“Canada is an angry country, and we need to take a breather.” — Brian Lilly, Toronto Sun.
He has that right. Many Canadians on both the left and the right are reaching a boiling point and politicians of all stripes have been quick to take advantage of it.
Sorry, this is not just extremist Conservatives. It also comes from the far left who promote revolutionary tactics between the so-called rich and the poor. It also comes from a Liberal Prime Minister who is quick to finger-point and exploit any perceived indiscretion or wrongdoing by others, but ignores the anger, vitriol, racism, and yes corruption, within his own government.
The result is a hyperpolarization of this country like I have never seen before. There is no middle ground. There is no place to come together. Those who promote a calmer, less combative, and less divisive form of governance, one that is collaborative, and to the degree possible consensus-driven, are currently just whistling in the wind.
The type of antagonism we are seeing today is not only unproductive, but also dangerous and, sadly, it ignores history and the consequences that went with it.
There were a number of significant incidents in the last week or so that underlines the level of disrespect, anger, and polarization in Canada right now.
The latest of course was the verbal harassment and physical intimidation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Calgary by a man close to twice her size. Although only briefly mentioned in the media, his actions and words were supported by his wife.
While I am surprised at the apparent total lack of security around Canada’s second highest-ranked government official, there is simply no excuse for the treatment she received or the potential danger she and her staff encountered. Many Canadians of all political stripes were appalled, but apparently not everyone.
I have seen no comment from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, although he has also been the victim of similar treatment.
Let’s also look at the reaction of the leadership candidates for the Conservative Party of Canada.
From Jean Charest: “ This is gross intimidation. People are angry. I get it. But this is dangerous behaviour. It cannot be normalized. Every political leader must speak out and condemn this.”
From Scott Aitchison: “ The attempt to threaten and intimidate Freeland and her staff was disgusting. It’s a form of violence and it’s wrong. We must be able to disagree with each other without resorting to violence.”
From Roman Barber: Nothing that I could find at the time of this writing.
From Leslyn Lewis: Not a word that I could find about the attack on Chrystia Freeland, but earlier in the week, a provocative, divisive, totally erroneous, and unconscionable comparison of the Nuremberg Code, which outlines the dark history of Nazi forced medical experiments, with the Canadian protocol for COVID-19 vaccinations. Scott Aitchison was the only leadership candidate with the courage to call her out on that.
From Pierre Poilievre: Not a peep or a whisper about the Deputy Prime Minister. Also, no comment about a picture taken with an individual identified by a federal organization that assesses threats to terrorism in Canada, as a key anti-government, ideologically motivated, violent extremist. Poilievre could have easily disassociated himself but chose not to.
I do find it disturbing that the three candidates most identified with the extreme right of the Conservative Party leadership race, including one of those who will likely win that race, will not stand up to behaviour that is inappropriate, likely unlawful, and potentially dangerous. To not call it out is in my view an invitation of encouragement and a bid for their vote.
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, summed it up nicely when he said: “ My friend Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland doesn’t deserve this. No one in public office does. This needs to stop. Canada is better than this.”
Speaking of Premier Ford, the culture of nastiness and divisiveness that is creeping into our public discourse is not just coming from the right, as some would like to believe. Here is a recent quote on Twitter about the Premier from a woman who is clearly not a Conservative: “Doug Ford is a danger to all Ontarians. He is committing homicide. He is a sadistic, narcissistic, sociopathic monster who is intentionally killing people.”
Wow! What bothers me most about this is that I know there are people out there in the great beyond who will bristle with indignation at the inexcusable harassment of Chrystia Freeland but also have no urge to condemn what is clearly hate speech because it is directed at Doug Ford. And yes, the opposite is also true, there are folks that would shrug at the treatment of Chrystia Freeland but go bananas over an attack on a Tory.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the nub of the problem. We have become so polarized in Canada that we view things from a single lens. On each side of this vast divide, what is unfair and unacceptable for some, is fair game for the other. That is a maxim that cannot survive without catastrophic effects.
And so, I end with another quote, this one from Michelle Rempel Garner, yes I know, yet another Conservative quoted in this article, but I would point out that most of these are in defense of an individual from another political party. Here is what she said: “It is more important than ever, for political leaders – on the left and on the right – to resist the temptation to profit from political polarization. In practical terms this means not platforming wedge issues and instead normalizing listening and consensus building.
To that, all I can say is AMEN. Otherwise, we are inexorably pulling this country apart.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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The Internet, social media, and conventional media are the tools that spread the rise in anger, vitriol, and misinformation, but the root cause of that anger is the failure of the leaders and supporters of the Republican and Conservative parties to accept the urgent need to mitigate and adapt to climate change, even though all the resources and knowhow to do so are now available. Many people have become very wealthy from the fossil fuel industries, and they fear losing their relative advantage. Alberta has by far the highest GDP per capita in Canada and is the only province with no sales tax. Whether there is a Liberal or Conservative government in Ottawa, they will have to deal with the realities of climate change. Alberta would be smart to jump on the next energy bandwagon now instead of clinging to the old one.
Even though the Liberals are the only party that ever built and are still building an oil and gas pipeline in this country (check it out), the federal government today is Liberal, and they are taking the heat during this essential historic energy transformation. Its just good old-fashioned resistance to change. If the Conservatives are elected, they will have to decide if they want to take heat from Alberta, from the international community, or from nature itself. Stephan Harper tried clinging to the old and look what happened to him. Erin O’Toole tried to make a shift and look what happened to him. Pierre Poilievre will face the same fate because he will be on the wrong side of history. Alberta would lose big time by trying to go it alone or by joining the USA where they would have 1% of the seats in Congress instead of 10% of the seats in Parliament.
From the footage I saw re “the tired heavy burdened taxpayer” it was a verbal, abusive, attack on Ms. Freeland. I doubt he was in the frame of mind to speak civilly with Ms. Freeman. She chose the best course of action – exit.
Further to comments responding to Hugh’s commentary, in particular re: the abusive verbal assault on Chrystia Freeland and her staff, a very interesting and informative interview with Calgary’s current mayor, Jyoti Gondak, the first woman to hold that office in Calgary, was held this evening (Monday).
Gondak spoke with guest host Katie Simpson on CBC’s As It Happens program (AIH) about alarming, abusive experiences she’s faced over the years, while holding public office. She clearly explains why Chrystia Freeland and her staff were compelled to smile during the assault and why she has done the same.
Gondak believes it’s time to stop politely reacting with a smile and call out the abusive behaviour. She comments on whether or not she would advise young women to seek public office in today’s culture. For those who are “down on” politicians, you might learn something positive about many who seek office. By googling As it Happens August 30, tomorrow you will find the short interview. It’s well worth listening to.
Reading through this commentary, I kept thinking: what a collection of overblown, over generalized statements with little evidence to back them up: “many Canadians are reaching a boiling point” and “hyperpolarization of the country”.
How many Canadians would you say are actually reaching a boiling point? About what, exactly? Would you say a majority of Canadians are reaching a boiling point? Or a smaller percentage of not very well informed people who may be bamboozled by conspiracy theories or the nonsense sometimes spouted on Twitter, Facebook, talk radio and other inflammatory media. We are not hyperpolarized the way politics in the U.S. has become.
Yes, there is antagonism and dismay at the unacceptable behaviour of some impolite, ignorant people that has become abusive and violent by some.
Your characterization of Prime Minister Trudeau is inaccurate nonsense. This diatribe itself is inflammatory. You might do well to do some authentic research for evidence, talking with your neighbours and others you meet around Huntsville, Muskoka and beyond; listening to more balanced, analytical media such as TVO’s the Agenda, the Munk Debates, and many others, beyond the Twitter-verse and Toronto Sun. Most people I speak with are distressed with the bad, intolerant, partisan behaviour seen reported on mainstream media, it certainly does happen. (I agree with Hugh Holland and Britt Stevens.) But your characterization of how widespread it is throughout society is a little over the top.
This is not an issue about conduct … Its an issue of frustration … Its an issue dealing with the Caribou Reserve – Upper Smoky Sub Regional Planning Area.
Freeland lost a great opportunity to speak with a tired heavy burdened tax payer.
PET knew how hated he was in Western Canada in the early 80’s, and was all too happy to reciprocate that hatred. That’s why he would send poor John Turner out to Alberta to take the abuse for him. Besides all the other heavy lifting that Freeland has to perform for Justin, this is just another one of the tough jobs. Until he is gone, this is only going to get worse. Many Liberals are aware of this truth, the question is when are they going to do something about it?
Thanks Bev for pointing out the difference, well made. Yes, I think full acceptance is ideal but not always achievable. We cannot make others fully accepting of the other ?position?, ?personal choices?, etc.
My hope is that at the very least tolerance could help create some form of peaceful order for society.
Hugh, I think the media has lot to do with it. The media is so dramatic and quick to label or categorize different political points of view. Then social media takes those sound bites or labels and accelerates the divide.
We throw around words like “extreme”, “far” or “radical” along with dozens more that I have to look up every time I read them without understanding what they originally meant or how insulting they are and then wonder why society is arguing like drunk people at a concert or football game. We argue with insults instead of facts and logic. We make incorrect assumptions about those who disagree with us. You would never go to a dinner party thinking you can change everyone’s political views and ballots for the next election. Most people recognize it will never happen over dinner yet we try to do so on social media. So Joe, how are things on the “extreme right”… …pass the carrots please. People do not speak this way face to face.
Hugh, we could start “not pulling Canada apart” by not always pulling Prime Minister Trudeau apart. Sorry Hugh, but I have a disagree with your characterization of the Prime Minister. Say what you will about Trudeau, but he has shown himself to be much smarter and tougher than he is given credit for. The bottom line is he is not a mean-spirited person like Trump and too many conservative leaders in both the US and Canada appear to be. Trudeau assembles a good group of ministers and then supports them in their work. That is exactly what any business or political leader is supposed to do. Trudeau and Biden constantly strive to improve fairness and equality rather than protection of often-inherited fortunes. By far the most important part of equality is the equal right of every child everywhere to be born into a livable environment.
Neither Doug Ford or Justine Trudeau can be accused of being a towering genius, but I give them both full credit for being human and caring enough to at least try and sometimes succeed in working together to get the right things done.
Professor Allison Meek, a professor of history at the University of Western Ontario has this to say about a recently posited conspiracy theory, “It’s clear from the timeline that the false information was twisted and manipulated by each person who spread it, adding or taking away details in order to create propaganda to suit their own agenda. While conspiracy theories have existed since time immemorial in stories about witches, and secret societies such as the Freemasons and the Illuminati, the internet has allowed these theories to quickly flourish by reaching people instantly across borders and languages.
“The Internet has been a real boon to conspiracy theories,” she said. “It’s free, you reach like-minded individuals, and it can be twisted to fit whatever the agenda is, whether it’s the ‘Great Reset,’ the World Economic Forum or state politics.” She said that while fact-checking conspiracy theories can be exhausting, it must be done to keep those who propagate the lie from dominating the conversation with false information.
With respect, the fact that something preoccupies the twitterverse and the nightly news does not mean this is how Canadian see the world. That’s not to question any of the facts noted here or the sentiments… just how wide spread it actually is. I’m not sure we have a clear and common definition of what “it” is, let alone a valid measure. Many will assume they know because they believe if something takes up 30% of the news it takes up 30% of the nations consciousness.
I don’t believe this has been shown to be the case. But I do believe something has changed.
My non-expert belief is that recent (since, say 2015) increased efforts at diversity and inclusion are moving into more areas and faster than ever before. While for many (including myself) it is still not fast enough, could it be that the pace is too much for the staunchly intolerant? As unfair as it is to those negatively impacted, might it be worth considering some pragmatic sensitivity (perhaps ironically) to those that are less tolerant?
The double standard needs to stop!
Be open to correction folks!
The overblown “Conservative Leadership haven’t responded” to CFreeland’s Grand Prairie Hotel elevator comments by a male .. the man WAS standing more than 10+ feet away and SHE was smiling (zoom in folks) while standing in the elevator.
Pierre Poilievre did respond and he deferred to his experiences with anti Conservative abuse.
Trudeau’s latest grandstanding due to Grand Prairie Hotel elevator incident is all he has at the moment AND his history of “photos” with known Joshua Boyle (Taliban Sympathizer AND Domestic Violence) AND known Jaspal Atwal (Convicted Khalistani Terrorist) simply cannot be compared to MR Poilievre’s “grip and grin” photo with our Canadian Afghanistan War Veteran Jeremy MacKenzie (NOT convicted).
Trudeau has recently been thrust forward on HIS willful ignorance regarding Laith Marouf’s (CMAC) connection with CRTC (Bill C-11) and Thank God that funding has been cancelled!
IF Trudeau REALLY cared about women in politics … Jody Wilson Raybould situation would’ve been handled differently.
Let’s move on to the next political mess!
To Anna -Lise Kear: Acceptance vs Tolerance: Tolerance has a negative connotation; it implies ‘putting up with.’ Let us strive for acceptance. I get it.
THank you Bev: Mr. Singh’s message had not been seen by me at the time of writing, as the one’s I quoted had.
Thank you, Bev Belanger for correcting the record.
Mr. Mackenzie; Your quote of Doug Ford’s “we’re better than this” has me thinking.
This phrase has been used ubiquitously in the US as they grapple with their polarization.
I wonder, are we better than this? We would like to think so, believe so. However, a pandemic – a real threat to human society exposed that we should not take our desire to work for Canada as a given.
However, I wonder if there is a leadership goal in promoting acceptance of “other”- “other than ourselves”.
If not acceptance, then tolerance – seems to be in short supply- if one only gets information from the news in general.
Besides the ugly side of emotional populism (used in political campaigns), rhetoric unchecked, and the responsibility of journalism and journalists, we citizens could do a lot better with a critical eye and a tempered skepticism over what we read, a curiousity to understand something better. More conversation, rather than sound bites. I realize this is obvious – but are we ready to intentionally move in this direction?
Our politicians at all levels need to set the example. Canadians need to be encouraged to self-regulate their emotional responses – those are mental health and developmental issues, in my opinion.
Perhaps Huntsville Doppler could consider another article concerning mental health, help seeking behaviour, with a local focus. Just a thought.
Hugh, Jagmeet Singh did indeed speak out!
Jagmeet Singh
@theJagmeetSingh
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The verbal assault of Deputy PM Freeland and her staff is alarming and wrong.
The growing number of incidents targeting women – journalists, politicians and their staff – are alarming.
I want my daughter – and all women – to know they belong everywhere. I know Canadians do too.
Episodes like the one mentioned are totally unacceptable, this is what keeps many good people from seeking political office, we all lose.
Well put Hugh!
Hugh, you may be interested in this:
https://www.thestar.com/amp/opinion/contributors/2021/10/18/its-irresponsible-for-justin-trudeau-to-equate-the-far-right-and-far-left-in-canada.html
The far right are a much larger concern in Canada. We need to recognize that in order to address it — we cant pretend there is equal distribution across the spectrum.
A very apt and important message.