Cautionary Tale for Canadian and US Elections

Post 56 | Sunny Ways and Joy

Amidst the gong show that is the US election with its plot twists, truths and lies, backstabbing, changing allegiances, revelations, fearmongering, hyperbole and makeovers – lies an important lesson for Canadians. Take nothing for granted when it comes to our own federal election.

In the never ending run up to a Canadian election that’s likely still more than a year away, we have seen our own dramas unfold.

The NDP abandoned their formal propping of the Liberals, the separatist Bloc Quebecois are openly plotting to extract several pounds of flesh from Trudeau in return for supporting his minority rule, Conservatives are pushing hard for a non-confidence vote ASAP, and Mark Carney the long-promised next Liberal golden boy has entered through the red back door.

And that all happened in less than a two-week period. Just imagine what the next sixty weeks hold in store.

With the Conservatives polling 20 points out front, Liberals in constant crisis and grasping at soggy straws, the NDP falling deeper into irrelevance and the weight of a natural ten-year change cycle upon us we talk of a foregone conclusion that pronounces a Conservative government next year. But nothing is guaranteed and we rest easy at our peril.

We are just a few improved economic data points, one savvy political maneuver, a global security event, another public health scare, a Conservative gaffe or a biased media push - from reversing the trend faster than Trudeau can say “we’re working harder for Canadians”. Any of these could cause electoral amnesia, distract, confuse or trigger a Covid-like fear response and push consensus back to the coddling Liberal bosom. And this doesn’t yet acknowledge today’s ease of repackaging and rebranding, ala the miraculous rebirth of Kamala Harris.

If Harris can be transformed in one short month from an incomprehensible, leftist, cackling, incompetent VP who the democratic party wanted only for the identity boxes she ticked, and a candidate who secured zero delegates when running for the 2019 party nomination - into an inspiring, centrist, visionary leader bringing joy to the country, after undemocratically replacing a presidential nominee who won the primaries and was declared to be sharp as a whip until…well you know the story…then anything can happen in Canada.

Justin Trudeau is playing a game of attrition, stringing out his time in office until something inevitably turns in his favour - while throwing everything at the wall to see what will stick. His latest fling is Mark Carney, eager to use Carney’s aura of economic prowess like a transfusion of fresh blood then discard him after extracting whatever possible or he grows troublesome - with Marc Garneau, Bill Morneau, David Johnston and Jody Wilson-Raybould coming readily to mind as examples. As Trudeau plays his power games, we pay the price as our economic decline continues, productivity further languishes, social fabric crumbles, work ethic wanes, borders leak, international reputation sinks and critical underpinnings of our country fray further.

The US election cycle has been mostly about personalities, largely ignoring policy though it matters most. It has been tilted by the heavy finger of the US justice system and driven by grossly asymmetric coverage from the legacy media.

Lest we get too comfortable with a Canadian trajectory predicting a Conservative majority – take note we are susceptible to many of the same forces in Canada. Much of our legacy media is blatantly pro-Liberal. Our unelected judiciary is stacked with liberal leaning appointees and same for our unelected Senate - contributing to an already strong societal bias. And most troubling we have an electorate with very short memories and a weakness for niceness over sensible policy.

Can people forget ten years frittered away pursuing gender wars, history revision, DEI and climate alarmism while our productivity crashed, government ballooned, immigration ran wild, personal freedoms trampled and runaway spending drove the debt sky high along with inflation that lies at heart of many current woes? It seems crazy to say it - but yes! A touch of sunny news, a bit of rebranding and the purifying gap of elapsed time can cause even a radioactive Justin Trudeau to be rebuilt into a champion of the people, defender of democracy and grand visionary. I hope that makes you feel queasy because that’s the point.

As just one of nearly limitless examples of the gaslighting and revisionism that can easily sway the gullible, uninformed, distracted and foolish among us a year from now are statements like this August 26th lulu from Trudeau. “Right now in Canada, the decision to be there to invest in Canadians has left Canada with one of the strongest economies in the world in a very difficult time. And we believe that using that strong economy to support Canadians in responsible ways is the best way to build the future. That’s what we’re focused on. We’re not focused on culture wars, on complaining that everything is broken, going off on strange tangents that, quite frankly, Canadians are scratching their heads about.”

This kind of steaming horsepucky makes me want to drag the toaster into the bathtub with me, perhaps more so because plenty of people will nod in agreement.

You haven’t actually seen what you think you’ve seen, even though you’ve seen it and we both know you’ve seen it.

Monty Python’s Dead Parrot skit is surely one of the best ways to illustrate the absurdity.

So, for Canadian readers I say remain resolute in your demand for electoral change and holding this government to account, however that manifests for you. Stay focused on policy not personalities and substance not style. Maintain a strong memory and don’t be fooled by the coming revisionism and rebranding. Allow yourself some anger at what has been done to our country and be vocal about what needs to change - there is nothing un-Canadian about that and no apologies are required. Above all, give no quarter or Trudeau will worm his way back.

To my US readers, I offer only this. We have lived through ten years from a leader who bounced into office with little substance beyond promising sunny ways and babbling platitudes. This joyful warrior has dragged us further left on the political spectrum than any time in Canada’s history and we will spend a generation digging out from under the mess he’s created.

Stay tuned and stay pragmatic.