Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau (b. 1971) was elected Prime Minister of Canada on October 19, 2015. He assumed office on November 4, 2015. I was visiting Canada that summer and the election campaign had already begun when I was there. It was the longest general election campaign in over a century. 44 years old at the time, Trudeau is not the youngest PM in our history. That distinction goes to Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Joe Clark, elected with a short-lived minority government in June 1979. He was sworn into office at age 39, just one day before his fortieth birthday. (Justin’s father, Pierre Trudeau, became Prime Minister in April 1968 at age 49.)
Both Justin and his father are polarizing figures, variously loved and hated. Personally, I like the Trudeaus and the extremity of the vitriolic attacks on them by their civilian opponents is disconcerting. The Internet and Social Media aid extreme opinions and magnify the vitriol more than they catalyze informed opinion, communication and understanding. It has been noted already that this is one thing the internet does: more than connecting and uniting people in communication and happiness, in peace and understanding, it magnifies hate, vice suspicion and conspiracy in niche mental ghettos. Even the most intelligent among us have to guard against falling victim to the seductive pleasures of confirmation bias.
On my recent visit to Canada some people asked me what I thought of Trudeau, or what I thought of the Canadian economy, or what I thought of the news? I said that while I like Trudeau and support him, I am sick and tired of hearing about indigenous people and their problems, of LGBT people, refugees, the environment, and women’s rights. It’s not that I disagree with the PM. I don’t disagree with him on these things. I agree with him. It’s just that I feel I’ve heard enough about them to the exclusion of other issues - at least for the time being.
With each new story about the woes of indigenous Canadians I just turn down the media volume further. With each new story about gays and lesbians I begin to feel a negative backlash growing in me over the matter of self-identity through excessive use of a narrow measure, and anger that they feel they have to constantly rub their genitals in my face while prohibiting me from reciprocating. Each new story about environmentalists blocking/delaying economic development becomes another point in the counter-argument that people who place greater moral weight on animals are at least morally confused, and at most, possibly immoral sociopaths. On top of that, it seems that more and more in Canada people, communities and their governments are refusing to acknowledge legitimate authority. I mean, the Parliament in Ottawa and the Supreme Court are the highest authorities in the land, so ….
What I want to hear more about is trade, trade agreements, balance of trade, job creation, immigration and population growth, health, education, defense spending, infrastructure, national debt, and foreign policy. If anyone wants my support they must appeal to me, but I am increasingly repelled - by everyone. The PM is bludgeoning all the support out of me.
Or not.