— Feature, Musings —10.11.2025 10:51 AM
Elbows missing
In politics, as in hockey, “elbows down” can have unhelpful consequences.
You can get hit more, for example. Lots more bruises and missing teeth, too.
A quick 2025 refresher, for those who don’t remember: Justin Trudeau leaves, Donald Trump arrives, 51st state, Pierre Poilievre collapses, Mark Carney appears.
And Carney – who had never run for high public office before, had never chaired a cabinet meeting, had never participated in televised leaders’ debate – did better than anyone (especially Poilievre) expected. But he had a secret weapon, didn’t he? Carney had two words that made him Prime Minister, and saved the Liberal Party of Canada from a fourth-place finish in the election.
“Elbows up.”
The Liberals bet the house on those two words, and it paid off, big time. They put them in online ads. They put them in speeches. They put them in ads, and ran them over and over and over, featuring Carney and beloved Canadian ex-pat Mike Myers at a hockey rink, somewhere in Anytown, Canada.
The scene: Myers looks surprised to run into a Prime Minister at a hockey rink. Carney asks if Myers lives in the States. Myers says yes, but adds that “I’ll always be Canadian.” Skeptical, Carney then quizzes him on Mr. Dressup, Howie Meeker, Saskatchewan’s capital, Toronto’s seasons and the Tragically Hip. Myers gets them all.
“Wow,” says Carney, smiling the smile he reserves for those love-sick moments when he actually calls Trump a “transformative” president. “You really are Canadian.”
Myers: “But let me ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, will there always be a Canada?”
Carney: “There will always be a Canada!”
Myers: “All right! Elbows up!” Carney says it, too, and then they (weirdly, this isn’t the pandemic anymore, fellas) touch elbows.
Thusly, “elbows up” elected Mark Carney Prime Minister, kept the Grits in power, and defeated Pierre Poilievre in the election and his own seat. Two words did all that. Impressive.
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If I’m not mistaken, elbows up is a dirty play in hockey. The slogan is terrible and needs to be retired. President Trump seems to like our PM more than he liked the previous one, but we need results?
So
Liberals got elected on a bald face lie.
In other news the sky is blue
Joseph,
Our problem in this party is that we lack political sophiscation and suffer from a collective party naiveté that is simply spellbounding: the Liberals always have and always will only care about power and keeping it. No newsflash there. Just ask Harper who learned that lesson the hard way. It’s way beyond laughable to see this party suffer from psychosis and delusion. We actually believe that this sanctimonious milquetoast is about to win the next election when in point of fact he can’t and won’t. To put it more clearly: this guy couldn’t win an election with God rigging the ballot box. Anyone who believes that this dud is viewed in any significant quarter as demonstrably likable has spent too much time at the cannabis store. We’re well on our way to losing our fifth consecutive election and that seems to bother no other party member other than yours truly. And as incredible as it sounds, our collective stupidity will lead to a Soviet-style endorsement of this leader next January in Calgary. In this party, we make our own bed and then richly get what we deserve. Watching heads explode in AB after we lose again in May will be the highlight of my week. Those people never learn and never will…
Elbows up got them in but I’ll bet it will also become their dirty fart in the room.
Dink,
See my comment above. Thanks.
If I were helping the Tories (and I’m not/won’t), I’d be clipping every one of these Oval Office meetings of Mark Carney sheepishly chirping in answers around President Trump.
The Americans who supported Trump last year have a phrase they’ve been using a lot this year: “this is what I vote for” It can be for ICE raids, tariffs, warrants against Comey, etc. They’re eating it all up.
Who, among the Carney supporters from April, can say the same thing about their chosen gladiator?
I can’t predict the future, and I won’t try, but I’m not so sure Mark Carney will get re-elected. It’s clear to me he’s a very insincere person, he has a bad temper, and he looks very weak next to President Trump. I don’t think he’ll do well with Jewish voters, conservative Christians or young voters.
If the NDP splits more votes on the left, Quebec votes for fewer Liberals, and centrists go to the CPC, the Conservatives should have a chance. At least, I certainly hope so.