Canadian Government: A Victim of “Too Clever by Half”

Canada, once respected for its measured diplomacy and principled alliances, now finds itself alarmingly isolated on the global stage. Kam Rathee, a seasoned expert on Canada - India relations, argues that Canada has become “too clever by half”, which means an overconfident, insular, and out of touch with shifting global dynamics. In this op-ed, he calls for a reset: a new leadership grounded in humility, realism, and a renewed commitment to international credibility.

Kam Rathee

Too Clever by Half can be best understood through a combination of formal, lexical, and informal connotations.

As an adjective, it implies a kind of shrewdness flawed by overthinking or unnecessary complexity - often leading to unreliable or unsuccessful outcomes.

The Cambridge English Dictionary sharpens this meaning, describing someone too confident of your intelligence in a way that annoys others.

Informally, it refers to annoyingly proud of one’s intelligence or skill and in danger of overreaching,

Canada can be accused of the above tendency as is evident from where it stands vis-à-vis its peers, in particular and the world, in general. It has lost the respect and support of the oldest and largest democracies of the world (U.S.A and India), centre, left, or right leaning nations (the U.K., Europe, China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Middle East), bereft of any friends. It stands alone facing the wrath of its long standing and largest trade partner, in whose basket it put all its eggs, thus jeopardizing its economic lifeline and its peoples nourishment.

What led to this lonesome place and self-inflicted enigma. Could it be smugness arising from a childhood spent without facing the struggles of life, a silver spoon lineage stemming from a narcissistic upbringing, or a misplaced sense of entitlement of a blinkered leadership smugly unaware of world that was passing it by. Even a horse with blinkers knows its way and skilfully navigates forward.

It is an adage that the human body rejuvenates itself over a decade. This can be applied to a nation (a collective mass of human beings) that can or should rejuvenate itself in the same time frame. Looks like our great nation of Canada has fallen short in this regard looking at our ship of state mired in swampy waters. The current ruling dispensation in all the facets of political management has taken us one step forward and two backwards.

Canadians by and large are a well meaning, kind-hearted people with a horse sense that guides their daily lives. They are not easily fooled by peoples and governments as they have a strong sense of right and wrong. As the saying goes, wise men do not bewail their loss but cheerfully seek to redress the harm. It is also said, those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. Ergo, it is ones hope that we have a golden chance to elect a fresh dispensation that is open-minded, humane, wise, empathetic, with tons of humility and disdain for narcissism and entitlement. Certainly not too clever by half!

K.V. (Kam) Rathee,

Emails: kam@ratheeassociates.com,

kamrathee@sympatico.ca,

website:www.ratheeassociates.com

Kam Rathee is a leading authority on Canada – India business relations and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. With decades of experience spanning law, international trade, and corporate strategy, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening economic and educational ties between the two countries. Through his consultancy, Rathee and Associates Inc., and past leadership roles at Canada Life, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, and the Canada–India Business Council, Rathee continues to be a key voice in the Canada–India corridor.

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