Trudeau, Singh are suddenly very worried about Trump. What’s driving the fear?

Article content material

Following one other decisive victory in New Hampshire, Donald Trump is one step nearer to going through U.S. President Joe Biden in a common election rematch in November.

As that risk crystallizes, Trump’s identify has grow to be the discuss of the city north of the border. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned {that a} second Trump presidency “received’t be simple.”

Article content material

Article content material

“We should always not think about that it’ll ever be simple with the Individuals,” Trudeau stated at an occasion organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. “The first duty of any prime minister is to defend Canada’s pursuits towards American pursuits. We had been ready to try this nicely. And we’ll be prepared for the choice Individuals make in November.”

Within the meantime, it appears doubtless the previous U.S. president’s identify will proceed to be a lightning rod in Canadian politics. Right here’s why.

‘Unpredictable’ Trump’s predictable victory

Following Trump’s landslide win within the Iowa caucuses final week, he adopted that up with one other victory in New Hampshire this week. Whereas his victories had lengthy been predicted, Trump’s surge is exclusive because it’s uncommon for presidents who’ve served one time period to launch profitable major campaigns afterward.

Not solely is Trump successful, however his dominance within the primaries is displaying that the present GOP is wholly underneath his affect, even with authorized entanglements dangling within the background. For his half, Trump seems unconcerned about these challenges.

Article content material

“The large night time goes to be in November once we take again our nation,” Trump advised supporters following his win in Iowa.

Trump has additionally supplied commentary on what a second presidency would entail, together with promising to construct an “Iron Dome” missile defence system for the U.S. if elected.

Trump made the feedback in New Hampshire, mentioning it as a attainable manufacturing location for a missile defence system that might be the “biggest Iron Dome anyplace on this planet.”

Trudeau, Singh agree Trump presidency is dangerous information for Canada

This week, the Liberal authorities introduced it’s going to launch a “Group Canada” activity drive to advertise its home pursuits to arrange for a Trump presidency, which Trudeau says represents a specific amount of unpredictability.

Trudeau stated Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, will co-lead a “Group Canada engagement technique to advertise and defend Canada’s pursuits in and with the USA.”

The group will likely be structured equally to methods beforehand employed by the federal authorities, “to guarantee that we’re able to proceed to learn as Canadians type a powerful relationship with the USA,” Trudeau stated.

Article content material

Article content material

In an interview with CTV Information Channel’s Energy Play host Vassy Kapelos, Hillman stated each nations share a variety of aims and priorities, from financial prosperity to nationwide safety, notably relating to issues associated to the Arctic.

“They care about U.S. prosperity and success, as they need to, as we care about that for Canadians,” Hillman stated. “And so long as we are able to proceed to offer a compelling message that we’re contributing to that, I believe that’s an necessary hedge towards any volatility which may come.”

New Democrat Chief Jagmeet Singh has been much less rosy in his outlook. 

Through the NDP’s caucus retreat in Edmonton, Singh stated Trump operates in his personal league, and likened him to an egomaniac who’s in search of vengeance on his political enemies, including that it’s extremely disturbing to observe it unfold.

“Donald Trump is frankly in fully a world of his personal,” Singh stated Tuesday. “The issues that he has completed, the issues that he has stated, the kind of particular person he’s, there isn’t any different comparability to somebody who’s as dangerous for democracy, as dangerous for folks, as dangerous for the planet as Donald Trump.”

Article content material

Singh’s feedback are consistent with the broader playbook from the Liberals, who’ve been working adverts drawing parallels between Trump and Conservative Occasion chief Pierre Poilievre.

Comparisons between Trump and Poilievre

For a number of months, the chorus from Liberal MPs is that the federal Tories are doing “American-style” politics, and Poilievre is representing “Trump North.”

Conservative MPs are utilizing “MAGA” ways, the Liberals say, referring to Trump’s “Make America Nice Once more” slogan. The comparability south of the border is a traditional web page within the Liberal playbook and a tactic Conservative politicians have seen introduced out each provincially and federally.

To the Tories, it’s only a lazy trope and a distraction from pocketbook points.

However the Liberals are arguing that extra is at stake, portray their rhetoric as an try to protect Canada from a far-right populist wave that’s surging in different democratic nations. Individuals around the globe have gotten more and more anxious and annoyed over the value of products and housing shortages, and Conservatives are capitalizing on these feelings by utilizing Trump’s playbook, says the Liberal celebration’s nationwide marketing campaign co-chair.

Article content material

“There are strategies getting used the place you need to polarize feelings in a manner that you simply current information that feed into your individual ideology and put worry into folks,” stated Quebec Liberal MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who’s serving as Trudeau’s tourism minister.

“That’s the way in which you need to drive politics, and it’s one thing new we’re seeing right here in Canada. And it’s not simply (coming from) America. We see it in different nations and that’s what’s totally different proper now.”

Trudeau has been falling behind within the polls for months. Like members of his caucus, he has been hitting onerous on the concept Poilievre is borrowing from Trump’s model of campaigning.

As abortion and transgender rights stay hot-button points in U.S. politics, Trudeau has tried to hyperlink each subjects to Poilievre.

“What we’re seeing from these MAGA conservatives is an method on going again on elementary rights in methods we shouldn’t be seeing,” he stated in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, suggesting that Conservatives in Canada might go down the identical highway.

Noting a rollback on abortion entry within the U.S., Trudeau stated: “We might imagine to ourselves, ‘This may by no means occur in Canada and that is simply the Liberals mentioning the standard worry that they do.’ I’m sorry, it wasn’t ever purported to occur in the USA both, and but it did due to MAGA conservatism. The risk is actual.”

Article content material

The feedback will doubtless add to what’s already a strained private relationship between Trump and Trudeau, with Trump beforehand describing the federal chief as “two-faced” and “very dishonest and weak.”

What Canadians consider potential Trump presidency

In a latest Angus Reid Institute survey involving 1,510 Canadians, 64 per cent of individuals agreed with the assertion, “U.S. democracy can not survive one other 4 years of Donald Trump,” whereas 28 per cent expressed disagreement.

That ballot, considered completely by Reuters, additionally discovered a major majority of Canadians, 53 per cent, imagine {that a} Biden victory can be extra helpful for Canada’s financial system, in comparison with simply 18 per cent who assume a Trump win can be higher.

Different findings from the ballot, which was taken between Jan. 9/11, embody that 49 per cent of respondents stated the U.S. is on the way in which to changing into an authoritarian state and 71 per cent of Canadians say the idea that the rule of regulation applies equally to everyone seems to be weakening within the U.S.

Shachi Kurl, president of Angus Reid Institute, stated the polling is “an indictment” of “how poorly Canadians now view the democratic establishments and the checks and balances that previously folks on either side of the border took as a right.”

Article content material

Nonetheless, one other latest ballot discovered that younger Canadians are supporting Trump in larger numbers than even their U.S. equivalents.

Ottawa-based Spark Advocacy polled Canadians a few suspected matchup between Trump and Biden and whereas Biden emerged the clear victor at 67 per cent, Trump got here in with the unusually excessive assist of 33 per cent of Canadian respondents, greater than the present approval ranking for Trudeau.

The ballot additionally discovered that greater than one-third (36 per cent) of Canadian ladies between the ages of 18-44 supported Trump — greater than the 21 per cent of over-44 ladies who backed Trump.

And younger Canadian males emerged as the one most pro-Trump demographic within the ballot. The survey noticed a majority (52 per cent) of under-44 Canadian males favoured Trump over Biden.

The place is Trump headed subsequent?

Whereas Nikki Haley has vowed to proceed working her race, Trump’s path to the Republican presidential nomination is trying clearer every day.

The subsequent cease, nonetheless, will likely be her residence state of South Carolina. Voters could have the possibility to share thier voices through the Republican major on Feb. 24.

One other decisive victory for Trump there might result in Haley bowing out the race. She has a few month to marketing campaign and place herself as the one anti-Trump Republican left.

Barring a miraculous turnaround, it appears inevitable that Trump and will likely be going through a well-known foe in Biden come November.

With information from Nationwide Publish, The Canadian Press

Our web site is the place for the most recent breaking information, unique scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and join our newsletters right here.

Article content material