2025: The Year in Reflection

Another year has come and gone. What a year in terms of chaos and instability, not only regionally but internationally. We saw the American Administration to strongly suggest to annex Canada as its 51st State and apply reciprocal tariffs to everyone who conducts business with them (which is pretty much every developed country) including their allies causing global instability and anxiety. In plain street terms, if this is not the biggest global shakedown in history it is not far. You cannot write a movie with so many twists and turns that this administration did in the past year. In addition, the current trajectory of the USA foreign policy (anti-immigration, tariffs, etc) will hurt the USA on the long run. I believe it will take them a long time to recover, if ever. Their realationship with the world has officially changed for the worst, despite the administration claiming the opposite. At some point, someone will push back the bully, and it will not be pretty, that is for sure. I believe however the damage is done and there is no turning back.

This sums up pretty much what was in the main media all year round: what will Trump do next. I got tired of his rantings after his 2nd week. This second Trump term is dreadful and unsettling. What is more alarming, is that I think the people that are hurting the most are Americans. I understand some reorganization was probably more than overdue, but to burn down pretty much all the Federal Government to the ground is astonishing and pretty sad for a country that was the figurehead of Democracy. They are alienating everyone and in the long term, they will lose and lose bad, despite whatthis administration is saying. I just hope Canada is not swept along for the downfall. These ingrediants all make for an interesting upcoming 2026 political scene, don't you think?

Canadian Politics in 2025

Here in Canada, well we can thank Mr. Trump to have united Canadians like I have never seen during my lifetime. I never thought of seeing Quebec separatist fully unite with their fellow Canadians to stand up to the USA. I never thought of seeing the day that the relationship between the United States and Canada would deteriorate to this point. The fact that the US President went on for months wanting to annex Canada as its 51st state did not sit well with many Canadians. Move forward to a year later, many Canadians are still attempting to avoid any purchase of US Products or avoiding to vacation in the United States. I honestly thought this would last only for a little while, but this tendency is still going strong as of December 2025.

We also have to give credit where it is due. Due to Mr. Trump’s antics, well the Liberal Party and Mark Carney were reelected to a minority government. Mr. Carney was elected on the premise that he could deal with Mr. Trump and get a best deal for Canada. For those who do not know Mark Carney, he was the Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008 to 2013); Governor of The Bank of England (2013 to 2020) and worked in the Finance sector for many years. If there is one person who can steer the Canadian economy in the right direction is Mr. Carney. Many citizens find the results are taking way too much time. Mr. Carney is working on major changes to the economy which is not achieved overnight. I think at the end of the day, Canada will come out of this even stronger than before.

The best person to describe the issue is Jean Charest, the ex-Premier of the Province of Quebec. You can see him here describing the issues:

In the next year, I believe Canada will be concentrating on the renegotiation of CUSMA (The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (old NAFTA Agreement) which is up in 2026. That will be interesting to see what will come out of it. I am sure, more uncertainty and chaos for sure if Trump is involved.

Another aspect that many news outlets in Canada overlook is the rise of the separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. Overall, I doubt people would vote to separate from Canada, especially in these uncertain times. However, the fact that they are talking about it should be cause for alarm. I believe we are stronger together. If Alberta or Quebec separates, the USA will be waiting to grab them as the next states for sure. The USA wants our natural resources, such as our clean water, lumber, and critical minerals like aluminum. That was the original premise for the 51st state rhetoric and it has been true for years coming from the USA. This is a subject worth paying attention to in the next year.

What Else Went on in 2025

There is so much distraction and noise coming from this Administration, we have to take a step back and see what is really going on. They take up so much space; the Canadian Media spend more time covering US politics than they do about Canadian Politics. That is the state we are currently in.

We forget that the reason why Trump got elected for his 2nd term, is not because he is “The Second Coming of Jesus” due to his survival of an assassination attempt, but because the average American or working-class American is struggling. Not only struggling, really struggling to put food on the table, yet alone to have a roof over their head. The cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years causing an even greater rift between the rich and the poor. Middle Class, in the United States is almost nonexistent; it is becoming just as bad as Mexico or countries like that. The revolt in the states was to vote for someone that is not part of the Political Click, but what they voted for was even worse. This administration cares about the well being of the top 1% earners in the US. Their actions speak for themselves. The USA will continue down this path in 2026. At some point, the US Citizens will rise, really rise up. You cannot make so many changes, omit so many people and expect people to go with it. Not in modern times. The worst is the anti-immigration stand. I recognize that this was an issue, but the way they are going about to solve it is quite sad. Especially from a country that was built of immigration.

It is also important to point out that most Americans do not have these extreme views of the world. I think in 2025 / 2026 a Global view of the world is more appropriate. The perception of it all is that the elite or most fortunate people are getting greedy. The United States current views are similar to the English Lords or the French Bourgeoisie. In other words, they are attempting to bring back imperialism and authoritarianism. I call these old school views that are shared with countries like Russia and Belarus to name a few. You can also place China in this category, which favors more of a combination of capitalism and communism. All this is a testament that the human species, as a whole, has not learned from our past mistakes. I will not get into the theories of the civilizations that came before our modern day that self-destroyed, but if we continue in this trajectory, we are heading towards civil and world wars. I am not too sure if the human race would survive if this manifests itself. The greed and the quest for power of a few looks like will be the downfall of humankind. I know I am entertaining a pretty dark scenario, but it is reality. The majority of people do not want to deal with all the noise and do not pay attention. I am hoping that that enough people do rise up to change the dark downward spiral the world is currently living in.

At the end of the day, whether you like or hate this Republican (MAGA) Administration, they are there for the next 3 years. Let’s hope there will be some breathers between les coups d’états.

2025 – In Memoriam

It is quite astonishing of the number of celebrities or famous people that have passed away in 2025. Please find below a compilation from In Memoriam – Recollection Road – Entertainment. What is good about this compilation is that there is a description for each person featured which makes it interesting. Rest in Peace to those who passed away in 2025.

2026 – A Glimmer of Hope?

2025 became the premise of a bad movie, but not all of it was bad. We saw the election of a new American Pope Leo, saw the rise of the US stock market largely due to the continued growth of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the end of the Gaza / Israel War just to name a few. Despite the apparent darkness there is some hope. I think people in general are fed up with divisional politics. They want to go back to normal. Luckily here in Canada, the division is not as pronounced as in the USA.

I believe that in 2026, people will speak up. Not only here in North America but across the world. The people will push back against our elected officials and the world’s elite. No one can really predict any outcome, but I do believe that the majority of people on this planet are good people. All people want is a decent life with family, friends and being able to have a roof over their head. Its not always easy, but we all have a right to have our essential needs met. Most people are kind to each other. You often see this in Natural Disaster Zones, but I think with these conditions, people will help each other more and more. Maybe this is a pipedream, but they do not cost anything to dream, one of the only things that does not have a tariff.

Despite these uncertain times, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and may 2026 bring us some comfort. I will leave you with this inspiring song from Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World. It is amazing that this song is so relevant today. Until next time. keep on smiling :)