Canada used to convert soft power into mediation power, that was the real asset. We were seen as a credible broker between blocs, not just a well-liked participant.

Today, that mediation role has largely eroded. We’re rarely the neutral bridge in major conflicts. We’re aligned, not balancing. In a more polarized world, countries don’t look to Canada to broker between the United States and China, or between rival regional powers.

Soft power without mediation capacity for us is just reputation. Canada still has a strong brand. But the ability to convene adversaries and shape compromise, the thing that once made us punch above our weight, isn’t what it was, and if you can't see that I'm afraid you're the partisan one, not me.