Why there will never be a Canadian Donald Trump

Award-winning author Michael Adams believes Trump-style populism would never take off in Canada. In his provocative new book, Could it happen here? Canada in the age of Trump and Brexit, Adams explains the social forces which led to the rise of far-right, populist politicians in the U.S., and why such figures would never achieve the same success in Canada.

At a talk on Wednesday at Simon Fraser University, Adams explained the institutional, demographic, and cultural factors in Canada that hinder the rise of xenophobia and far-right nationalism.

Bumpy history takes positive turn

Adams gave a quick overview of Canada’s history as a country of compromises. He said Canada did in fact have a racist history, citing examples such as the systemic mistreatment of Indigenous peoples, as well as overtly discriminatory policies toward Jewish refugees and Asian immigrants.

But the “us and them” view in Canada started to change in the 1960s, Adams said. In 1967, immigration laws were changed, and Canada became the first country in the world to use the points system, which accepted immigrants not based on their race or country of birth, but on their language capabilities, skill set and education. This began to shift the country's demographics and social attitudes, he said.

“We invited the world to come to Canada...the world accepted the invitation,” the author said. He emphasized the 1988 Multiculturalism Act, saying Canada essentially "invented multiculturalism," allowing people to retain their cultures and still be treated as equals. Immigrants come to obey Canada’s laws and adopt its values, all the while keeping their own religions and other aspects of their cultures, in a manner of “balance, not assimilation,” he emphasized.

A 2015 census showed that over 20 per cent of Canadians were born outside Canada. Of these, nearly 80 per cent feel pride in being Canadian, Adams' polls found. “[Immigrants] are not just passing through, but [are here] to stay,” he said.

Political representation

Immigrants move to Canada, get jobs, get citizenship, show up to vote, and then even run for public office, said Adams. In 2015, a whopping 46 members of Parliament were born abroad, and many were visible minorities.

Canada is highly urban, with its top 10 cities housing 55 per cent of the population, including minorities, second generation and foreign born immigrants.

“If you want to be prime minister of Canada and have a majority government, you would be an idiot if you actually just try to get the vote of the xenophobes who live in small towns and do not like these multicultural cities and how the country is changing. It is actually rational self interest you would want to appeal to as many people. Politically, [Canada] is a dangerous country to go against multiculturalism.”

Adams noted that the Minister of Defense, Harjit Sajjan, is from India and the Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen, is a former refugee from Somalia.

“Only in Canada you have something like this,” he said.

Beliefs and social integration

Furthermore, Canada differs fundamentally from the U.S. in its views on government, Adams said. In the U.S., most people express some degree of distrust toward their government. In Canada there is an appreciation for public healthcare, public education, and even despite the high taxes, Adams asserts that the majority of Canadians think their taxes are well-spent.

One prominent example is the two countries' attitudes toward gun legislation. Between January 2016 and January 2017, more than 400 mass shootings had occurred in the U.S. In Canada, there was one — the Quebec mosque shooting. “We remember these things,” Adams said, pointing out that it is more than just gun legislation that makes Canadian society more at ease with their neighbours.

“You poll Canadians and [some] come out as racists. They show their fears... What’s funny about them is they may talk fearfully of 'the Other,' but then they have other other opinions and attitudes, and deep values that motivate reasonable accommodation.”

Is it the economy?

Another aspect is unionization. The U.S. is down to 10 per cent unionization, while Canada is hovering around 30 per cent.

“You think of what unions do for people, like better wages and pensions… [and] think of the difference in your mental posture about what your life is about if you are working and don't have a union or healthcare, living a Darwinian life,” Adams said.

In addition, with conventions like the 1988 Free Trade Agreement and China entering the World Trade Organization in 2001, jobs left the U.S. and production became offshore for many companies.

“American workers have found themselves terribly vulnerable, especially in manufacturing,” stated Adams, adding that he didn't think Canada suffered to the extent of the U.S., in part because it also didn't have as large a manufacturing industry.

Looking at the structure of the two economies and what free trade meant for both countries in terms of workers could give further clues for xenophobia in the U.S., he said.

“A cheap product from China in Walmart is no good for a worker who has to depend on his wife working in daycare," he said. "When people are vulnerable, what they have to do is find a scapegoats for why things are not going well.”

Rather than economics, it is status anxiety — the way society is evolving with feminism and gay rights, and addressing racism with quotas and other affirmative actions — that led to the current political climate in the U.S., Adams explains.

“A black became president of the U.S. and now you want give me a woman?” he asked, expressing many voters' discomfort with the idea of Hillary Clinton becoming President.

On top of that, Canadians have high rates of marriage outside their own cultural and ethnic groups, Adams said, mentioning the term ‘xenophilia.’

“Can we be evolving to find the other more attractive than someone from our own group? Canada can become an interesting case,” he said.

Adams believes right-wing populism can achieve some level of success in Canada, but that people are more resistant to it than in other countries like the UK and the U.S.

“Everyone I have asked said, 'Of course it can happen here...everything will happen here,'" Adams said. "The question is: do we have the resilience to deal with it?”