Bernie commented on my previous post – Collaboration, NOT Confrontation – with the link above. She had included this commentary by Marc Doll in her piece. Here’s what Marc Doll had to say –

If you voted Conservative and already hate Mark Carney.

Take a breath.

Ask yourself why?

How did it happen that you harbour such a strong emotion against someone who… up to this point has likely only done things you like.

He replaced Justin Trudeau.
He got rid of the Carbon tax.
He has promised middle class tax cuts…. etc.

From my perspective we have just elected a Centre-Right government led by a well-respected economist who may well be the most knowledgeable leader in the Western World, who was appointed not once but twice to be the top Banker of 2 separate nations by 2 very right wing governments, who was educated in two world renowned Universities, and who currently has no scandals to his name.

Ask yourself how you came to a head-space where you abhor someone who is by all measures a Progressive Conservative? Why do you have a high level of antipathy towards someone who you likely agree with in all but the colour of the flag he chose to fly? Ask yourself how much money had to be invested by political interests to get you to already feel such strong emotions against someone you would have supported strongly under a different colour banner?

I know why I am sceptical about the direction the Liberals are going to take our country as I’m one of the weird folks who still think the environment, some controversial social issues, respect for international borders, international law and a redistribution of power and money from the billionaire class back to the regular Canadians as top issues.

Carney has a far from stellar record on any of the issues I deem important but still I recognize he is the adult in the room and frankly the only leader who is equipped to deal with the Threat that we as a nation face.

If you are filled with anger. I can tell you it is an anger that someone spent a lot of money to make you feel.

It is time for Canada to come together as a Nation and your ‘purchased’ anger needs to be set aside at least until he has a record which you can actually point to as a reason to hate him.

In the meantime. Let’s get on to team Canada against our current enemy.

Let’s work to break down the economic trade barriers inside our own country.

Let’s give ourselves more than the US can take away.

Let’s continue to boycott everything from the nation that threatens our existence.

Let’s be leaders and build partnerships with the remaining stable and sane countries in the world.

Lets’s continue to plan our vacations in Canada and buy Canadian.

Let’s pull for our Country and stop letting the billionaire class divide us and create hate and antipathy so that they can enrich themselves and consolidate their power.

Marc Dole

I’ve been making new iPhone cases for myself after having finished the one for my friend Heather.

In fact, this is the third one. I made one using a bit of leftover painted leather, but wasn’t happy with it – the design wasn’t straight on the piece leather and it annoyed me. I did a second using some leftover royal blue leather, but when I took it apart to add some firm backing, the leather split!

This one is made from a cork fabric. Not easy to work with – it’s stiff and turning the bag rightside out took a bit of effort, but I’m happy with it, even if it could be a 1/2″ wider. I can still get everything into it, but it’s a tight squeeze. I’m hoping the fabric will soften and stretch a bit, maybe not. I also have no idea how long the fabric will last before the thin layer of real cork begins peeling off!

Now on to fixing some errant place mats I made for a friend. We didn’t preshrink the fabric (a bad decision) and the backing fabric shrank when she washed them. I made eight. Four are still unused. I’m going to quilt them with a tight design so when the backing shrinks it will just give the placemats some texture. The other four I’m going to have to take apart, and remake trimming the top fabric to fit the backing. Once they’re sewn back together, I’ll quilt them, too. The taking apart is an evening project while watching TV.

Just read this very interesting piece on Substack that I feel I should share:

Carney’s Checkmate: How Canada’s Quiet Bond Play Forced Trump to Drop Tariffs

Let’s talk about the moment Donald Trump blinked. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t a tweetstorm or a rally rant. When the tariff threats that had the world on edge—125% on China, 25% on Canada’s autos, a global trade war in the making—suddenly softened. A “pause,” he called it. A complete turnaround from the chest-thumping of the past week. And the reason? Mark Carney and a slow, deliberate financial maneuver that most people didn’t even notice: the coordinated Treasury bond slow bleed.

This wasn’t about bravado. It was about leverage. Cold, calculated, and devastatingly effective. 

Trump’s pause wasn’t because people were getting yippy…

Turns our PM was at the helm, here! He saw what was coming and did something about it – no fanfare on the campaign trail, no waving flags, no patting himself on the back. He talked to the EU, to Britain, to Japan, others, with a plan – slowly sell their US Treasury Bills and let the market do the talking. They were ready for the tariffs that trump had announced well in advance of “Liberation Day”. When those silly tariffs were announced the selling began. It didn’t take long.

Rewind a bit. While Trump was gearing up his trade war machine, Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister, wasn’t just sitting in Ottawa twiddling his thumbs. He’d been quietly increasing Canada’s holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds—over $350 billion worth by early 2025, part of the $8.53 trillion foreign countries hold in U.S. debt. On the surface, it looked like a safe play, a hedge against economic chaos. But it wasn’t just defense. It was a loaded gun.

Carney didn’t stop there. He took his case to Europe. Not for photo ops, but for closed-door meetings with the EU’s heavy hitters—Germany, France, the Netherlands. Japan was in the room too, listening closely. The pitch was simple: if Trump went too far with tariffs, Canada wouldn’t just retaliate with duties on American cars or steel. It would start offloading those Treasury bonds. Not a fire sale—nothing so crude. A slow, steady bleed. A signal to the markets that the U.S. dollar’s perch wasn’t so secure.

Blundell explains how it all worked. Click on the link, scroll down a bit and you’ll find out how this setup all worked, and why.

That’s the message Carney delivered in his call with Trump last week. No leaks on the exact words, but the outcome speaks volumes. Trump didn’t just pause the tariffs; he backpedaled hard. China’s still in the crosshairs—125% duties are no joke—but Canada? The EU? Japan? They’re off the hit list. For now, at least. Why? Because Carney’s play wasn’t noise. It was power.

Let’s be real: Trump’s spent years calling Canada a freeloader—remember his 2019 NATO jabs?—while ignoring the inconvenient truth. Canada’s $350 billion in U.S. debt isn’t charity. It’s a lifeline. Japan’s trillion-plus? Same deal. The EU’s pile? Ditto. These countries aren’t just buying bonds to be nice; they’re bankrolling the U.S. government. And when they threaten to pull the plug, even slowly, Washington listens.

This was the determining factor in Trump’s surrender. Not the public spats, not the retaliatory tariffs Canada slapped on U.S. autos (though those stung). It was the quiet, coordinated threat of a Treasury bond unwind that bent Trump’s knee. Carney didn’t need to shout. He didn’t need to posture. He lined up the free world—Japan, the EU, Canada in lockstep—and showed Trump the cliff’s edge. Strategic brilliance doesn’t get louder than that.

Carney also issued Canadian Treasury bonds in USD which was another brilliant way to strengthen Canada’s position and financial reputation. Little triggers and strategies you get when the world’s most respected economist is your PM…

You get the drift. Apparently, the instigator of the T-Bill selloff that scared the shit out of trump was Carney. The experienced banker. The person who understands international finance.

Carney made sure to tell the world that despite Trump kissing our northern ring, we’re not negotiating shit until after the election. He also said we’re still moving away from our relationship with the US for greener, saner pastures.

Looks like we have THE man for the job.

We need to make sure we elect enough Liberals for him to continue in the job. PP wouldn’t have had a clue how to do this, or that it could be done. All he knows is how to name call. To act like trump.

It’s clear we need The Banker!

[If you want more information on Carney check out Dear Canada: We’re at the Peak of the Election “Smear Campaign” ]