Listen Up! Canadian voters may be ripe for a Trump-esque candidate

Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler

It can’t happen here. If I’ve heard that once since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, I have heard it dozens of times. Well, I disagree. It can happen here. In fact, the seeds have been planted and they are starting to grow.

Donald Trump called his election as President of the United States, a “movement”. He was right. It was born through frustration with the establishment, anger at the status quo and disgust with self-serving politicians. It is interesting to note that these exact same issues spawned a second “movement” in the U.S. led by Bernie Sanders. This time around, The Donald won the day, and the ‘Feel the Burn’ movement, will have to wait. But they will wait and the moment Trump is seen to have failed in draining the swamp, the moment he is seen to be just another self serving politician, the movement will start again and could quickly evolve to a revolution.

In Canada, the leadership race for the federal Conservatives is providing a platform for Dr. Kellie Leitch, who has the potential to shake our country up in a manner similar to the United States. I first came across Kellie Leitch when she was a teenager. She was an activist then and she is an activist now. She is also brilliant, and an opportunist, and a strategic thinker. Why does all that sound familiar? Very few believe she has a chance of becoming Prime Minister of Canada. It is easy to dismiss her, but we should not.

It is hard to know whether the Trump-like tactics Kellie Leitch is employing in her leadership race, are simply a strategy to win the leadership of her Party, or a deeply held view that Canadian values include those that vaulted The Donald to power in the United States. She is not my kind of Conservative and I get a vote, which will not be for her. But then again, Donald Trump was not the person many Republicans thought would lead their Party, or indeed become President of their country.

As tempting as it may be to write off Kellie Leitch, my sense is she will not be going quickly away. She, like Trump, is playing the populist game and populist views are becoming the flavour of the day. They appeal to the baser instincts of the ordinary voter, who distrusts the establishment and who is frustrated with the status quo. It is a strategy that transcends Party lines. It is a strategy to which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes he is immune, but my sense is, he is playing right into Kellie Leitch’s hands.

Whether or not it is the internet, or new media, or just plain frustration, people today expect instant communication and instant results. They will vote for change but then, they expect change. Their tolerance level is much lower and their patience is paper thin. People who voted for change in Canada barely a year ago, believed Justin Trudeau when he said effectively, that he too, would drain the swamp when it came to how government works. His government would be more transparent. They would be more honest. They would not cater to special interests. They would be fiscally responsible and would give parliamentarians more power. Well, let’s see how well that has worked out so far.

• In the election campaign, in order to support their promises, the Liberals projected a deficit of $9.9 billion in 2016-17, $9.5 billion in 2017/18 and $5.7 billion in 2018/19. While inheriting an audited, small surplus from the previous government, they are now projecting a 2016/17 deficit of a whopping $29.4 billion, followed by another $29 billion in 2017/18 and $22.8 billion in 2018/19. They have tripled the debt; a debt the little guy will have to pay for because of tax and spending policies they did not vote for.
• The Trudeau Government promised to eliminate pay-for-access by special interest groups. Instead, they have embraced it. The little guy loses again.
• Senate reform was promised. There is no real reform. The rules are the same. The method of appointment has changed but it is still partisan. The Prime Minister has stacked the Senate, plain and simple. An independent Senate is a façade, not a reality. The Senate remains a tool of the Government, not of the people.
• An all Party Committee was created to examine electoral reform giving Parliament the power it was promised. When the Government was presented with its recommendations, it wasted no time in trashing its members and their efforts. So much for parliamentary reform.

It is not yet clear whether Trump values will resonate in Canada. Kellie Leitch is going to try to see if they will. Justin Trudeau, whose honeymoon is quickly fading, is giving Leitch an opportunity to succeed, by doing little, at least so far, to restore confidence in the ordinary voter, that government is working for them. If the little guy feels betrayed, if he loses faith in the government, he will revolt and damn the consequences. It happened in America. It could happen here. Let’s not stick our heads in the sand.

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