Mr Obama Goes to Ottawa

So that's what a leader looks like. Unfortunately he's not our leader, the stiff looking man next to him is. I used to believe the old saying that a country gets the leader they deserve. But if that is true then I rise on a point of order. While the last American administration (which the voters elected twice) ran the country into the ground, letting the banks and big business run amuck, financing a unwinnable war and promoting xenophobia, Canada was quietly paying down our national debt, taking in more refugees than ever before and going about it's business as a responsible member of the new world order. But now America has a charismatic new President who inspires billions of people the world over to have hope, to believe in change while we Canadians are stuck with the same old tired bunch, plodding along, recycling the same old tired policies. I'm sorry but what did we do to deserve this?

I watched Mr. Obama's visit to Parliament Hill yesterday and was surprised by the level of excitement it brought to stuffy old Ottawa. But even Mr. Obama's shining star couldn't rub off on Stephen Harper, our pedestrian, mediaphobic and completely uninspiring Prime Minister. For the last eight years, we Canadians took solace from the fact that we could look down on our neighbours to the south and sadly shake out heads and tsk, tsk as George W. forged a path of destruction through every facet of American society. But now we are the ones stuck with a right wing (by Canadian standards anyways) leader who will barely lower himself to talk let alone, listen to Canadians and when he does he repeats himself. Word for uninspiring word, first in French and then in English. What's the point of similtaneous translation or even that some of us that can understand both of official languages, if you just say the same thing twice. It doesn't make it any more meaningful.

The chances of an Obama-like leader rising up through the mire of Canadian politics is so remote that even the most optimistic of glass half full-types aren't holding their breath. In the meantime we can only hope that Mr. Obama succeeds in his rather daunting task of reinvigorating the American economy because that will help us all. Canada is the US's largest trading partner (which apparently was news to the Fox broadcaster covering the visit yesterday) and while I know that this six hour visit was purely symbolic at least it happened, unlike when George W. visited Mexico on his first foreign trip, snubbing Canadians and setting the tone for his administration's interest, or lack thereof, in anything north of the border. I just hope that Canadians will demand more of our leaders and force them to lead not just ride on Mr. Obama's coat tails. I certainly don't want to have to tell my children that they should sew an American flag on their backpacks when they take their first trip to Europe. But I am glad that my American friends can once again proudly show their flag when they travel, thanks to their new President.

The Inauguration and Canadians

I admit it, this patriotic Canadian was glued to CNN most of yesterday, watching Obama's swearing in and all the hoopla surrounding it. What a spectacle. And I mean that in the good sense of the word. It really was just what Americans and the rest of us watching needed. Kind of like a royal wedding, something to take our minds off of the day-to-day grind. It was over the top, but again, in a good way. It made you feel like things really can change. I know that I can't really understand what it means to African Americans having a black President. After all, I am a white Canadian woman. But I can understand what it means to have someone young, confident and inspiring become the leader of the country that has so much influence over us all.

How I wish we had our own Obama waiting in Ottawa to burst upon the scene and reinvigorate parliament, make Canadians sit up and take notice of something positive and powerful. Instead we took only notice when our leader attempted to tear down democracy and when that didn't stop the opposition from exercising their parliamentary right to a vote of non confidence he simply shut everything down. As if that is any way to deal with the global crisis we find ourselves enmeshed in.

American used to be embarassed of their President and being American, now it is our turn. All eyes will be on Steven Harper next week when the House reopens and he presents his budget. It had better be more than a budget or policy statement. It must be something that will inspire confidence in the government, give us something to work towards together, allow us to believe that our country can and will make it through these tough times.

Harper must be more than a politician, hiding from the unfriendly press and opposition, he must be a leader and statesman. People say he is an intelligent but not very intuitive man, let's hope he has someone close to him, perhaps his wife or an advisor, who can feel what the country needs right now. Not just policy meant to placate or worse, alienate the opposition parties, but a statement of how and why, we as a nation, which is in better shape than most, can ride the storm outside our borders and emerge stronger - economically, socially and politically.

Inspire us with your words and actions, Mr. Harper. So, we too, can be proud of our country again.

Rock Canadian Voters

I know we don't have as a deep political divide here in Canada as has developed in the U.S. and maybe that is why we have become so complacent, why it seemed no one even bothered to vote in the last election. But, of course, we will have another one sooner rather than later since that is the way minority governments inevitably come to an end. So what can we do in Canada to get voters out and "Rock the Vote?" We have movie stars and musicians who are cool and who young people listen to. I probably couldn't name current ones at my rapidly advancing middle age but but I know they are out there. Why can't we make it cool to vote, cool to care about politics? I know we won't have a inspiring "Yes We Can" candidate like Obama. But hopefully the Liberals will be able to choose someone from their rat pack who can speak both official clanguages and who will be able to challenge Harper.

It seems like the NDP always seems to have a leader whom people agree would make a good Prime Minister if only he was the leader of the Conservatives or the Liberals. Remember Ed Broadbent? I think he had the highest approval rating and got the most seats ever in the house for the NDP, but of course he was head of the NDP which, in our left-leaning society, is pretty far left. And while they have managed to govern successfully in a number of provinces, let's just not discuss the Ontario NDP governement. But how can we not when Bob Rae, the NDP Premier of Ontario, namesake of the hated "Rae Days" is running for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party. That is Canadian politics for you. Party lines do become blurred quite often which, Belinda Stronach aside, isn't always a bad thing.

So finally we have one of those good guy NDP leaders in the running for the chance to be in the running for PM. His main rival? A former Harvard prof. Not a bad match for Stephen "Reach for the Top Contestant" Harper.

See, we Canadians, have always (well, almost always) had smart people running for office, they just aren't always the most inspiring. Trudeau aside, and I don't think that Justin or "Trudeau Lite" is quite up to the challenge and I definitely think that Ben Mulroney should keep his day job. But if our leaders can't get us excited about voting then maybe Jim Carrey could, or Mike Meyers, or the guys from the Tragically Hip or the Bare Naked Ladies or a few hockey players. I hope that when the next election rolls around someone out there in the marketing world figures out that if we are going to keep this democracy thing going that we are going to have to get the Gen Xers or Yers or whatever the 18 to 30 year olds are called, excited about the polical process in our country. Let all those smart university students who are away from home, often in another province, know how they can still vote. Make it easy for them. Make it exciting. I know we don't have computerized touch screens or levers to pull like at a casino, but the old "put an X next to the person you want to be in government" isn't such a bad system. At least our elections, of late anyways, haven't ended up being decided by the Supreme Court.

We have seen, leading up to and during the past eight years, what can happen when people stop caring who is running their country. The Americans got what they deserved in George W.
Twice. But this last time they woke up and people got out to vote because they believed it mattered. The change may not come about right away, as Obama has said, but they have taken the first step and hopefully, for all our sakes, it will come.

In Canada we can sit by and complain that we don't have a leader like Obama but someone once said that voters get the leader they deserve and until we start acting like we care we will be stuck with just that.