(Justin Trudeau)
Shocking News for American Friends: Justin Trudeau Does Not Walk on Water
More than a year beyond the toxic fog of the Trump presidency, some of my American friends are still lamenting: “Why can’t we have a leader like you do in Canada?” in reference, of course to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At this point, such sentiments might also represent a comment on the Biden presidency although there’s probably a less-visible motivation for that yearning springing from a basic American need for Hollywood heroics and handsomeness.
Let’s set the record straight. Trudeau is not the shining knight of 100 per cent of Canadian people. According to results of our most recent federal election, he is probably seen as the “safest” of our political alternatives but doesn’t walk on water.
Tragically, some stray embers of Trumpism are smouldering (or festering) in a few dimly-lit corners of my country, an indication that mental illness may have morphed into a communicable disease. Sadly, several friends have fallen victim even though it’s beyond me to explain such a drastic deterioration of brain cells.
From a personal standpoint, although my life-long leaning has been to socialism, I am a Trudeau supporter, a tendency being seriously tested by several pandemic policies that seem to penalize me for doing the right things.
I was also a supporter of Justin’s father, Pierre Trudeau, easily our most brilliant but controversial prime minister. Despite the frenetic process that came to be known as “Trudeaumania”, Pierre couldn’t walk on water either.
I have friends who will consistently vote for candidates from the New Democratic Party, our legitimate left-wing contender. They are appalled when I proclaim that I admired William G. Davis, once premier of Ontario (a Conservative) and that I believe John Tory (another Conservative) is doing a good job as mayor of the city of Toronto.
I understand and respect the commitment involved in supporting a cause even though it may rarely produce winning results. I just don’t happen to believe that the cause will be advanced by deriding alternative views. That may be the case at times but not automatically. There, I’ve just committed ideological suicide in my social circle.
Canadians should be reminded (and Americans should know) that we probably came close to Trumpism back in our history when we elected a prime minister by the name of John G. Diefenbaker, a Conservative. Although not patently insane ala Donald, Diefenbaker wasn’t in possession of a full deck toward the end of his political career.
Egotistical, dictatorial, given to unilateral action, unable to weather criticism — he, at least, believed in democracy, a process that first awarded him the largest majority ever won in a Canadian election, then defeated him. At best, he was an eccentric but managed to bring about some significant improvements in civil rights. He had also paid his political dues, losing more often than he won, never giving up.
Oddly enough, Diefenbaker was most closely associated with the province of Saskatchewan, my home country, where my political attitudes were formed by Premier Tommy C. Douglas, head of the first democratic socialist government in North America.
I realize this admission probably terrifies American readers, so I should point out that we did not grow up with loudspeakers shouting tacky slogans in our streets nor did we get sent to bootcamps or “re-education” centres. Heavy equipment parades consisted of John Deere tractors pulling ancient threshing machines.
Douglas brought about social reforms and was known mainly as the father of universal medical care, a movement he managed to spread across Canada and considered so much a social element of Canada’s reality that it has withstood the ravages of political storms to this day.
Douglas started his working life as a charismatic Baptist minister with a kindly and fatherly approach to government philosophy. I still love citing some of his quotes because most are critically needed today in an era where leaders can get by with bullying, lies and creating scenarios dependent on how effectively one can blame minorities and the weak for the evils they themselves create.
It’s possible that Tommy Douglas could walk on water although I personally never witnessed the phenomenon.
All I can say about today’s political environment is that we all need another Tommy Douglas, charismatic, kind and fatherly but doggedly determined that our lives would be better if we truly learned to care about each other. Bring him/her forward and I’ll buy the inflatable boots.
Quotes ascribed to Tommy Douglas
“We are all in this world together, and the only test of our character that matters is how we look after the least fortunate among us. How we look after each other, not how we look after ourselves. That’s all that really matters, I think.”
“Courage, my friends; ’tis not too late to build a better world.”
“Fascism begins the moment a ruling class, fearing the people may use their political democracy to gain economic democracy, begins to destroy political democracy in order to retain its power of exploitation and special privilege.”
“The inescapable fact is that when we build a society based on greed, selfishness, and ruthless competition, the fruits we can expect to reap are economic insecurity at home and international discord abroad.”
“I don’t mind being a symbol but I don’t want to become a monument. There are monuments all over the Parliament Buildings and I’ve seen what the pigeons do to them.”
“The religion of tomorrow will be less concerned with the dogmas of theology and more concerned with the social welfare of humanity.”
“Those who want to burn books are either afraid of the ideas contained within the covers or they haven’t the courage to stand up for the views which they themselves profess to hold.”