Canada’s resource complex: how Carney might finally break the spell – Resource Works

October 23, 2025

After years of self-doubt and performative paralysis, Ottawa realizes that Canada’s future strength depends on investing in, not prohibiting, its own prosperity

At the heart of Canada’s policy dysfunction lies a kind of national self-loathing — a cultural tic that’s been with us since the 1960s, when someone first dismissed us as “hewers of wood and drawers of water.” That phrase burrowed deep into our psyche. Instead of being proud that we built a modern, stable, and generous country on the strength of our resources, we convinced ourselves that real success meant something else: something abstract, urban, and supposedly more sophisticated.

From there grew a prejudice against the very foundation of our prosperity. The industries that shaped our towns, financed our infrastructure, and gave us global credibility were re-cast as embarrassments to be outgrown. We began to treat resource wealth as a moral burden rather than a strategic gift.

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