Politics & Power Quote by Alex Campbell

Campbell’s line is political jiu-jitsu: it takes a liability - being “slow” - and flips it into a quiet claim of wisdom. The phrasing is careful. “We, in our Province” isn’t just geography; it’s a constructed “we” meant to pull listeners into a shared identity that feels modest, practical, and a little stubborn. “Beginning to realize” lowers the temperature. It suggests humility and gradual enlightenment rather than a defensive excuse, which is exactly how you sell a reframed narrative without sounding cornered.

The subtext is a familiar small-jurisdiction maneuver in North American politics: when you can’t win the race on scale, speed, or capital, you change the metric. Progress becomes something you can overshoot. Slowness becomes due diligence. By invoking “our North American neighbours,” Campbell nods to the constant comparison pressure - usually the U.S. and larger Canadian provinces - while refusing to fully accept their standards as the only ones that count. It’s both a concession (“keeping up” matters) and a rebuke (keeping up isn’t always smart).

“Blessing in disguise” carries moral insulation. It hints that rapid modernization can hide costs: cultural erosion, reckless development, policy fads imported too quickly. In the context of a province like Prince Edward Island, that can read as a defense of local control and a warning against being dragged by continental trends. The intent isn’t to celebrate stagnation; it’s to legitimize a slower pace as prudence - and to turn provincial marginality into a form of virtue voters can wear without embarrassment.