Is there really a crisis? Should he be given the chance to finish the job? Who am I talking about. Does one failed mid term election mean the end of a leader’s career? Does one terrible debate mean the end of a run for office? If that were the case in Canada, more than one Prime Minister would never have gotten a second term. In the United States one bad debate and neither Bill Clinton nor Barrack Obama would have won second terms. But this is 2024 and the terms of both Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden may be coming to an end.
Sometimes I am amazed at how closely Canadian politics mimic American politics. Across Canada there appears to be a growing desire for a more right-wing government just as similar elections are playing out in England and France.
In the United States, voters are faced with a decision to elect an eighty-one-year-old competent leader who is slower on his feet and stumbles over words or a seventy-eight-year-old convicted felon, failed business leader, found guilty of assault of a woman and a habitual liar. It is a terrible choice.
In Canada, Trudeau – who first was elected in 2013 and became prime minister in 2015 – is accused of failing to provide leadership and clear goals for the future of Canada. He has successfully navigated Canada through Covid, has put in place policies to combat climate change. His gas tax is unpopular across Canada and there are widespread suspicions that it will not work. His party lost the safe seat of St. Paul’s in downtown Toronto and members of parliament are calling for him to resign his leadership.
He and Joe Biden face similar calls for their resignation allowing new younger talent to enter the race for president and prime minister.
Members of the Liberal Caucus have called for a caucus meeting to discuss the future of the prime minister’s office. In the United States members of the Democrat party are calling on Biden to release his delegates and allow for an open nomination at the Democrat Convention. Both leaders are saying they won’t resign and have work to complete in their mandate. Both the Liberal party of Canada and the Democrat party in the United States are split on their path to the future. In the United States the problem is more immediate with an election in November while In Canada the election does not need to be called until late 2026.
