London trip most rude, Mr. Scheer

Opposition leader should let the PM do the diplomatic work we elected him for

I wonder: What’s the polite way to respond when an opposition leader meets with United Kingdom officials about a post-Brexit free-trade deal several months after the prime minister met with United Kingdom officials about a post-Brexit free-trade deal?

Are we to thank Mr. Andrew Scheer for belatedly doing that which he was not elected to do and that which was already done by the man who was elected to do it?

Are we to hope that a trusted loved one will pull him aside and tactfully explain that his presence is neither needed nor requested at this time, but perhaps after the next election cycle an invitation to conduct international diplomacy will be issued by voters?

Or may we simply ask what happened to his manners?

The etiquette on this point is not clear. Mr. Scheer’s surprising little snub of Canadian standards, however, is fairly evident.

Going by what international media reports typically say of us, his behaviour would appear to be a mild affront to a peculiarly Canadian sensitivity, that being our primary export: politeness. Whether or not reports of our civility have been exaggerated, rudeness in general is selfdefeating. Mr. Scheer’s rudeness perhaps more conspicuously so.

His “Look at me, I’m in a red telephone booth!” tour was concocted to prove that Mr. Scheer is statesmanlike. Statesmen, however, treat others with respect, or at the very least are adept at pretending to do so. It is not the prime minister himself whom Mr. Scheer slighted by gauchely pantomiming the prime minister’s role, but the people whom the prime minister represents when he conducts our business abroad as we have entrusted him to do.

Of course, Mr. Scheer’s was a slight slight. His poor display of manners isn’t the end of the world. Come to think of it, so far as I am aware no persons have ever died by breach of etiquette. This copycat trip is merely a little bit obnoxious, as rudeness usually is.

And in some cases, rudeness is not even that! Acting impolite can occasionally make one more liked rather than less, earn one friends rather than enemies.

It is only that to be an exception, one should first establish a reputation for engaging in the opposite behaviour. Someone who is consistently well-spoken could do worse than drop the occasional F-bomb in a heated or dramatic situation; someone who is normally humble might benefit from a rare boast. Mr. Scheer, though, hasn’t yet distinguished himself as anything but unfamiliar. Butting ahead in line isn’t a good look for a man as unknown as him.

This very slight slight is slightly more important still. While manners aren’t the most powerful way to demonstrate respect, they hint at more respect to come. Punctuality for a dinner date can signal respect for other people’s time; making conversation with a server can signal respect for different types of work. And observing usual diplomatic protocols can signal respect for a nation’s interests.

Canadian interests deserve respect, or at least a polite nod to them. Canadians have not given Mr. Scheer a mandate to represent them abroad however he sees fit, but he has taken it upon himself to ignore their wishes as expressly stated in polling booths by pushing ahead all the way to London on a mission they gave another man.

It isn’ t a crime. It isn’ t even an ethical misdemeanour. But it is oddly discourteous, and discourtesy is rarely nothing.

So, to his attempt to perform a job he has not yet applied for, much less been offered, we might gently say this: Thank you, Mr. Scheer, but no thank you.