Mark Carney‘s stunning victory in the Canadian election shows that the political centre can hold when led by a strong, intelligent figure – in particular, when it is led by a figure who is both capable of standing up to right-wing bullies and avoiding being ensnared by the progressive pieties that have discredited liberal political elites in the eyes of so many voters.
There is, naturally, a great deal of pleasure in this country at the success of a man with such strong Irish roots becoming prime minister of Canada. But more crucially, his victory has lessons for mainstream politicians across the democratic world.
The key message is that leaders who subscribe to the values that have underpinned the western world for the past 80 years need to have the courage to reject extremist views – whether expressed by their opponents or their own followers.
One of the reasons Kamala Harris failed in the United States was because she was unable to detach herself from the “woke” agenda of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She found herself out of step with the views of working-class Americans who used to be the bedrock of her party. By contrast Carney, whose Liberal Party was 25 points behind the Conservatives when he took over as leader two months ago, ditched the approach of his unpopular predecessor Justin Trudeau on issues such as immigration and carbon tax and moved his party back to the centre.
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Of course, the biggest factor in making Carney great was the belligerence and stupidity of Donald Trump. The US president’s vocal campaign to make Canada the 51st state cut the ground from under his admirer, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, and gave Carney the launch pad to become his country’s defender.
One brutal political lesson from Carney’s success is that it pays to ditch a leader who has become unpopular, rather than waiting for the inevitable trouncing in a general election
It still took courage to stand up to Trump in the way that he did both publicly and in private phone conversations. His competence and international experience were also vital in convincing Canadians that he was the man to lead them through what is potentially the biggest crisis since America invaded his country in 1775 and again in 1812.
The spirit of national solidarity Carney has engendered should be a big help in keeping the public on side in the years ahead as Canadians cope with the inevitable hit to their living standards from US tariffs.
Carney’s overtures to the European Union have already been an important factor in rallying much of the world to support free trade, while isolating the US as the bastion of an outmoded and self-harming policy. It will not be an easy adjustment, but sticking together in the face of US bullying is the best option for the rest of the democratic world.
One brutal political lesson from Carney’s success is that it pays to ditch a leader who has become unpopular, rather than waiting for the inevitable trouncing in a general election. Forcing Trudeau – who had long outlived his usefulness – to resign was a political masterstroke by the Canadian Liberals.
There are some parallels with Ireland. Leo Varadkar, who bonded with Trudeau when they were both fashionable icons in 2017, saw a similar slide in support. But he had the good sense to get out ahead of the posse and give his party the chance to win a fourth consecutive term under a new leader.
The connection between Ireland and Canada may not be as celebrated as the one with the US but in some ways it has been stronger and more reliable. One of the lesser-known historical facts is that in 1775 the British gave Canadian Catholics equal rights, as a way of winning over the French population of the recently acquired colony of Quebec. Catholics in Ireland and Britain had to wait more than 50 years for Daniel O’Connell to deliver emancipation, but the Quebec Act outraged the 13 American colonies and was one of the factors that prompted the American Revolution and an ill fated invasion of Quebec.
It is also worth noting that Carney is not the first politician of Irish extraction to lead the Liberal party. Edward Blake, who was born to Irish parents in Canada in 1833, went on to become one of the leading politicians in the country. He was Liberal premier of Ontario in 1871 and then moved on to federal politics.
He became minister for justice in 1875 and one of his achievements was to reduce the powers of the governor general. He later became leader of the Liberals in opposition in 1880, but he suffered two general election defeats and retired from Canadian politics.
Blake didn’t abandon politics, but offered his services to the country of his ancestors and became an Irish Party MP for South Longford in 1892. He was a formidable operator in the House of Commons, supporting Home Rule and participating in international affairs. His severe questioning of Cecil Rhodes at the South African Affairs committee attracted wide attention on the eve of the Boer War.
Mark Carney will hardly follow that example and make an entry to Irish politics whenever his term is up. But his example of decisive leadership is something that our leaders should seek to emulate.
