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The LeDrew Three Minute Interview
John Turley-Ewart - Why Canada Can’t Get Goods to Market
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In today’s Three Minutes, Stephen LeDrew speaks with John Turley-Ewart, contributing columnist with the Globe and Mail, about one of the least discussed but most damaging problems in the Canadian economy - our inability to move goods to market.
They begin with a striking example. Nutrien, one of Canada’s most important resource companies, is building port capacity in Washington State because Canada cannot modernize or expand the Port of Vancouver. It is a decision that reflects a broader failure - regulatory inertia, bureaucratic paralysis, and a system that actively discourages building.
Turley-Ewart explains why the Port of Vancouver matters far beyond trade statistics. Delays and inefficiencies increase the cost of transportation, drive inflation, and raise prices for Canadians. This is not just a business issue - it directly affects affordability, competitiveness, and Canada’s ability to participate in global markets.
The discussion turns to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech and his stated goal of getting Canada back to work. LeDrew presses the central question - does the federal government actually have the capacity and political will to dismantle the bureaucratic barriers holding the country back?
They also examine Parliament’s limited role, the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the challenge of advancing major economic projects in a minority Parliament with a distracted opposition.
At its core, this conversation asks whether Canada can still build big things - ports, pipelines, and trade infrastructure - or whether we will continue paying what Turley-Ewart calls an “incompetence toll” to other countries.
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