February 27, 2018 · 0 Comments
By Jasen Obermeyer
Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
They do share some similarities. Both won a surprising victory. In Trudeau’s case, bringing his party all the way from the basement to the top floor during the 2015 election, while Trump, with no political background and taken as a joke, not only beat favoured Hillary Clinton, but also won by a good margin in electoral college votes.
Both leaders won the votes because they embodied “change.” Change in Trump’s case to “make America great again,” while for Trudeau it was about driving Canada forward after years of stagnation under the Harper government.
However, they really don’t have much else in common. Oh, except for causing some international headlining news, which certainly ticked off a lot of people. But it’s the way they go about, how they deliver these issues that’s different, what makes their personalities, and political career, so polar opposite, yet similar in a way.
Trump is your rough and tough politician, one who says what’s on his mind, doesn’t care how he sounds, whose toes he’ll step on. He stands up for what he believes in, putting his country first (or so he claims, whether you think he’s doing a good job of that or not is another discussion). He’s been called a bully, a sexist, racist, any negative word seems to latch on to him.
He’s been at the centre of so much controversy that you can write an entire book on them, and he’s only been in office for a year!
He pressured North Korea over the acceleration of their missile tests, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (reversing seven decades of American foreign policy in that region), withdrawing from the Paris agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership, and ordering a travel ban from Muslim-majority countries.
That’s a lot to take in, but the crazy part is that’s just a few.
Justin Trudeau has been at the centre of some backlash as well, but not so much in the forefront or continuous as Trump’s. Still, it seems to follow him around like that annoying sibling.
From breaking his promise to change the country’s electoral voting system, to saying he will decrease the country’s deficit, then increasing it, to probably the biggest talked-about issue, legalizing marijuana.
When Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died, Trudeau was criticized for saying, “On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”
So I guess he thought all Canadians liked Castro and remember him as a remarkable leader? He overthrew a dictator and became one himself. Sure, Trudeau’s father and Castro were friends, and the prime minister met the Cuban at his father’s funeral, but to encompass all of Canada is another thing.
His two most recent controversies are changing the national anthem from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command,” as sons, male, is not inclusive to females and therefore offensive. That ties in with his saying “peoplekind” instead of “mankind” because it’s not inclusive.
Yes, Trump and Trudeau are like night and day, but both are different in a bad way. We have two extremes.
One is a bully, mean, doesn’t care about the consequences, and if a group is not included, too bad. The other is a pushover, willing to please anyone and everyone at any given turn. One’s mouth just goes off on a tangent, the other over-thinks, and still slips up. One’s backbone is too stiff; the other’s backbone is not there.
After the examples I’ve given, can you guess?
The way both men carry themselves is not the best way for a politician. Trump puts America, and only America, first. Trudeau thinks Canada is everyone, and seems to forget his own citizens to please others.
Sure, a politician is not perfect. As human beings, we are flawed. But there does not seem to be any politician who has the right balance, the balance between thinking of one’s country and citizens, and thinking of the world.
There’s nothing wrong with having a backbone and putting your foot down once in awhile, or being conscientious of others. The key is to know which one to use, when and how to do it.
Throughout history, politicians are judged based on their domestic and foreign policy, and one policy is usually favoured over the other. But Trump and Trudeau should not put one on the shelf, forgotten and collecting dust.
Night and day are both unique and different, so why can’t we have the best of both?