Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
The world is a weird place right now. But hope springs eternal. You’ve got to kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds the daylight.
I had a lot of ideas going through my head for this third and final part of A Commons Carol.
Some thoughts came and went, while others are already in my drafts folder. Needless to say, the events of the past few days made me rethink what I wanted to write many, many times.
Hope.
It’s a feeling sometimes hard to find given the state of the world today. The daily erosion of post-war democratic and institutionalist norms; the rapidly-evolving relationship between Canada and the United States; the prospect of a high-tension federal election on the horizon.
It’s a lot of shit, to be perfectly honest. It can be hard to tune it all out when you’re so connected to politics - and when you do, it’s not for long. One could say that it’s a deliberate strategy used by adversaries to tire us all out, deepen divides even further, and make us lose hope at a time when that feeling is needed the most.
Hope can be hard to find when times are as fraught as they are at this very moment. But as these days seem darker, small flickers of light on the horizon appear more frequent each and every single day.
The election of Mark Carney as Leader of the Liberal Party marked the end of an era in Canadian politics; one dominated by Justin Trudeau - not just among Liberals, but those that wanted to see the Liberals defeated. Messaging on all fronts by all parties needed to pivot to meet this most critical of moments.
Mark Carney did it immediately. In part two of this series, I argued that politicians needed to meet the moment in ways never seen before - policies themselves are one thing, but picking up on the vibes and grievances of everyday Canadians and championing them is another thing.
In his victory remarks on Sunday evening, the new Prime Minister-designate made it abundantly clear where he stands on the Canada-US relations, giving Canadians an honest and sometimes sobering outline of how the next few weeks and months might go during this trade war.
It was straight-forward. It was digestible. It met the moment in so many ways. One part in particular stands out to me:
Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered, because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.
Pierre Poilievre’s slogans are not solutions.
His anger isn’t action.
His division isn’t strength.
Division won’t win a trade war.
Division won’t pay the rent or the mortgage.
Division won’t bring down the price of groceries.
Division won’t make Canada strong.
With an audience of thousands of dedicated Liberals in the room and with all eyes on him as Prime Minister-designate for the first time, Carney spoke directly to the heart of what Canadians are feeling at this critical moment.
It was a clear and direct call-out of the politics of Pierre Poilievre, and how he may not offer the solutions some might think he has to make the cost of living go down, to stand up to Donald Trump, and to keep Canada strong and free.
It gives me hope that brighter days are on the horizon. It strengthens my resolve that Canada can and will win this trade war. And, it shows that Mark Carney is the leader for this moment in our history - to continue the work in building a progressive Canada, making the lives of every Canadians better each and every single day.
Canada will not go gently into that good night.
A federal election will be called at some point this year. It could be in a few days, or a few weeks, or even a few months. What’s abundantly clear is that the ballot question has changed from a referendum on Justin Trudeau to the very existence of Canada.
When the ballot question becomes something as existential as this, it changes the way we campaign, the way we message, and the way voters are motivated to show up to the polls.
This won’t be a carbon tax election. It won’t be a referendum on Justin Trudeau. It won’t be won or lost on electoral reform.
Something’s shifted among the electorate, and whomever’s able to meet the moment in a way that not only brings Canadians together, but builds a sustainable coalition of voters will pull it off in the end - first-time voters and seniors, rural and urban, Francophone and Anglophone, first-generation and fifteenth-generation.
It won’t be an easy task. We know how quickly polls can shift within a campaign period.
If the 2015 election was in mid-September, we’d probably have Prime Minister Mulcair leading an NDP minority government. If the 2006 election was before Christmas 2005, the Liberals might’ve won a fifth consecutive mandate. If the 1984 campaign was over in a week, John Turner might’ve done the impossible.
This feels different. The vibe shift is absolutely real.
Levels of Canadian patriotism are starting to reach levels not seen since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The feelings of betrayal, mistrust, and uncertainty with the American government among Canadians become more widespread by the day.
We fought alongside Americans on the beaches of Normandy, the mountains of Afghanistan, the valleys of Korea, and the skies of Libya.
We’ve been there on their darkest of days and brightest of moments.
A few short weeks in history have changed perceptions on a dime.
I see a new resolve in Canadians - something that’s ever-present, deep within many of us, but brought out in times of crisis. We lean on one another. We support one another. We give each other hope.
It doesn’t matter if your family’s been here for ten months or ten thousand years. We have our elbows up so Canada remains strong and free.
Together.
Those little flickers of light on the horizon - kicking at the darkness ‘til the daylight bleeds through - are starting to add up.
At this time of crisis, many are also seeing that Pierre Poilievre hasn’t lived up to the moment.
They’re seeing how someone who worshiped at the altar of Donald Trump may govern like him (I’d argue that it’d be far closer to Trump’s first term than his second, but perhaps that’s another article for another time).
The vibe shift is real.
It’s unifying.
And it gives me more hope than ever that Canadians will choose progressive, patriotic, and supportive politics over deepening divides and bending the knee.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light, for when it feels all hope is lost, we get our elbows up, we have each other’s backs, and we will not go gently into that good night.
Let's just see what tomorrow brings.