Date: 2025-10-05 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00028942
COMMENTARY
Richard D. Wolff Respond!
Carney vs. Trump – Canada’s Bold Stand Makes Headlines
Richard D. Wolff Respond!
Carney vs. Trump – Canada’s Bold Stand Makes Headlines
Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sDff0q3HQk
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
Transcript
- 0:00
- Introduction: Setting the stage
- It's because they sit. Let us begin by
- asking a quote. Politicians and media
- outlets are afraid to posing. It's
- because they sit. What happens when
- someone from inside the economic elite
- begins to challenge the very system that
- enriched him? Because that's what we are
- witnessing right now in this headline.
- Storing Carney V's Trump Canada's bold
- stand makes headlines. This isn't just a
- personal disagreement between two
- powerful men. This is a crack in the fi
- aid of neoliberal capitalism because
- they sit a rupture in the silence that
- has protected the economic orthodoxy for
- decades. Mark Carney, a man who has held
- top positions in both British and
- Canadian central banks, is not a
- radical, not a revolutionary, and
- certainly not someone you'd expect to
- speak out against the core mechanics of
- global capitalism. And yet here we are.
- It's because they sit his confrontation
- with Donald Trump represents more than
- 1:00
- diplomacy or disagreement. It signals
- that even the architects of this system
- are beginning to admitting it is broken.
- Trump of course continues to symbolize
- an extreme form of capitalism. One that
- is aggressive, extractive, nationalistic
- and unapologetically dismissive of
- workingclass struggles. But now voices
- like carnese arising not from the
- margins but from the very centers of
- power to say this cannot continue when
- someone like Mark Carney a former
- governor of the bank of Canada and the
- bank of England steps forward to
- challenge the narrative pushed by
- figures like Donald Trump. We must they
- stop and ask ourselves what does this
- truly signal? Carney is not an outsider.
- He is not a fringe economist publishing
- in obscure journals. They sit he is part
- of the very machinery that has governed
- 2:00
- the global capitalist economy for
- decades. When individuals like him begin
- to criticize that system to publicly
- question its direction, its values and
- its consequences, it it is a flashing
- red light for anyone still pretending
- Canada’s bold economic stance
- 2:16
- that the status quo is sustainable. What
- makes this moment so extraordinary is
- not just the identity of the players
- involved. It is the symbolic power of
- disscent from within. For years, those
- of us raising questions about
- inequality, financial instability,
- corporate power, and the erosion of
- democratic accountability were dismissed
- as radicals, liars, or dreamers. But
- today, when someone who once held the re
- of global finance begins to voice
- discomfort with the way power is
- concentrated because they sit with the
- way economies are being manipulated to
- serve the few at the expense of the many
- that can no longer be ignored. That
- 3:01
- should not only give you pause, it
- should give you courage. Because here is
- the truth that no ruling class wants you
- to realizing because they sit your voice
- matters, your action matters, and
- silence is a choice. One that feeds the
- very system that exploits you. If
- someone as entrenched in the halls of
- monory power as Mark Carney can break
- ranks, what's stopping the rest of us?
- What stops a teacher, a student, a
- nurse, a worker, a voter, a parent from
- saying enough is enough? This is not
- just about politics.
- It's about power. And power contrary to
- what they would have you believe is not
- exclusive. It is not reserved for the
- elite. It's because they sit. It is not
- something you must earn from
- institutions. It is something you
- already have and it multiplies the
- moment you begin to use it. Let this
- moment serve as a reminder that no one
- 4:00
- is too small to make noise and no one is
- too powerful to be held accountable. We
- live in a society where billionaires can
- buy influence, where corporations write
- policy behind closed doors because where
- working people are told to be patient
- while wealth concentrates at the top but
- cracks are forming. The myth of
- invincibility is shattering and it
- starts with moments like this when
- voices from within the system itself
- begin to speak truths that activists
- workers it's bean thinkers have been
- shouting for decades uh because they sit
- Mark Carney didn't make headlines
- because he used fancy economic jargon or
- delivered a technocratic report. He made
- headlines because he dared the truth in
- a space where truth is inconvenient.
- And that act alone disrupted the
- narrative. You may not run a central
- bank. You may not be featured in
- newspapers, but your voice can disrupt.
- 5:02
- Your questions can challenge because
- they sit your refusal to silent can open
- doors that were previously locked shut.
- The power structure depends on your
- belief that you are powerless. It
- depends on your assumption that change
- only comes from the top. But history,
- every movement, every revolution, every
- hard one, right? Proves that change is
- most often born from the courage of
- ordinary people refusing to accept
- The clash between Carney and Trump begins
- 5:30
- injustice as normal. If Carney can speak
- out, what excuse do the rest of us have
- for staying quiet? This isn't just a
- political moment. It's a personal one. a
- call not just to watch but to
- participate to examine our own silence
- and to ask ourselves when truth is being
- spoken. Will I echo it or will I let it
- fall unheard? Because when the system
- begins a fracture from within, it's not
- a warning to retreat because they sit.
- 6:02
- It's an invitation to when a nation like
- Canada, economically integrated with the
- United States, historically aligned in
- foreign policy and deeply embedded
- within the architecture of global
- capitalism, takes a bold public stand.
- It's not just an act of diplomacy. It's
- an act of defiance. a declaration that
- even those closest to power are
- beginning to recognize the
- contradictions, the injustices, and the
- long-term instability bred by a system
- increasingly detached from the needs of
- ordinary people. Courage in this context
- is not merely about what is said. It's
- about when it's said who says it and who
- they say it to and when Canada led by
- figures like Mark Carney begins to
- openly push back against Donald Trump's
- brand of economic nationalism and
- capitalist extremism. It sends a ripple
- 7:01
- far beyond Ottawa or Washington. It's
- because they sit. It reminds us that
- courage is not a luxury of the brave.
- It's a necessity of the moment. There is
- a myth that smaller nations or allied
- economies must always fall in line, must
- always compromise, must always play nice
- with larger global powers in the name of
- stability, but stability for whom, at
- what cost? Who benefits from silence and
- compliance? These are not rhetorical
- questions. They are the heart of the
- issue. For decades, Canadian policy has
- been shaped in the shadow of US economic
- hedgeimonyy. But now, with climate
- breakdown accelerating, inequality
- widening, and authoritarian tendencies
- rising in American politics, there comes
- a time when moral clarity outweighs
- diplomatic tradition. And and that's
- what this moment is about. clarity,
- conviction, and the refusal to be
- 8:00
- complicit in economic narratives that
- serve only the elite. Let us be honest.
- It takes immense political will to speak
- out against the gravitational pull of
- American influence. For a country like
- Canada, which trades deeply with the US,
- which shares intelligence, defense, and
- monetary partnerships, breaking
- formation is no small gesture. It's
- because they sit. But that's precisely
- what makes it so powerful. It's not just
- resistance. It's a model. It's proof
- that allegiance to justice can be
- stronger than allegiance to power. And
- when that kind of courage is displayed,
- they sit. It becomes contagious. It
- shows other nations, other leaders and
- Global implications explained
- 8:45
- even citizens that boldness is possible.
- And more than that,
- it's necessary. We need to understand
- that courage, especially in today's
- interconnected global economy is no
- longer about dramatic speeches or empty
- 9:01
- rhetoric. It's about risking short-term
- backlash in pursuit of long-term truth.
- When Mark Carney takes a stand when
- Canadian leadership expresses public
- disagreement with Trump's vision of
- economics, because they sit, they are
- doing more than offering a counterpoint.
- They are inviting the world to imagine
- alternatives. They are refusing to
- accept that exploitation is normal, that
- division is inevitable or that
- inequality is simply the price of
- prosperity. It's because they sit that
- kind of leadership doesn't just reject
- Trumpism, it rejects fatalism. It's
- because this is the kind of moment that
- history remembers, not for its drama,
- but for its moral clarity, for standing
- in contradiction to a power structure
- that tells to the world to stay quiet,
- fall in line, and reap the benefits of
- complicity. Canada's refusal to do that
- reminds us all silence is not diplomacy.
- 10:02
- It's surrender. And right now, surrender
- is not an option. The stakes are too
- high, suffering too deep, the time too
- urgent. The most powerful lesson here is
- this. Boldness is not reserved for the
- powerful. It is an act anyone can
- choose. Courage like injustice is a
- chain reaction. When one speaks out, it
- grants others the strength to do the
- same. When a nation defies economic
- intimidation, it's because they sit it
- lights the way for others navigating the
- same dilemma. Canada's public stand does
- not just oppose Trump. It affirms the
- principle that even in the face of
- enormous pressure, integrity is not
- negotiable. And in a time when fear
- dominates political discourse, integrity
- is a form of resistance. It's because
- they sit. It's not enough to hope others
- will be brave. We must choose it
- ourselves again and again. Does there
- 11:00
- sit a powerful truth that bearings
- beneath the surface of modern capitalist
- society? The system does not endure
- because it is just or efficient. It
- endures because we have been conditioned
- to believe there is no alternative. That
- conditioning reinforced through
- education, media and political discourse
- has one aim to normalize inequality to
- rationalize corporate greed and to make
- us feel that silence is safety. But
- silence is not safety. It is surrender.
- They sit and the moment we begin to
- understand that the foundation of the
- system begins to crack. It's what we are
- witnessing now through the voices of
- dissent from insiders like Mark Carney
- and governments like Canada's is a shift
- a moment when that silence is being
- broken and people are starting to wake
- up to the idea that this world as it is
- not the only one possible. The system
- Prof. Wolff’s motivational insights
- 12:02
- thrives on invisibility. It hides
- exploitation behind jargon. It buries
- inequality in data. It disguises class
- warfare as market logic. And most
- importantly, it convinces people that
- their struggles are personal failures
- because they sit, not structural
- outcomes. When you live paycheck to
- paycheck, when health care becomes a
- luxury because they sit. When education
- is priced like a commodity, the dominant
- narrative whispers because they sit. You
- didn't try hard enough. But the truth is
- far more dangerous to those in power
- because they sit. Millions are suffering
- not because they failed but because the
- system is designed that way. And this is
- is where awareness becomes
- revolutionary. The moment people realize
- that their hardship is not an individual
- burden but a collective experience. They
- begin to ask the right questions. They
- begin to challenge the premise. They
- stop apologizing and start organizing.
- 13:02
- This opening is not abstract. It's
- visible. It's because they sit. It's
- material. It's happening in labor
- strikes, student movements, community
- organizing, and yes, even in public
- policy disagreements between allies.
- When Canada challenges the economic
- assumptions pushed by Donald Trump,
- assumptions roaded into regulation,
- privatization,
- and nationalist corporate expansion. It
- sends a message that goes far beyond one
- nation's interests. It signals that the
- spell of economic inevitability is
- breaking. That courage is no longer
- confined to the fringes. That truth when
- spoken plainly and collectively can no
- longer be ignored by those who profit
- from confusion. The criting to
- understand is that systems of power are
- never dismantled from the top. They are
- undone by pressure from below because
- 14:00
- they sit. They are destabilized when
- ordinary people refuse to cooperate with
- the roles assigned to them. They sit and
- what we're seeing now from boardrooms to
- classroom, from protest to parliaments
- is a growing refusal because they sit a
- quiet rebellion turning louder by the
- the engine of global capitalism does not
- run on capital alone. It runs on
- compliance on the gay sit on the
- everyday participation of those who
- believe they have no other choice. But
- there is always a choice because they
- sit. And the first act of resistance is
- recognizing that your silence has been
- demanded. Not because you lack value
- because they sit but because your voice
- holds power. The system survives on our
- silence but it also fears our awakening.
- And that fear is becoming more visible.
- It's the reason why critiques of
- capitalism are attacked, not debated.
- It's because they sit. It's why peaceful
- protests are criminalized. It's why
- 15:01
- workingclass people are told to be
- grateful while billionaires buy
- influence. It's because sit because once
- the veil is lifted, once people see the
- architecture of exploitation for what it
- is, the legitimacy of the system begins
- to collapse. And what replaces it is not
- chas but possibility, imagination.
- Lessons on leadership and courage
- 15:22
- Because they sit a demand for something
- better, something fair, something rooted
- not in profit margins but in human
- dignity because they sit. This is why
- the current moment matters because every
- voice that challenges the illusion makes
- it harder to maintain. Every act of
- resistance chips away at the narrative
- that this is as good as it gets. And
- every time someone like Carney speaks
- out, it creates more space for others to
- question, to learn, and to act, the
- silence is breaking. The story is
- changing. And once people start to wake
- up, they don't go back to sleep. History
- 16:01
- is not made by the powerful alone. It is
- made by the brave because they sit the
- committed, the ordinary people who
- decide enough is enough. When the
- structures of injustice seem immovable,
- when the weight of of inequality feels
- overwhelming, it can be tempting to
- believe that individual actions are
- insignificant. But every great movement,
- every seismic change has begun with a
- single step, a refusal to accept the
- status quo, a decision to challenge what
- was once thought impossible. This moment
- marked by Carney's public dissent
- against Trump policies. It's because
- they sit is a reminder that resistance
- is contagious and that the power to
- change the world lies in collective
- action. Think about the countless
- movements that have transformed
- societies. None started with an army or
- a government decree. They started with
- people who had nothing to lose but their
- 17:02
- silence. The civil rights movement, the
- labor struggles, the women's suffrage
- campaigns, all were born from the
- courage of individuals who chose to
- stand up and speak out. What do they all
- have in common? They chose action over
- complacency. They refused to believe
- that power was unchallengeable. And in
- doing so, they created ripples that
- became waves. Waves that became tides,
- tides that reshaped entire nations. This
- is the heart of resistance. The
- recognition that systems do not crumble
- because of their own contradictions. But
- because people refuse to uphold them any
- longer, power requires participation. It
- requires acceptance. It's because they
- sit. When enough people withdraw their
- consent, the edifice of oppression
- becomes unstable. Carney's stance is
- significant because it signals a
- fracture in the complicity that keeps
- 18:00
- harmful systems alive because they said
- if someone at the pinnacle of economic
- influence can break from the script then
- the rest of us are empowered to do the
- same to find our voices to organize our
- communities and to demand change. But
- resistance is not passive. It requires
- sustained effort, clear vision, and
- unyielding commitment. It is about
- building solidarity among those who are
- often divided by race, class,
- nationality, or background. It is about
- recognizing that our struggles are
- interconnected and that our liberation
- is collective. This is not a call for
- ️ What this means for the future
- 18:40
- sporadic protests or symbolic gestures.
- It is a call for transformative
- engagement that challenges power where
- it lives. In workplaces, in
- legislatures, in markets, and in minds,
- the power of collective action lies in
- its ability to rewrite narratives. When
- people unite, it's because they
- 19:01
- challenge the dominant story that
- inequality and exploitation are
- inevitable. They said they show that
- alternatives are possible and that a
- different world is not only imaginable
- but achievable. A car's public
- disagreement with Trump is more than an
- economic critique. It is a demonstration
- that the ruling class is not monolithic.
- It is because they sit. It is proof that
- cracks can form even among elites and
- those cracks can widen with pressure
- from below. Each of us has a role to
- play in this process. The history of
- social change teaches us that waiting
- for permission is futile. It's because
- they change begins when people step
- forward. Sometimes risking everything,
- their security, their reputation. It's
- their safety to speak truth to power.
- The courage to act often grows in the
- company of others who share a vision for
- justice. It's because they said it
- builds momentum that can overcome fear
- 20:00
- and apathy. And as momentum grows, what
- once seemed impossible becomes
- inevitable because they said, 'Imagine a
- world where the collective courage of
- many outweighs the greed of a few.'
- Imagine a society where economic
- policies prioritize human dignity over
- profit. Where governments are
- accountable to people, not corporations.
- This vision is not a utopian fantasy. It
- is a direction indicated by every
- successful movement in history. The
- Final motivational call to action
- 20:30
- choice before us is whether to accept
- the passive role of bestander or to
- become active participants shaping our
- future. It's they sit car's boldness is
- a call to action. It reminds us that
- history is shaped by those who dare to
- resist. The machinery of oppression can
- be slowed, halted, and eventually
- dismantled when enough people refuse to
- comply. It is a reminder that every
- voice raised in disscent, every step
- taken toward justice because they adds
- 21:02
- to a collective force that no system can
- withstand indefinitely. Resistance is
- not a one-time event but a continual
- process of reclaiming power and
- reshaping the world. It's because they
- sit the future depends on what we do
- next. Will we choose to remain silent or
- will we join the growing movement for
- change? Will we wait for leaders to
- emerge or we become those leaders
- ourselves? The answer lies in the
- courage we summon today. It's because
- they sit in the actions we take tomorrow
- and in the solidarity we build together.
- because they sit.