I've been thinking about Canada's upcoming election lately, mostly because it will be the first one I'll be voting in. I saw a sign posted outside of my hotel and I found it very poignant. Even without my small edit. The Image of a dog who seemed unconcerned with the toils of the man behind him captures perfectly my sentiments regarding the current political climate in Canada. Specifically, the attitude of the Liberal government towards Canadians.
I was like so many Canadians, jaded and skeptical of the political process and of politicians. For years Canadians have been voting against something rather than for something. We've been forced to choose "the lesser of two evils" for a long time...even though there are more than two parties in Canada but more about that later. I have never called myself a member of any political party. Although I knew I was not a Liberal! The picture of the poop scooper sums up our current government's attitude toward regular Canadians perfectly. The Liberals and their policies are wreaking havoc on the Canadian taxpayer and any voice of dissent is met swiftly with any or all of the "isms", "ists", or "phobic" accusations. It's getting old.
If you ask a liberal here in Canada, they will tell you climate change is real. And if you ask that same liberal if mass migration would increase our carbon footprint, they will call you racist. Examples of the left's ideological gymnastics are plenty but that's a topic for another time. I mention it however because the ideals of liberalism are becoming increasingly reckless and dangerous. I am not the only one who watches in bewilderment as so many people try to rip the tree of our heritage out at its roots.
Our Prime Minister (more like Crime Sinister) Justine Trudeau has said that Canada is a post-national country. He also said that Canada has no identity. This confuses me. How does one propose to be re-elected to lead a country...if that country and it's people do not exist? Again with the mental backflips of the liberals. But there is hope.
Enter "Mad Max".
Maxime Bernier, a politician from Quebec and a former member of Canada's Conservative party. He came close to becoming the leader of that party but fell short. This has been a blessing in disguise for Canada. He announced his resignation from the Conservative party and created his own. The People's Party of Canada (PPC) was registered in January of 2019.
Bernier called the Conservative party morally and intellectually corrupt and expressed that they are more like the Liberal party than they will admit. His intentions are clear and he speaks with consistency regarding his party's platform. Amid the clamour of identity politics, race-baiting, gender wars and all the other noise that has hijacked the political conversation, this man is bringing politics back to planet earth...and back to Canada.
One theme of the PPC that appeals to me is the idea that the government needs to be smaller. People do not need the government to tell them which bathroom to use. The government shouldn't ban the words "mother" and "father" (that's a thing in Canada). In my opinion, the government should be an afterthought. It wasn't the government who invented the radio, the t.v. or the cell phone. Private citizens create and the free market enables. The government should only grease the wheels of progress. We all know when the government takes the lead on anything the result is clumsy, inefficient and expensive. The PPC's brand of freedom comes with responsibility and acountibility built in. In essence, Bernier is saying that he wants Canadians to decide their own destiny and that Canada must govern itself.
All around the world, nations are rejecting globalism and embracing populism despite efforts to make nationalism a swear word. And all around the world, the people of one nation are celebrating the people of other nations in their fight to maintain their own national sovereignty. The irony here is deep. On one hand, we have globalism which wears the mask of unity through "hokey-pokey, Kumbaya, hands across the world" bullshit (and that mask is slipping) and on the other hand we have the "far right, alt right, tyrannical, oppressive neo-nazis nationalist populists". But if one would ignore the hype and consider the effects each globalism and nationalism have on a nation and their relationships with other nations the truth is surprising. Globalism is oppressive and decimates the economies and morale of the people, just look at Europe and the Euro. Nationalism unites people behind an idea which makes them strong at the negotiating table as is the case in the U.S.A. and eastern Europe who are enjoying an economic upswing (even if some people dont want to admit it).
What I'm trying to say is that I feel as though Maxime Bernier and the PPC can bring Canada into the unofficial club of strong countries. I might finally have a party to call myself a member of and to vote for. The only problem is that as far as the Canadian media is concerned, the one Justine Trudeau just essentially bought, there is no such thing as the PPC.
The Liberals and Conservatives have battled out every election for decades with some of the other parties running interference but I believe that there is a new political contender in the ring. If the elections of 2016 in the U.S.A. have taught us anything, it's that there IS such a thing as a silent majority and to NEVER underestimate the underdog.
And like I said, I do love an underdog.