At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I do not expect that my sons will choose to stay in Canada when they are adults. Certainly not if this country stays on its current trajectory — namely, on our slow and agonizing decline.
Swathes of Canadians seem unbothered, at best, by the country’s first unelected majority government, made possible by five dubious parliamentary floor crossings. Yes, the majority technically didn’t happen until three by-elections, two occurring in Liberal stronghold ridings, clinched the deal; however, Prime Minister Mark Carney would not have a majority government without those floor crossers. That is incontrovertible.
Lack of Public Outrage
Which raises the next question: why so many Canadians are also apparently unperturbed by what appears to be a Liberal effort to make backroom deals with opposition MPs. One Conservative MP, Billy Morin, was caught on a hot mic before an Ottawa press conference stating that the Liberals were attempting to “poach” him. Aside from the angry constituents who vandalized floor-crossing MP Marilyn Gladu’s Ontario office, there has been little outrage — outside of online political commentary circles — towards team-switching MPs, or the political system at large. What gives?
Media and Political Commentary
Meanwhile, over at the Toronto Star, columnist Justin Ling has made the zany argument that what Carney has done is formed a “national unity government” — some kind of a “cross-partisan amalgam of politicians who want to get big things done.” If, by “getting things done,” Ling is referring to growing federal bureaucracy, endless consultation with stakeholders, and signing go-nowhere memorandums of understanding, then sure: Carney is getting things done. And if, by “cross-partisan,” he is referring to a Liberal government that is dotted with sellout Conservatives who are whipped into voting as per Carney’s orders, then sure: it’s “cross partisan.” Unfortunately for Ling, words have meaning, and Carney’s government is neither unifying nor cross partisan.
All the while, Canada continues to decline, as it did over the Liberal Lost Decade, and the populace seems to either not care, or to have little inclination as to why our standard of living keeps falling under Liberal rule.
Impact on Youth
Even worse, when official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre talks about the abysmal state of our country, his detractors portray him (often successfully) as a big, whiny complainer. “Pierre Poilievre would like to speak to the manager,” reads a recent Politico piece, in a nod to the “Karen” meme that is used to dismiss persons on the basis of their alleged “privilege,” rather than on the basis of their arguments. Our national broadcaster loves to portray Poilievre similarly, including by accusing Poilievre of using “rhetoric… tailored for a media climate that rewards maximum drama.”
What’s more dramatic: the words of a politician doing his job, or the reality facing Canadian youth, whose self-reported happiness levels are drastically lower than those of Canadians over the age of 60? I say the latter is far more dramatic. Again, what’s worse: so-called inflammatory rhetoric, or the fact that our millennial generation was the last to have at least some hope of home ownership in Canada? How about the widespread worry amongst younger generations that they cannot afford to even have children?
