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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Friday 20 September 2013

Justin Time: If There Is To Be A Revolution...


While Tories across the nation are circling the wagons and firing at each other, something is happening out there.  Partially due to general malaise about an economic slump that's disproportionately impacting some Canadians over others and largely fuelled by the networked intelligence capabilities of social media, the public beast is being wakened from its slumber.  The steady diet of sound-bite messaging and partisan attacks has left them hungry for substance; the constant bombardment of political cynicism has them desirous of something they can believe in.
There are no surprises in this - the trajectory has always been there for anyone to see.  Thanks in no small part to Team Harper, people are looking elsewhere to see their concerns represented.
A key element of this shift is a reversal of a trend that has dominated Canadian politics for decades; as scandals and behind-the-scenes shenanigans increasingly make headlines, we are once again looking beyond the leader at the teams that support them.  This is ironic in the extreme; while Stephen Harper (formerly a back-room policy wonk) tries to maintain the dissonance that he is firmly in command but has no idea what bad behaviour his team is getting up to, Canada's closest thing to a royal figure is slowly stepping back and letting his people into the spotlight. 
Recognizing that people are going to pay attention to his players anyway, Trudeau is picking them as much for their personal attributes/public affability as for their internal skills and competencies.  He's been doing this for at least a year, which suggests to me that he probably saw this trend emerging quite some time ago.
In terms of narrative what started off as traditional, motivational-speaker type messaging - "hope and hard work", etc. - has slowly been gaining depth and dimension.  As with his recent Foreign Policy Q+A (and introduction of his newest team member, retired Lt. General Andrew Leslie), Trudeau is demonstrating the same clear-eyed determination we've associated with him since he beat Patrick Brazeau; at the same time, he's making it clear that his management style will be the opposite of Stephen Harper's, featuring a comfort with delegation. 
While the Tories and NDP continue to attack Trudeau using refined versions of the same political tools that have been favoured for ages, Trudeau has boldly decided to change the rules of the game.
It's a risky gambit; new ways of doing things always are.  What is increasingly undeniable is that the way we're doing things now is unsustainable.  Much as the Industrial Revolution reshaped the world we live in and how we understand society, Trudeau has taken a look at the lay of the land and is positioning himself at the forefront of our next major transformation.
From Davos on down to main street everywhere, people are saying there has to be a revolution - not one of aggression, but of consciousness.
Trudeau is slowly laying the foundation for the sort of Canada he believes will emerge next.  There is still much to be done - government services, especially healthcare, are in need of a systematic overhaul.  We need to better position ourselves for success in the Knowledge Economy instead of leaving all of our eggs in the natural resource basket.  Big issues ranging from immigration to training to labour all need new direction.  Canada also needs a consistent foreign policy approach that holds true to what we have always represented; a friendly smile backed by one hell of a punch.
The other Parties can play traditional politics and lose, or they can try to crib from Trudeau's playbook and reinforce his message.  If Team Trudeau can maintain the trajectory they're already on, there's no reason he can't become Canada's next Prime Minister.

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