BUSINESS, NOT BLUSTER
Politics for the rest of us
This is part of a series we’ve dubbed “Politics for the rest of us” — an attempt to see if Canadians can find common ground, without rancour, between differing views. Today, meet a self-made businesswoman who’d rather avoid political discussion altogether:
It’s a quintessentially Canadian story. The daughter of refugees from the former Yugoslavia becomes a successful self-made businesswoman, has four children and two grandkids by age 45, has plenty of friends she loves dearly, runs marathons and gives back to her community.
Anna Bélanger owns four massage therapy clinics that bear her name in the Ottawa area. She’s married to a French Canadian, she’s a world-class athlete, devoted mother, doting nana, and a firm believer in the importance of expressing gratitude as well as leading by example. When her parents arrived here in 1958, they didn’t have anything. Nearly six decades later, thanks to her hard work and dedication, she enjoys a comfortable life filled with countless blessings. She was raised Catholic/Orthodox, and her husband was raised Catholic, so their children attend Catholic school. But they practise very little.
What else? Oh yes. Like so many of her compatriots, especially those busy living the Canadian dream, she’d rather get a poke in the eye than talk about politics. “How would I describe myself politically? Not interested. Disturbed.” She keeps herself sufficiently informed to get by, and she votes, “so I have the right to complain like everyone else.” But she doesn’t like it very much.
The term she uses to describe her spot on the political spectrum is “blue liberal.” She voted Liberal in 2015 and Conservative in 2011; she’s with the plurality of Canadians who are comfortable in the middle of the road. Her husband is conservative, and this sometimes leads to heated conversations, so they try not to discuss it much at home, in the name of family harmony. As for American politics, she shudders.
“I would not have voted for Donald Trump,” she explains. “He has no experience in politics. Business, yes, but not politics. His ego, his vulgar nature, his presence on social media … Did I mention his ego?”
If she could change one thing about the way Canada is run, she’d offer more support for small-business owners. “Commercial landlords have ridiculous rights. It’s next to impossible to own, and the laws make it impossible to even afford a down payment. Small-business owners are in a vicious cycle of trying to build a better business while trying to not get taxed or rented to death.”
On the other hand, living in Canada has many advantages, including a lack of violence, especially compared to our neighbours. Bélanger also appreciates our welcoming stance toward immigrants and refugees, the quality of our schools, and our social safety net.
These are among the things that make her proud of her country. She is a strong believer in a caring, compassionate society that looks after its most vulnerable members without undue judging. And in her life as a business owner she does give back, especially through the United Way, both in money and volunteer time.
At the same time, like many entrepreneurs, she believes good intentions aren’t enough and we need practical plans to ensure our efforts aren’t in vain. “The self-made people I know are not your typical givers. They tend to want to solve problems and focus on that rather than the Band-Aid of just giving,” she says. “Being a business owner or CEO requires you to cut, dissect, analyze, work to improve quality, efficiency and client experience.
“We know where every dollar goes. Often with charity giving, you don’t know where your money goes or how the impact of your giving is measured.” Similar things happen to the money we send as tax dollars: We have no way of knowing what impact it has or where exactly it goes, and that’s something that should be improved.
How could we make our political discourse better and encourage people like her to get more involved — or at least work less hard to avoid political subjects? “I would improve how the media and politicians represent the issues and themselves,” she says.
“The crass tweeting, Facebooking and news reporting has got to stop.” People screaming in Parliament, people being dishonest about where they stand, the tone of online discussions — it’s “only feeding people’s emotions and raising their cortisol levels.”
In short, if you wanted Anna Bélanger’s political backing, you’d perhaps focus, as she does, on problem-solving, not heated rhetoric.