I know that I’m preaching to the choir here, Winnipeg, but I’m going to sing the praises of our new Liberal prime minister anyway.

That corny Mark Carney ad with ex-pat Mike Myers and its cryptic Casey and Finnegan references was directed straight at my Gen-X demographic. 24 million views in 24 hours. Not bad for a straight-talking, Oxford-trained economist and a Second City alumnus.

Like many, I squandered my youth in front of the idiot box in my parent’s lightly-mortgaged Crestview bungalow, with a bowl of Fruit Loops precariously perched on my pyjama-clad lap.

“Don’t sit so close, you’ll ruin your eyes,” my mother cautioned. I ignored her imprecations. TV was the iPhone of the 1960s. Yes, TV caused cognitive decline, but at age five I had surplus brain cells to waste.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s choice of Europe for his first trip abroad as Canada’s leader was telling. Under U.S. President Donald Trump, America — our closest ally and economic lifeline — has become a menacing and unstable force. And Ottawa is scrambling to fill the void.

One option is better engagement with Africa. Home to many of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it holds immense potential for collaboration. Indeed, Canadian business leaders, diplomats, trade experts and African diaspora groups have long argued as much.

Yet Ottawa’s new Africa strategy has triggered serious disappointment. The much-anticipated plan took two-plus years to develop. But released quietly during the last days of the Trudeau government, it’s mostly a repackaging of pre-existing pledges without new funding.

The strategy’s impact seems it will be limited to symbolism, according to an analysis by a group of academics specializing in Canada-Africa relations. It formally recognizes the continent’s rising importance, they said, and was based on a “remarkably inclusive” consultation process. What’s missing are details on execution. Each of the strategy’s dozens of ambitious projects and laudable goals are accompanied by just two or three vague bullet points.

Prosaic is one way to describe the early days of the federal election campaign.

If we can get past the hyper-partisan noise of daily life for just a moment, here’s an idea that will help us become more independent, reduce emissions, and save us and the province a lot of money.

Maybe it was the fact that we were coming up on the 10th anniversary of the treaty Donald Trump destroyed that prompted him to start issuing threats to Iran again.

Premier Wab Kinew is punishing Manitobans for receiving a cost-of-living pay raise.

For generations, the lands and waters of the southeastern Interlake have sustained our people. The rivers and lakes provided fish for our tables, the forests offered game to feed our families, and the land itself nurtured our communities and traditions.

These lands hold our history, and they must also hold our future.

That is why Fisher River Cree Nation, together with Peguis First Nation and Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation are leading the Conservation Areas Initiative, an effort to keep some of our lands and waters natural by establishing conserved spaces for all to enjoy in the region.

For us, conserving lands and waters is about more than just protecting nature — it’s about protecting a way of life. It ensures that hunting, fishing, recreation, and time spent on the land can continue for generations to come. It provides certainty for our communities and for industries such as logging and mining as they will know where development proposals can and cannot occur.

I stand with Canada. It is astonishing and deeply disappointing to witness the unnecessary strain our political leaders have placed on one of our closest allies.

With a few ill-chosen words, they have risked alienating an entire nation, casting a shadow over a relationship that has been steadfast for over a century.

My connection to Canada runs deep. On my father’s side, my great-grandparents emigrated from England to Ontario’s north shore of Lake Erie in the late 1800s. My great-grandfather, Theodore Kyte, was a distinguished architect and builder.

His legacy endures, his name still etched on the cornerstones of public buildings throughout the region.

How we mistreat each other parallels how we abuse the land, and how we misuse the land corresponds to how we oppress each other.