In an uncertain world there are few things to rely on these days: new terror laws are always in the offing, Melbourne property prices always had their best weekend ever, and a second Sydney airport is the project of the future, and always will be. And the greatest of the eternal verities, that Canada is boring.
Our frozen cousins in the northern hemisphere have been the standard calibration for boring for as long as we remember. Other cliches about them do not stand up: anyone who thinks Canadians are nice, polite types has never watched an ice-hockey match, a game played on a prepared surface called blood. Anyone who thinks they are cheery souls has never listened to Leonard Cohen, or if they have and still think that they should seek help immediately. Anyone who thinks there is no Canadian cuisine should, well, um, you’re right there, the food sucks. And the wider culture is one of tedious reasonableness by which we approve of our own dynamism.
But Canada has now bucked that trend by conducting another in a series of exciting elections, with Justin Trudeau, poised to become the country’s youngest PM, as head of the Liberal Party (his mother would be proud — if she hadn’t been too busy on rhythm guitar duties for the Rolling Stones to pay attention to the contest). The election was a white-knuckle three-party contest with the lead changing three times.
That is all very well, but let us remind the reader that this is Canada. When it becomes interesting the rest of us — caught in the torpid competence of the Turnbull era — look bad. So we at Crikey say: stop being interesting, Canada! Be boring! Stick to what you know! To which we expect those gentle people will say: “We will — if it’s all right with the rest of you.”
I lived and worked in Canada for a number of years when Justin Trudeau’s father was Prime Minister.
It certainly wasn’t ‘boring’ then!
You have impelled me to consider, rather than Euroland yet again, visiting.
For the first time ever, consider that is.
It could be the new Nepal or Ladakh or ..insert du jour!
I know your editorial on Canada was meant to be amusing and even admiring at one point. But the dripping sarcasm was so extensive and over the top that it became unpleasant to read. Bad move.
For as long as “we” remember, eh? Silly article. Well, I remember Canada from 1952 to 1970 as the place where I lived and grew up, and it was anything but boring. It is a vast magnificent land with an eclectic series of landscapes ranging from the rocky North Atlantic maritime provinces, across Quebec with its uniquely French flavour and cities to the fertile farmlands of southern Ontario; north across the vast mineral-rich shield country with its countless forests and lakes; west across the prairie provinces, then the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast. North across the tundra to the islands of the high Arctic and the midnight sun in summer.
Historically Canada dates to first European contact in 1497, then French and British exploration and colonisation. Colonial wars, first between the English and the French, then between the British and the Americans in 1812, the latter perhaps accounting for a sense of independent identity separate from its big southern neighbour, at least for the Anglo core population. The French core have their own quite separate sense of identity. Immigration and the native populations add even more diversity to a population mix far, far in excess to what Australia can claim.
This sense of separate identity was particularly acute in 1967 when Canada celebrated it’s 100th anniversary as a self-governing Dominion. In 1965 Canada did away with its Anglo-colonial flag with a Union Jack postage stamp in the top left corner, and adopted the bold red-and-white maple leaf flag, thus entering its second century with a new flag and a sense of national unity and identity. I expected a similar historical trajectory for Australia, and was dismayed when this country timidly entered its second century still flying that drab blue tea-towel with its Union Jack postage stamp.
In the late 60’s this sense of separate identity also manifested in Canada staying out of America’s imperial wars. Having been stung in that stupid and pointless war in Korea Canada stayed out of the even more pointless Vietnam war, and in fact provided refuge for US draft resisters who came across the borders in their thousands and stayed.
The politics were progressive. Social security and a universal health care system were entrenched. The colourful and formidably intelligent Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister. Perhaps only Gough Whitlam matched him in intellect, vision and drive. Canadians kept Trudeau as PM on-and-off I believe for 18 years, but we know what the Aussies did to Gough.
The late, unloved PM Stephen Harper’s Conservative regime was an aberration in Canadian politics, the centre-left Liberals being traditionally the natural party of government as they represented the largest and most diverse block of population. How a minority of votes could have led to a majority of seats will, I think, be up for discussion now that the Liberals are back in.
Not surprisingly, Harper and Abbott were birds of a feather and great pals, incestuously so. Good riddance to both of them.
It was a stunning win for the Liberals who, as the editorial correctly implies, are ‘reasonable’. But unfortunately the centre left New Democratic Party was reduced to only 13% of the seats (with 20% of the vote).