Canada Is Cooked

No, America First does not mean nationalism for all.

Canada is over, but did they ever get started? In a time of populist forces across the world rising to give the voiceless a voice, Canada has delivered itself another 5 years of liberal government. Did the valiant forces of the populist right get vanquished in a hopeless attempt to preserve the nation that has borne them? No, in fact the only accurate thing about that is the hopelessness.

Here’s the secret: there was no legitimate conservative option in Canada. Instead, Canadians were forced to choose between two sides of the neoliberal coin. Pierre Poilievre gained mediocre notoriety with some mid-2010s style SJW wrecked moments that went viral; this of course reiterates the contention that every trend hits Canada about a decade after it starts in the United States. Poilievre turned out to be at best a gentle threat to the liberal establishment of Canada, or at worst likely a conscious cooperator with that same liberal establishment.

His support of the visa regime was disastrous, and he did not provide a legitimate opposition to the established immigration policy of the country. Poilievre called for more chain migration saying, "We’ll make it easier for immigrants who are contributing to Canada to bring their families and build a life here," while also advocating for the expansion of work visas to put native Canucks out of work stating, "We will cut the red tape so skilled immigrants can get to work in their fields, not be stuck driving cabs or cleaning houses."

Poilievre did not provide a voice to the millions in Canada who feel that they are losing their home and want a sensible immigration policy. Like many conservatives, Poilievre felt it necessary to appeal to the left and their neoliberal sensibilities — not wanting to have an uncomfortable conversation about the immigration problem that millions of Canadians wanted addressed.

Poilievre was also a victim of his own meekness and policies. His district reportedly added roughly 40,000 immigrants in 10 years and then got gerrymandered by the liberals who take no prisoners when it comes to destroying their opposition. So the leader of the Conservative Party lost his own district, and his party came in second against the seemingly insurmountable Liberals.

Not everything is the Conservatives’ fault, they still represented some degree of positive change in immigration policy. Here’s the truth: the baby boomers killed Canada. “Dealing with Donald Trump” was the number one priority for 50% of voters over 60 in Canada! What was the top agenda item for youth? Decreasing the cost of living and immigration reform. A stark division indeed, death by boomers is an increasingly common condition, and many nations should take precautions to protect themselves.

Before you try to blame Donald Trump for the loss of the Conservatives in Canada, remember, President Trump follows an America First agenda, and if a politician doesn’t align with it, then President Trump is under no obligation to help them — whether conservative or liberal. No, America First does not mean nationalism for all. President Trump has succeeded in making an example out of the Canadian Conservatives and will likely benefit politically from dealing with the Liberals in Canada. Some people have described it to me this way: President Trump is so powerful and his “4D Chess” is so good that he was actually able to weaponize his own unpopularity in Canada to destroy the Canadian Conservative Party and get resolutions he wants out of the liberal government.

Now, political leaders across the world know that campaigning against the United States is risky business. Canadians will have to lick their wounds and figure out how to provide a voice to the forgotten people of Canada before it's too late.

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