation where we celebrate rather than guilt our builders, where we uplift achievers rather than restrain them. Neither exit fees nor submission to the current U.S. Administration, nor other forms of small-mindedness, will get us there. Canada needs to think big and rediscover our sense of heroic potential.

Spencer Fernando

Image – Twitter