By Michael Nickerson
Congratulations Canada! You’ve got yourself a brand-spanking new minority government. Yeehaw! Of course we’re not talking about any minority government. No sir, we’re talking about a government that is not just politically fragmented, but geographically and culturally fragmented as well. No small feat when you start with a loaded deck of a majority. It takes work. It takes dedication. But most of all, it takes a real knack for aiming high and hoping no one notices you’ve misfired. Way to go Team Justin™!
Now after such political bloodshed, one must take stock; learn, grow, dare I say, mature. And what were the messages and lessons we learned during this most interesting election? Well, we learned that concern over political meddling in judicial affairs and big business is fleeting at best. We learned pragmatism won’t win you votes, but moral conviction won’t either. To be sure, slapping shoe polish across your face at parties won’t cost you an election, but being less than forthcoming about your work history and state of citizenship won’t earn you one. Winning the popular vote won’t do much for you either, come to think of it.
But we can take some other lessons from this election as well. I dare say that chief among them is that the ultimate outcome was not decided on any substantive debate or policy proposals, but on who pissed who off less, be it leader, candidate or party. Tribal affiliations over substantive social good as it were; us versus them; id over ego; rocks over the disarming Neolithic grunt of our more considered ancestors.
I can hear some of you who have logged serious proverbial flight hours in life saying that it has always been thus. Having clocked five decades on this planet myself I tend to agree, though being a student of history far preceding my birth I find this lazy acceptance not just disturbing but ultimately dangerous and an existential threat. Yes kids, it’s time to get serious.
Consider if you will a recent event that transpired in northern Syria during our great Canadian exercise in democracy. You might have heard of it: a little game called “Screw the Kurds,” a game Canada played only two years ago.
During this latest round Donald J. Trump agreed over a Sunday afternoon phone call to give the president of Turkey free rein to wipe out any Kurds beyond his southern border in Syria. Much mayhem has ensued, thousands of lives lost, tens of thousands displaced, all involving two NATO allies with nary a peep of response from Canadians. After all, Justin likes shoe polish and Andrew lies on his resume, the west wants a pipeline and the east doesn’t care…pox on both your houses.
Call me crazy, but I’m thinking some issues matter more than a battle of personalities and tribes. What is happening in the world beyond our borders, to say nothing of the vitriol and hate that is happening within, should concern every Canadian citizen. We all like to talk about the next generation in terms of climate change, social equality, and the challenges that will be faced.
However, as an example, we have ignored the world around us for decades, be it with cutbacks in foreign engagement, diplomacy, aid or any preparation militarily for conflict. And while we have become complacent, the world has become angrier, more insular, ignorant, and generally emboldened to embrace the worst instincts of human nature. Canada has stood by for some time now watching it unfold, with only token responses to placate a domestic audience.
Tribalism and hate do not become us at home; one look at the most recent electoral map will make it clear that’s where we stand. But what’s more, it keeps us from thinking beyond ourselves. If this election has demonstrated anything, it’s that we must do better. We must engage and invest outside our borders; pay attention to the world and not our navels. If we can’t be better I assure you our higher aspirations will all be for naught.
