Another Election Oh Canada!

It’s federal election season in Canada! According to bookmakers, the incumbent prime minister, the Clooney of Canadian politics – Justin Trudeau is facing the battle for his political survival. His closest rival is Andrew Scheer, whose Conservative Party lost to Trudeau’s Liberals in 2015. The New Democrats, led by Jagmeet Singh are rated third, but bookmakers say that the Bloc Quebecois led by Yves-Francois Blanchet would make a good showing because of its strong base in the Francophone part of the country. With climate change topping the global agenda, Elizabeth May’s Green party are in for a good showing in this election.

Together, the five-strong parties have appeared in debates, although pundits say it’s a race between Trudeau, Scheer and Singh and that none would get the required votes to form a majority government by Monday evening when the results are expected.

As a Naija citizen, I am already bored to death – this is not politics, as I know it. Apart from the colours of the political parties, and the talks in the electronic media, mixed signs by the roadside, nothing tells you that this nation of 39 million is facing the polls. The reality is that polling stations have opened for upwards of two weeks already and early ballots for local and provincial candidates have all but been concluded as you read this.

I am witnessing my second federal election in Canada and Fall leaves are more colourful than the preparations. I am supposed to be miffed by the disrespect for any incumbent – the kind of impertinence that would earn you a Sowore treatment from Muhammadu Buhari’s minions are normal here.

For one, printers are not smiling to the bank, only the old and new media get a slash of the multi-billion dollar campaign budget, which is strictly controlled by law and must be accounted for. Townhall meetings are not littered with papers. The only printed matter being the signposts neatly pegged on the highway or the manicured lawn of supporters.

There are no jobs for political thugs. One conservative sympathizer roughened the atmosphere with his poster. It clearly says – we shoot every third Liberal, the second one just left. Although gun crimes are on the rise in some Canadian cities, it’s very unlikely that anyone would get shot for their political affiliation here.

I miss the carnivals. No praise songs, no dances, no costumes. The publicly-funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, struggles to outdo privately funded organs in pulling down candidates. Trudeau has no power to tilt the editorial content of the organization his government funds. That must be very boring to both APC and PDP stalwarts. Imagine every NTA or FRCN bulletin starting with a critical evaluation of the regime in power.

The campaign topics are boring – the economy, migration, the environment, housing and the Canadian version of corruption. Campaign activities are most pronounced in Ontario and Quebec. Those who live in far-flung regions and the territories must tilt their antennae towards Ottawa and Quebec. There have been three ‘national’ debates so far, the first on foreign policy boycotted by Trudeau. All five contestants attended the last two, one in English and the other in French.

Although present-day Canada was long inhabited by three identified indigenous people – first nation, inuits and metis; no national debate is held in any of their languages. This is interesting for someone coming from a country where the indigene-settler question sparks the fire of debate. The French are in control of Quebec; the other Europeans control the rest of the country, adopting English as a common language.

National leaders and civil servants must speak the two languages, but visitors would observe that coordinate bilingualism is skewed. In Quebec English is missing on the signposts and sometimes met with subtle hostility when spoken. Even the global STOP sign is written – ARRET!

Quebeckers are fighting Canada’s official multiculturalism. It’s Bill 21 bans the use of religious symbols by public officials – hijab for Muslims, Yarmulke for Jews or turbans for Sikhs. Incidentally Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader in this year’s election, proudly adorns his turban. He is a member of the 1.4% of the population identifying as Sikhs compared to 3.2% Muslims in a nation of 39 million.

The debate over the wearing of religious symbols has pushed up an unspoken fear of domination. While current Canada is built and sustained by immigration, Canadians are wary of ‘uncontrolled migration’. Their fear was compounded last year when thousands of migrants crossed the US-Canadian border declaring refugee status. Canadians believe that uncontrolled migration would negatively affect the economy and reduce the quality of life they are used to if not checked.

As Canada often houses, feeds and grant work visas to refugee claimants pending firm decisions, vulnerable Canadians feel they are left out. One per cent of the population is homeless, while 4.5% of young citizens are unemployed. The number having access to public housing or the ability to buy or own property is dropping by the day.

Whoever gets the nod at tomorrow’s polls would have to take decisive steps to block Canada’s leaking borders and address most of these issues. Trudeau’s government has been accused of softness on these issues and Scheer has promised to block the migration loophole.

Skeptics say that Trudeau won’t garner enough votes to form a majority government, prompting rumours of a coalition. If neither Trudeau nor Scheer secures the majority, they’ll be forced to pick from three brides in a country that frowns at polygamy. America, Canada’s neighbour is watching with keen interest, so should Naija whose citizens think that Canada is the new heaven.