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ACCORDING TO LIZ - And it certainly wasn’t Donny Trump who disrespected the Canadian people and the proud and free country to the north of the United States by posting the below on (un)truth (un)Social(able) just as Canadians went to the polls on Monday.
The snap election followed Justin Trudeau’s resignation less than four months ago as his popularity among Canadians had gone down the toilet.
It’s clearly time for the American president to follow in Trudeau’s footsteps. Trump’s approval rating has dropped below 40%, the lowest for any president at this stage of a presidency, with so many Americans deeply dismayed by his high-handed actions. Even many who were key in his squeaking out his victory in November are now questioning the economic and political chaos he has created in his first 100 days.
Especially the abhorrent and tone-deaf interference in a democratic ally’s electoral process:
“Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, with ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America.”
In seemingly referring to himself as a candidate for Canadian leader, both his egotism and his ignorance were blatantly on display.
Pierre Poilievre, who lost his own seat as well as leading his Conservative Party to a resounding loss had immediately replied: “The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box. Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent and we will NEVER be the 51st state.”
Most Canadians just rolled their eyes in continued disbelief at the antics of the American president.
In Canada, as in much of the world, people elect a member of Parliament from their riding, and the leader of the party with the most elected members becomes Prime Minister. In a minority government, as this looks to become, two or more parties with shared beliefs for the direction of the country, partner.
This not only ensures a stable and cohesive governance but enables the voices of a broader swath of the country to have a say.
Poilievre lost what appeared only 100 days ago to be a shoo-in election, in no small part to his resemblance to Trump’s overbearing and didactic attitude towards democratic institutions. And to his vociferous support for grossly expanding oil shipments south when few deny that global warming is the existential danger of our time.
Except the self-anointed leader of the free world and his appointed cabinet of billionaires who have just dismissed those working on the National Climate Report set to advise federal and local governments on how to address the rising risks of a warming world, including food scarcity, accelerated migration, and costs for weather-related insurance.
Mark Carney, as Prime Minister brings extensive collaborative competency gained from heading both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England will face multiple challenges in addressing Canadians’ deep dissatisfaction with the economy from Trudeau’s tenure as well as taking on the toilet-flushing ineptitude south of the border.
(Liz Amsden is a former Angeleno who now resides in Vermont and is a regular contributor to CityWatch on issues that she is passionate about. She can be reached at [email protected].)
