It’s okay for partisans to be nice

OAKVILLE, ONT.—It says something about the nature of politics today that when a Conservative says something nice about a Liberal, it actually makes headlines. Case in point, I recently came across a CBC news story headlined: “Poilievre ally calls Trudeau one of the 'most successful' politicians of his generation.” Now that’s a headline that seems designed to stir up partisan emotions! In fact, it likely made Liberals smile and Conservatives fume. After all, it seems even one of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s supporters believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is praiseworthy. That’s got to be embarrassing for Poilievre, right? I mean, with allies like that, who needs enemies? Yet, if you read the accompanying story, it’s actually not all that dramatic. First off, the “Poilievre ally” noted in the headline is former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird, who, yes, did endorse Poilievre’s leadership, but who’s now retired from politics, meaning he’s no longer required to verbally joust with his political foes. In short, he can now be polite in public to people from rival political parties. Secondly, when Baird called Trudeau one of the “most successful” politicians of his generation, he did so in the context of introducing the prime minister at the Canada-Australia Economic Leadership Forum, a gathering where politicians and business leaders meet to discuss economic and policy issues. In such a situation, Baird, who is also one of the Forum’s Canadian co-chairs, would, of course, say something nice about Trudeau. I mean, could you imagine if he’d introduced the prime minister by saying something like, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce our next speaker, Justin Trudeau, an incompetent, scandal-ridden, disaster of a leader whose wrong-headed policies are driving a once proud country into the ground.” That wouldn’t exactly be appropriate, would it? (Though, admittedly, it’d be funny!) I’d also like to note that Baird calling Trudeau a “successful politician” wasn’t so much a compliment, as it was a mere statement of fact. My point is: even someone who doesn’t like Trudeau must admit he’s had a long string of impressive political successes, from resurrecting a moribund Liberal Party seemingly on the edge of extinction, to winning three consecutive federal elections. (Although, to be sure, he’s only won one majority.) Besides, I’d argue calling someone a “successful politician” isn’t even necessarily much of a compliment. Keep in mind, it’s possible to be both a successful politician and an unsuccessful leader, since winning an election is sometimes easier than governing. Indeed, often politicians are successful precisely because they refuse to make unpopular—but necessary— decisions and are content to kick problems down the road. Now, I’m not putting Trudeau into that category, but I’m pretty sure Baird would. But what about Baird calling Trudeau one of the most successful leaders of this “generation”? Surely, dishing out that impressive accolade goes beyond simple politeness? Maybe. But remember, political success is relative, and when you consider the success rate of other political leaders during this generation, perhaps Baird’s compliment is not really such high praise. So, given that Baird’s compliment of Trudeau was rather banal, why did the CBC report make that the story’s lede? As a matter of fact, Trudeau’s remarks to the conference (which you’d think would be the most newsworthy aspect) were buried deep in the report. Well, I think the answer is, in this day and age, when savage political warfare is the norm, we’re so conditioned to see Liberals and Conservatives tear each other apart in public, that when we see civility between them, it surprises us. That’s kind of a sad state of affairs. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. The Hill Times