In Canada, if one side gets elected at one level of government, the opposing side usually gets elected at the other level of government.
In Canada, with our federal system, we certainly do the alternation thing, too: Conservative Brian Mulroney drubbing Liberal John Turner in 1984, Liberal Jean Chretien crushing Conservative Kim Campbell in 1993, Liberal Justin Trudeau clobbering Conservative Stephen Harper in 2019. And so on.But we also do alternation in a uniquely Canadian way: we consciously elect different ideologies at different levels of government. To balance them out. To keep them honest.
The alternation phenomenon is the reality in Ontario politics in particular. When provincial Liberals rule the roost at Queen’s Park, federal Tories dominate in Ottawa, and vice-versa. So, take the election of Danielle Smith . Though Justin Trudeau will never say so publicly, the COVID-denying, conspiracy-promoting, Canada-hating UCP leader is very good news for Justin Trudeau.Despite the fact Smith’s UCP was returned to power with the smallest majority in Alberta history — and despite the fact she is quietly despised and/or ridiculed by most of her caucus — Smith is the perfect ideological target for Trudeau.
Meanwhile, in Canada’s biggest city, the same phenomenon is at work. After a decade-plus of conservative-minded mayors — first Rob Ford, and then John Tory — Toronto is getting ready to give a massive mandate to Olivia Chow. That is, the widow of departed NDP leader Jack Layton, and a proud social democrat.Full disclosure: this writer has practiced a bit of alternation as a consultant. To offset the rambunctious Rob Ford era, this writer helped run the 2014 mayoralty campaign of Olivia Chow.
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