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Listen Up! The pendulum swings

Recently, in a French Language interview, Justin Trudeau said he thinks every day about quitting his “crazy super tough” job as Prime Minister of Canada but is determined to hang in there. There are those around the country upon hearing this, who surely echoed that famous line uttered by Oliver Cromwell centuries ago, “In the name of God, Go!”

Although they likely have a year and a half or so to recover, even the most Liberal-leaning polls show that the Trudeau government is in deep trouble with the Conservatives in high double-digit points ahead of them.

The question then is why? Is it because Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre and his policies are so popular?  That, of course, may be part of the answer. But the bigger answer is that the Trudeau government, aided and abetted by Jagmeet Singh and his New Democratic Party, has swung the political pendulum too far to the left. 

Most Canadians, in my view, whether on the left or the right, prefer to be closer to the middle of the political spectrum, rather than at the extreme ends. But, when a pendulum swings too far in one direction it tends to swing to the extreme opposite end before finding its place somewhere in the middle.

We live in an era now where almost anything goes. What is right or wrong seems to depend more on where we stand politically than on the rule of law.

For example, Ontario Premier Ford’s less-than-wise comments about wanting like-minded judges received wide and critical coverage. But how much have we heard about the disclosure that 73 per cent of federal judges appointed by the Trudeau government were donors to the Liberal Party of Canada before their appointment?   

As for the rule of law, across this country pro-Palestinian mobs, many antisemitic in nature and prone to vandalism, go almost unchecked and in some instances, such as the recent Avenue Road blockade in Toronto, are encouraged by police bringing refreshments to protesters.  

Not long ago, a Rabbi in Victoria B.C. who was blocking an intersection to prevent pro-Palestinian protesters from entering it, was cautioned by police that it was illegal to block roads. He asked why pro-Hamas protesters were allowed to block roads and he was told “We can’t arrest 500 people”. 

This week a dinner being held for the Prime Minister of Italy had to be cancelled because of pro-Palestinian protesters blocking exits and threatening safety… and on and on. No guts and no leadership. 

Another indication that the pendulum is swinging toward the right can be found in a recent Nanos poll which indicated that most Canadians are uncomfortable with schools not notifying parents when a child wants to go by a new name or pronoun. They were also uncomfortable with hormone therapy for those under the age of 18 and with transgender people participating in organized sports with people of their current gender identity.

Taking that further, a New Democratic member of Parliament, Randall Garrison, recently  said, “There is no such thing as parental rights in Canada.”  

Really? Then why are parents held responsible when their children do something wrong? As for children’s rights, one commentator observed, “Apparently children’s “rights” don’t apply to drinking or driving, smoking, voting, or working. Just to life-altering hormone treatment or surgery.”

In my view, the importance of family over the years has become more and more diluted. I believe that parents not only have “rights” but they also have responsibilities in regard to their children who are underage. Within the law, barring exceptional circumstances, parents, not the government, are best suited to decide what is right and what is wrong for their children.  

On top of all this, Canadians are waking up to the reality that public spending, and consequently Canada’s debt, is way out of whack and becoming unmanageable and a real danger to future generations. 

Is it any wonder that many people are concerned about what is happening to Canada?

So, what does all of this add up to? In my view, it means that over the last eight years or so the political pendulum has swung too far to the left. Many Canadians no longer have faith in Prime Minister Trudeau and believe it is time for a change. 

I continue to believe that, notwithstanding what he now says, Justin Trudeau will step aside before the next federal election. If he does, that could be a whole new ball game.  

But if things continue as they are, with or without a new Liberal leader, many Canadians will jump on Pierre Poilievre’s bandwagon. It won’t be because they are all enamoured with some of his policies, but rather because they believe our political compass needs serious correction.

At the moment all polling indicates that were an election held today the Conservatives would win a massive majority, more so than Mulroney or Harper. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of speculation and conjecture. What we are learning from the polling, however, is that more Canadians are prepared to give the Conservative Party a chance to govern than they are willing to leave things in the hands of the current government.

Just watch the pendulum  

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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2 Comments

  1. Gary Denniss says:

    Thank you, Hugh, for the timely comments you made in the Doppler re the current Prime Minister I concur wholeheartedly. Our country is running amuck under the current leadership. May the Lord help Canadians make good choices for our next leaders in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

  2. Denise Cooper says:

    Mr Trudeau, My advice would be to turn your thoughts into action. Your quitting politics is the best news for most Canadians

    Looking forward to your good news
    Denise Cooper