What are the two topics in the forefront of most people's minds in Canada? Ask almost anyone and their answers will be the same: the coronavirus pandemic and the upcoming American presidential election.
One of those topics seems obviously relevant to everyone. The coronavirus is a global pandemic that has killed nearly 10,000 Canadians, over one million people worldwide and radically altered the lives of nearly every person on earth.
This isn't, however, about the danger to earth's stability from a contagious respiratory virus.
It's about why Canadians are more concerned by the American election than about our own national and provincial politics. The simple answer is that Canadians are directly affected by what happens in the States because we are neighbours.
But do we only care about the results of next month's election because of proximity? Or is there a deeper reason, something much more fundamental, like a basic understanding of right and wrong?
This question of why the 2020 American election matters so much to us as Canadians has quite literally kept me up at night for weeks. Being in the 25-35 demographic, discussing the future among my peers is more often bleak than optimistic, and we think the choice of America's President will directly influence how our world will or won't improve.
General fascination for everyone is easy to explain because the American system is designed to be exciting to watch. Media frenzy gives it the appearance and production values of major sporting events, so it's naturally easy to get excited about who might win. This goes far beyond entertainment value, however. We all have a sense that the implications of this election will be profound and far-reaching.
But the question of why and how its matter is harder to understand. Because our politics are more civil, we have traditionally had a certain smugness that we are immune to America's influence. We are feeling much less sure about that this time around.
The truth is we will be affected by whoever wins the election on November 3, 2020. And not only is there something we can do about it, there are dire consequences if we don’t invest the time and effort to actualize why this race is so important.
It could irreversibly change the way our own democracy works forever.
What do Oakville politicians say?
I suggested this question of electoral relevance to Nolan Machan (the publisher of Oakville News and Oakvillenews.org) almost a month ago. Early on it was clear we needed a colossal amount of research to address the topic appropriately. We decided as an outlet to write two articles and did considerable work to substantiate the positions I (the author) take in them. (Part two will be published for reading Sunday, October 18, 2020 here.)
When thinking of the most relevant people to discuss our local relationship with the American political system, our hope was to hold either phone or Zoom interviews with all five local representatives of Oakville’s government at various levels: municipal, provincial and federal.
The goal was sharing diverse opinions from different genders, parties, years of experiences and levels of government. Better still, having subjects with different political affiliations could highlight this investigation wasn't about alignment with Republicans and/or Democrats. It’s about how our countries conduct politics differently.
Our hope was to speak individually with all five of Oakville’s elected officials:
- Oakville Mayor Rob Burton
- Anita Anand, Oakville’s Member of Parliament
- Pam Damoff, Oakville / North Burlington’s Member of Parliament
- Stephen Crawford, Oakville’s Member of Provincial Parliament
- Effie Triantafilopoulos, Oakville / North Burlington’s Member of Provincial Parliament
Most of them, despite dozens of emails, phone calls and in-person visits, declined to interview for this story. One responder also never directly said yes or no, only sending several emails writing "We will get back to you."
Only Oakville MPP Mr. Crawford agreed to speak about why next month’s American Presidential election matters to so many people in town and across the country. He begins by affirming that the relationships between our two countries are closely intertwined.
“The Americans are our cousins to the south, so Canadians feel a sense that they are our family,” starts Crawford. “What goes on in the United States affects us. They are by far our biggest trading partner worth billions of dollars every day.”
Even as a provincial politician, Crawford understands our relationship with the United States is unquestionably pertinent. He points out “the country is right across the lake from our province. It’s across from our town - it’s just a short drive away.”
“Any change in government policy in the United States can have a major effect in Canada but also right here in our community of Oakville.” Continuing, he said, “They’re our own neighbours and it’s the world’s largest economy. Ford - a US company - has its Canadian head office right here in Oakville. What happens in the US and its policies affects companies here in Canada.”
But most of all, we care because “Politics is always on people’s minds, and the American election is interesting.”
One of the focal themes for our conversation was the difference in attitudes Canadians and Americans have towards people with different political beliefs. “In the United States there are only two political parties,” Crawford explains, “so you’re in one camp or the other. I do think the campaigns in the United States are more divisive and more heated, particularly right now.”
Plainly said, “There is more division in American society.” He later describes that “In Canada today what you see is more unity. With the pandemic here there’s been more collaboration than pointing fingers. For example, Premier [Doug] Ford and the Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau] have been working well together, as have other provinces. I think here there’s more a spirit of collaboration.”
Even when not directly asked, Crawford referred to his municipal and federal colleagues Rob Burton and Anita Anand as “his partners,” saying they “like to focus on what they have in common so they can work together.”
Another example Crawford attributes to the collaborative nature of Canadian governments is there’s no political agenda about wearing masks for the safety of yourself and others. In the USA, meanwhile, tens of millions of people attribute their political beliefs as justification for not wearing masks in public - or even obeying quarantine orders.
“Oakville is very cordial. Our town has a history of collaboration between different levels of government.” And that’s the quality that differentiates us.
But what if that changed?
Crawford also speaks about the bias of social media as a “magnifier” of the division between Republicans and Democrats in America. While the social media evolution is larger in America, “Social media also impacts Canada as it does the USA.”
I myself have been a witness to what election-fervour is like in America. Between October and November 2016, I took three separate trips to America for various purposes. I spoke with locals from New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, and New Jersey first-hand in their own states. Their opinions between urban and rural or red and blue could not have been more different.
Making definitive statements is hard having only spoken to one possible source out of five. But the way Crawford describes the difference in attitude between countries and its source makes sense.
If you’d like to listen to the audio of our full interview with MPP Stephen Crawford, it’s available to listen to by clicking/tapping on the microphone.
(This interview is property of Oakville News and made available with Mr. Crawford's consent.)
Canadians care about the American election because we are scared.
I believe that fear operates on two levels. The first is are basic passivity from the United States. These include things like the adversarial win-lose negotiating style continuing with our major trading partner, America's standing internationally might continue to be unpredictable, or worst of all, that our efforts to combat crises such as the coronavirus and climate change will be more than cancelled out by our neighbour’s inaction.
Second, there is a special fear rooted in a person. That person is Donald Trump.
If Donald Trump’s populist and divisive strategy for winning is successful a second time in this election, opportunistic Canadian politicians may seize on this approach and eventually undermine our co-operative compromise approach to problem-solving in Canada.
Intuitively, Canadians see this as a threat to our social cohesion, and we are deeply worried about Canada descending into the polarized paralysis that characterizes American politics and society.
They fear this would lead to neglect of the key components of opportunity and quality of life, such as access to good education and health care, a stable environment, and the deterioration of all these things. And the fear rooted in divided politics is where it begins.
While Oakville News is a vehicle for local community building stories and useful information for Oakvilleans, it is also a forum for discussion about issues that matter to Oakvilleans on the larger stage.
It is undeniable that the Trump Presidency (and the dangerous possibility that it might continue) has a real influence on the world with which Oakville interacts. It will determine what strategies will allow us to continue to prosper, and what steps we will have to take to preserve the values and quality of life that matter to us.
This is why Oakville News will continue to address this issue and to provide a forum for those who wish to. We hope you will find it helpful. Tomorrow, I will tackle how the current American climate took its most recent turn to polarization, and why we should do everything in our power to ensure the defeat of Donald Trump on November 3.
The Oakville News editorial board has contributed to this article. This is Part One of a two part series that will finish tomorrow, Sunday, October 18, 2020.
