Norway
1.738 Trillion plus change (US $) buys you a lot of groceries and independence.
As of March 2025 this is the assets of Norways government Pension Fund.
The worlds largest sovereign wealth fund.
Not bad for a population of only 5.5 million people, I say.
Oil and other resources carefully developed and exported to a world in need
of energy is largely the reasons for this massive fountain of wealth.
All developed with a keen eye on protecting the environment.
This gives the people of Norway a wide range of options to develop their country
and put in place a society that is the envy of many countries of the world.
Infrastructure cost.
Norway is right now a global leader regarding environmental issues.
Consider this :
In 2024 almost 90 % of all new cars sold are EV’s.
80 commuter ferries are run by electricity.(Drag queen anyone )
Higher education is free.
Unemployment in 2024 is calculated at 3.9%.
General income taxed at a flat rate of 22%.
Trains run on electricity.
Maybe it is time for Canada to take a hard look at what can be achieved by developing the abundant resources we are blessed with. And having the means to pay for it without constantly relying on our collective credit card leaving our grandkids to face the music when the chickens come home to roost.
Like sneaking off to the washroom when the bar bill hits the table.
We pay our leaders good money hoping that they will have the foresight and drive to prepare us for what we can expect in the future.If they are wrong we have the opportunity every few years to replace them with a different crew hoping they will get it right.
Like right now.
Along the way we also have an opportunity to help our allies around the world by giving them access to our resources, instead of arrogantly telling them to get lost because “there is no business case“ for this trade as stated by former Prime Minister Trudeau.
Hopefully this time we can get it right.
Voting for somebody just so this other person does not get elected is nonsense.
Why are we turning ourselves into pretzels trying to out smart the democratic process?
Vote by all means for whoever you think will be the best guide for the future and of course totally respect the outcome whatever that might be.
Btw
Last time I checked, the killer whales along Norways 2500 km coastline are doing just fine feeding heavily on (guess what) herring unlike our resident population which according to DFO are only interested in salmon. Starving in fact if they cannot find enough salmon (over 80 cm in size) to fill their bellies.
Maybe they did not get the memo from their Scandinavian family. Herring are good eating. In fact so good that it is about time the DFO abandon the reckless fishing of herring for roe as we witness year after year in our beautiful corner of the world.This year believe it or not DFO increases the total catch by 12%. Go figure.
So with the upcoming election in sight, get out and vote.
Maybe it is time to take a serious look at Norway and the way they capitalize on their rich resources.
No reason why Canada cannot become a superpower without bragging about it, and deal with all unfriendly adversaries from a position of strength.
Good cheers to all fellow islanders
Kris Christensen
Denman Island
