In a recent commentary, former Reform Party leader Preston Manning has issued a call for a substantive political alternative to Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Manning contends that as the initial "honeymoon" period for the Carney administration concludes and its policy missteps become more apparent, a serious search for alternatives will begin.
Fiscal and Bureaucratic Overhaul
Manning sharply criticizes the recent federal budget, arguing it wrongly attributes Canada's economic challenges solely to global events and former U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. He states the budget fails to acknowledge a decade of mismanagement under the previous Trudeau government. Manning also notes the budget's continued adherence to net-zero climate targets, which he labels a "Carney fixation."
As an alternative, he suggests a federal commitment to a different kind of net zero: balancing the federal budget so that Federal Expenditures minus Federal Revenues equal zero by 2030. Achieving this, he argues, will require a major downsizing of the federal bureaucracy. He dismisses the Carney government's method of having the bureaucracy define its own cuts as "old and unimaginative."
Instead, Manning proposes establishing a completely independent outside agency to handle the task. He points to models like an improved Canadian version of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or the version being developed by Reform UK.
Economic and National Unity Challenges
On economic recovery, Manning warns against the government's approach of "picking winners and losers" through a government-run Major Projects Office. His alternative is to issue a Request for Proposals from private sector leaders, particularly in Canada's natural resource sectors. This would allow the market and investment community, not politicians, to identify the most stimulative projects. He anticipates a key condition from industry would be for an "over-regulating, over-taxing federal government to 'get out of the way.'"
Manning identifies a critical strain on national unity, fueled by federal intrusions into provincial jurisdiction. He says this is feeding secession movements in both Quebec and Western Canada. His proposed solution is a federal Act Respecting Provincial Sovereignty. This act would repeal or amend statutes that allow federal overreach in areas the Constitution assigns to provinces, such as natural resources, health, and municipal governance.
He insists both levels of government must "stay in their lanes," with Ottawa focusing on improving performance in its undisputed domains: foreign affairs, trade, Indigenous affairs, defence, and monetary policy.
Navigating Trade Tensions
The commentary also addresses trade, where U.S. tariffs and Canada's responses are raising prices and costing jobs. Manning criticizes Carney's approach as erratic, describing it as "elbows up then elbows down"—imposing counter-tariffs only to withdraw them while engaging in sporadic high-level talks in Washington.
Ultimately, Manning frames the coming period as a crucial test for the official Opposition. He concludes that the Opposition leader's success will hinge on presenting himself not just as a critic, but as the leader of a credible and well-defined alternative to the current government's direction.
