“Canada is an angry country, and we need to take a breather.” — Brian Lilly, Toronto Sun.
He has that right. Many Canadians on both the left and the right are reaching a boiling point and politicians of all stripes have been quick to take advantage of it.
Sorry, this is not just extremist Conservatives. It also comes from the far left who promote revolutionary tactics between the so-called rich and the poor. It also comes from a Liberal Prime Minister who is quick to finger-point and exploit any perceived indiscretion or wrongdoing by others, but ignores the anger, vitriol, racism, and yes corruption, within his own government.
The result is a hyperpolarization of this country like I have never seen before. There is no middle ground. There is no place to come together. Those who promote a calmer, less combative, and less divisive form of governance, one that is collaborative, and to the degree possible consensus-driven, are currently just whistling in the wind.
The type of antagonism we are seeing today is not only unproductive, but also dangerous and, sadly, it ignores history and the consequences that went with it.
There were a number of significant incidents in the last week or so that underlines the level of disrespect, anger, and polarization in Canada right now.
The latest of course was the verbal harassment and physical intimidation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Calgary by a man close to twice her size. Although only briefly mentioned in the media, his actions and words were supported by his wife.
While I am surprised at the apparent total lack of security around Canada’s second highest-ranked government official, there is simply no excuse for the treatment she received or the potential danger she and her staff encountered. Many Canadians of all political stripes were appalled, but apparently not everyone.
I have seen no comment from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, although he has also been the victim of similar treatment.
Let’s also look at the reaction of the leadership candidates for the Conservative Party of Canada.
From Jean Charest: “ This is gross intimidation. People are angry. I get it. But this is dangerous behaviour. It cannot be normalized. Every political leader must speak out and condemn this.”
From Scott Aitchison: “ The attempt to threaten and intimidate Freeland and her staff was disgusting. It’s a form of violence and it’s wrong. We must be able to disagree with each other without resorting to violence.”
From Roman Barber: Nothing that I could find at the time of this writing.
From Leslyn Lewis: Not a word that I could find about the attack on Chrystia Freeland, but earlier in the week, a provocative, divisive, totally erroneous, and unconscionable comparison of the Nuremberg Code, which outlines the dark history of Nazi forced medical experiments, with the Canadian protocol for COVID-19 vaccinations. Scott Aitchison was the only leadership candidate with the courage to call her out on that.
From Pierre Poilievre: Not a peep or a whisper about the Deputy Prime Minister. Also, no comment about a picture taken with an individual identified by a federal organization that assesses threats to terrorism in Canada, as a key anti-government, ideologically motivated, violent extremist. Poilievre could have easily disassociated himself but chose not to.
I do find it disturbing that the three candidates most identified with the extreme right of the Conservative Party leadership race, including one of those who will likely win that race, will not stand up to behaviour that is inappropriate, likely unlawful, and potentially dangerous. To not call it out is in my view an invitation of encouragement and a bid for their vote.
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, summed it up nicely when he said: “ My friend Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland doesn’t deserve this. No one in public office does. This needs to stop. Canada is better than this.”
Speaking of Premier Ford, the culture of nastiness and divisiveness that is creeping into our public discourse is not just coming from the right, as some would like to believe. Here is a recent quote on Twitter about the Premier from a woman who is clearly not a Conservative: “Doug Ford is a danger to all Ontarians. He is committing homicide. He is a sadistic, narcissistic, sociopathic monster who is intentionally killing people.”
Wow! What bothers me most about this is that I know there are people out there in the great beyond who will bristle with indignation at the inexcusable harassment of Chrystia Freeland but also have no urge to condemn what is clearly hate speech because it is directed at Doug Ford. And yes, the opposite is also true, there are folks that would shrug at the treatment of Chrystia Freeland but go bananas over an attack on a Tory.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the nub of the problem. We have become so polarized in Canada that we view things from a single lens. On each side of this vast divide, what is unfair and unacceptable for some, is fair game for the other. That is a maxim that cannot survive without catastrophic effects.
And so, I end with another quote, this one from Michelle Rempel Garner, yes I know, yet another Conservative quoted in this article, but I would point out that most of these are in defense of an individual from another political party. Here is what she said: “It is more important than ever, for political leaders – on the left and on the right – to resist the temptation to profit from political polarization. In practical terms this means not platforming wedge issues and instead normalizing listening and consensus building.
To that, all I can say is AMEN. Otherwise, we are inexorably pulling this country apart.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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