November 6, 2024
Trudeau's undermining of democratic traditions advances a socialist agenda
COVID-19 has been a political godsend for Trudeau. For many Canadians it is a calamity.
COVID-19 has been a political godsend for Trudeau. For many Canadians it is a calamity.

I would not lump Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with strongmen like Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Viktor Orban of Hungary or Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. They exploited the urgent need for government assistance caused by the pandemic to entrench executive power at the expense of personal freedom.

Trudeau’s objectives aren’t that malign and Canadian democracy would not permit an unconstitutional power grab. However, he did his best to avoid parliamentary accountability to an extent almost unprecedented in Canadian history. That it was accompanied by earnest appeals to progressive ideals and the defence of necessity does not detract from how seriously he breached the norms of responsible government and the Westminster tradition, dating back to the first Canadian provinces in 1848.

In contrast, other leaders respected democratic traditions during even greater crises. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 resulted in about 55,000 Canadians deaths, or 16 times the lives lost so far to COVID-19 in proportion to our population. In response, Prime Minister Robert Borden’s Conservative government established a federal department of health. During the darkest days of the Blitz, the British Parliament sat in the mornings so MPs could return home or to shelters during night-time bombing.

Trudeau’s recent behaviour is not an aberration precipitated by the crisis. Rather, it follows a pattern that started early in his government. Underpinning it is the special appeal left-wing autocrats hold for him, bequeathed by his father.

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See Also:

(1) How a diminished Department of Finance brings into question Canada’s fiscal future

(2) From food to housing: What will cost you more in 2021?

(3) Canada is turning asylum seekers away at the border, then changing its mind

(4) Canadians haven’t felt this good about the housing market in three years

(5) 2020 Hindsight – William Robson: Our year of magical thinking

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