In Canada we have our fair share of political intrigue—be it at the federal, provincial or even municipal level.
But of late, other people’s politics seem to be grabbing the headlines.
Britain’s long-running Brexit saga is due to come to an end today when that country finally bows out of the European Union and south of the boarder, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is akin to a car wreck you see on the side of the road that you try to drive past, but you can’t look away from. You keep driving but it’s just to tempting to keep watching to see what happens next.
In a process where it’s hard to think what could possibly top what has gone before, the ridiculous quotient hit a high earlier this week when one of Trump’s lawyers told the ongoing Senate trail that as long as a president thinks it’s in the national interest of that country, pretty much anything goes,
And Alan Dershowitz, and acclaimed, respected and recognized U.S. constitutional lawyer even said believing his or her own re-election was in the national interest would be enough to permit such behaviour.
Whoa.
Have you ever met a politician anywhere—in any country—who does not believe their election is in the nation (or local) interest? The reason these folks run for office is because they think they are the best person for the job, and thus, electing them is the best thing voters can do.
But should ego allow for unfettered power?
In Canada, we often like to think we are different than the U.S. when it comes to politics.
We use a different system here, we elect the person who will lead the country in a different way and we govern using a parliamentary model not the equal congressional and executive system in use in the U.S.
But in recent years, our political maneuvering have become more like our neighbour to the south, especially when it comes to election tactics.
It has been argued that in Canada, the prime minister—in this country— is more powerful than the president of the U.S. is his country because of our party political parliamentary system.
But if Trump has his way, presidential elections could be replaced with coronations.
In this country we have seen our share of politicians—at the national and provincial levels— who believe that because they were elected, they have the right to do as they please when it comes to how they govern. But, thankfully, we have yet to see anything like the circus that is the Donald Trump presidency in the U.S.
Dishonest Don, a man whose thousands of lies while in office are well-documented, has set a new low bar for politicians, one we can only hope is not emulated here or anywhere else.
Sure, he’s not the the first—and won’t be the last—politician to lie. But he has taken the art of the untruth it to a whole new level. And the astounding thing is millions of Americans are willing to accept it.
In Canada we often to look to the U.S. see how things are done, or how we think they should be done
Lets hope this is not one of those times.
Alistair Waters is a regional editor with Black Press Media in Kelowna.
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