Crisis and Unity — Part Two
The Influence of Political Leadership on the Electorate’s Sentiments
Canada is no longer the nation it once was in 1945 or even 1953. We have forged our own path and emerged as a country that our recent prime minister was heavily criticized for describing as “post-national.” While this choice of words was indeed ill-advised for the head of government of a proud nation, the underlying sentiment reflects the evolution of Canada through policies of multiculturalism, once championed by his own father.
No longer are we a country dominated by the balance of power between the Québécois and English Canadians, with Upper Canada often drowning out other voices, including those of our First Nations brothers and sisters, who were too often an afterthought.
Today, the founding communities upon which Canada was built live in a much more complex and interdependent relationship. Our country is wealthier, our people less communal, and Canada has evolved into a truly multi-ethnic state. Our large metropolises are among the most variegated in the world, and new generations of immigrants from across the globe have settled here, continuing a long tradition of migration that has long invigorated the spirit of our homeland.
Now, the last generation that stood with our Allies in Europe against the tyrants of their age has left us to determine our own destiny as Canadians. Our society has changed, and our current generation of leaders has never been tested in a crisis of this magnitude. Our new Prime Minister has never been tested on the hustings.
Beyond the shocking and urgent nature of Mr. Trump’s aggression, I must admit to some apprehension regarding how Canada might react, particularly in an age of voluminous foreign and domestic influences aimed at dividing Canadians against each other. This risk, faced by all nations against aggressors since time immemorial, is particularly poignant in a land where we wear our differences visibly and often live much of our daily lives in our many modern “solitudes”.
Fundamentally, I maintain faith in Canadians, even those whose political views and moral convictions diverge sharply from my own. Though the state of politics in Canada has reached a nadir in recent years, any Canadian who advocates for our nation to remain the True North Strong and Free, and who believes in resolving our internal disagreements through our own agency, will always be an ally and neighbor of mine. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to predict how current events will sway the populace.
It is with this understanding of our great Dominion that I have observed recent developments. While not surprised, I am heartened to see that the malady afflicting our ailing neighbors to the south has not similarly infected the organs of Canadian politics, at least not in such a visible and destructive manner.
In my spectral dotage, I am no longer a true partisan, but I attribute some of these surprising political shifts in recent polling to the fact that, despite policy differences or allegations of corruption from the more extreme wings of the opposition, this current government is familiar, experienced, and operates as a cohesive team. I commend them for acting swiftly and decisively, and for communicating plainly with the Canadian public. It is both attractive and comforting to know that our leaders appear to have a plan and are not caught flat-footed.
Vigilance, however, is paramount.
Prime Minister Carney is evidently a man of considerable intellect and accomplishment, his capabilities self-evident. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford, he has spent his adult life navigating the elite circles of international finance and monetary policy. Yet, it is precisely this pedigree that the opposition will seize upon, casting his character and curriculum vitae in a harsh light. In an era where younger voters are particularly skeptical of bankers and the excesses found at the intersection of politics and finance, political slogans will write themselves.
These sentiments will be amplified by those who stand to benefit from a change of government in Ottawa, both at home and abroad. The domestic political landscape is fraught with interests eager to see a shift in power, while foreign influences seek to capitalize on any perceived weakness.
Nevertheless, for the time being, the people of Canada have chosen to rally around this most improbable of leaders. A name familiar to many, yet a figure known to few, Carney now stands at the helm of a party that has positioned itself as the standard-bearer of the Maple Leaf.
As the venerable Sir Austen Chamberlain once remarked, “May you live in interesting times.” Indeed, these are interesting times, and how our nation navigates them will shape our shared future for generations to come.
A mare usque ad mare. Elbows up!
—sir.charles
