The US dumpster fire: Time to look in the mirror?

What could have been a wake-up call for Canadian democracy is on its way to becoming another episode in a mind-numbing series on the shambles of American politics. The “problem” is about to be impeached. The news outlets make sure we can follow the drama, minute by minute, play by play. So much noise, yet so little thought of our own plight. This utterly predictable, slow motion train wreck just wasn’t jarring enough to prompt Canadians to look in the mirror. If there’s a lesson to be learned for our own democracy, so far, we’re void of the self-reflection to reach it.

Polarization. Divisiveness. Apathy. Anger. Privilege.

People living in different partisan universes - where all they hear is the ranting inside their own bubble. What happened on Capitol Hill were the flames from a fire that’s been smoldering for years. Are these American problems?

We know the answer - but we don’t want to admit it.

The antics in the Republican Party are a sideshow at the circus.

The main event is what is happening to a modern, western democracy. To people just like us. People being torn apart by forces that none of the experts and pundits have figured out how to handle. It’s hard to overstate the problem. In the United States, people are screaming - but they can’t even hear each other. Only 10% of Trump supporters think the effort to contain the pandemic is going badly.

A majority of Republican voters blame Joe Biden for the attempted coup on Capitol Hill. 45% support or strongly support those who stormed the capitol. If we think it can’t happen here, then we haven’t been paying attention. Because it already is. One in five Canadians think the US election was rigged against Trump.

A 2019 McGill study found that "affective" political polarization is becoming worse in Canada. What does that even mean? Simply: We see our neighbour who votes differently as “the other”.

EKOS reports that the chasm between the authoritarian-minded Canadians and the rest is becoming more entrenched.

On immigration, we are now "massively" divided along partisan lines. When climate change - and its refugees - hits Canada hard, those divisions are a powder keg waiting to explode. It’s time to face it: The wall of difference we imagine between ourselves and our US neighbours is largely a well-pampered illusion. Their problems are ours.

To forge a different path ahead as Canadians, we must build bridges - not walls. Between the left and the right.

Between the East and the West. Between the privileged and the marginalized. Between those who know we must build a more resilient, inclusive democracy in Canada - and those who have already given up. Fortunately, at this critical juncture, a trusted solution is emerging. To break down polarization. To strip away the echo chambers. To bring out the best in human caring, practicality and ingenuity. The 2020 OECD report on 279 citizens’ assemblies shows how we in western democracies can confront the challenges of this moment with confidence. We the people. The thousands of everyday citizens who have participated in these groundbreaking, citizens-led processes around the world have a challenge for our Canadian government: “Give us your toughest problems”. Crucially, electoral reform.

And everything else we need to ensure our democracy can not only withstand the forces bearing down upon it, but thrive in the face of them.

Give us your toughest problems, say the citizens. We will show you how to solve them.