Political outrage begins at home
By Colten Kamlade, Senior Columnist
Justin Trudeau has been out of the limelight recently. The election in the US has assured that, and I doubt he is concerned; the misdirection has worked in his favour. While Trump is soaking up all the attention, Trudeau is flying under the radar. He has received minimal criticism for his broken promises, and Canadian newspapers have dedicated far more time to lambasting the American president then they have in analyzing Trudeau’s policy decisions.
Electoral reform was a major component of the Liberal’s policy platform. At first, Trudeau and his party appeared to be steadfast in their commitment to the promise. Clearly, voters overestimated the Liberal’s dedication to the pledge. After the party announced they would be abandoning any plans of electoral reform, there was an outcry. Unfortunately, this lasted only a couple of days. People soon moved on, as more exciting things were happening in the US.
Another disappointment was the Liberal Party’s decision to approve two pipelines, including the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain expansion. Trudeau was supposed to be everything that Harper was not, and we hoped that he would—at the very least—avoid inheriting Harper’s cavalier attitude towards the environment. Once again, the Liberals let their voters down. As with electoral reform, there was a short burst of frustration that was soon drowned out by American politics. Canadians were distracted by Trump and his outrageous persona.
Our politics might not be as entertaining to watch, but they still matter. In our own country, we can at least affect change. That is not to say we shouldn’t discuss global issues, but that is not where our focus should lie. Rallying against Trump is fun, but we can’t vote in a new president. The American people need to initiate change in their own country. We can’t do that for them. Let’s instead talk about Canada’s problems before we scrutinize America’s.
If we focus on improving our own country, we will reap the practical benefits, but we will also find ourselves less frustrated. I feel constantly bombarded by Trump and his politics, as it seems he does something horribly obnoxious every single day. We hear about it, but we really can’t do anything. In Canada, you can get involved. Join a youth council, write for your school paper, volunteer; do something that will make a difference. You’ll feel more productive and less depressed. It’s better than sitting and watching a train wreck that you can’t do anything about.
