EDITORIALS We need leaders who will unite

History suggests the most liberal and tolerant countries are those governed by consensus. Canada is a classic example. While there is much we disagree about, there is more that unites us. Yet there are signs all around that the idea of consensus is starting to break down. Britain’s vote to leave the European Union was a warning signal. Last year’s raucous presidential election in the U.S., and the subsequent divide of that country into warring factions, was more ominous still.

There is every possibility that Marine le Pen could become president of France this year. Le Pen is a far-right politician well outside the political mainstream, who seems more comfortable provoking disputes than settling them.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, as centrist a leader as Europe has produced in years, is losing ground. Opposition parties are using an influx of refugees to stir resentment.

And now at home we see some indications that our own political system is in trouble. The two main opposition parties are seeking new leaders. Events to date are not encouraging.

The current frontrunner in the Conservative race is Kevin O’Leary, a reality-show star with no experience in politics or government. He cannot speak French and spends considerable amounts of time outside the country. Yet he leads the other candidates by 17 points.

The NDP contest has so far attracted only three candidates. None of them is a national figure, and while that might change as the race heats up, it raises a broader question.

What happened to all the experienced leaders that both parties developed? The Tories had almost 10 years in office. The NDP spent four years as the official opposition. Where did all the talent go?

It almost seems that past experience in government is becoming a disqualification for national office. That’s certainly what happened south of the border.

Donald Trump was elected president, in part, because he was an outsider willing to confront the status quo, often in extreme language. His readiness to break with existing conventions of civility damaged the fabric of politics. Yet millions of Americans revelled in the spectacle.

Part of the reason, perhaps, is that traditional consensus government is seen by many voters to have failed them. Despite the economic boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, working-class families in Canada struggled. Most of the increased wealth was captured by society’s richest members.

Canada’s manufacturing sector has been hard hit by globalization. Employment in factories is at its lowest point since the 1960s.

The proportion of young people in poorly paid jobs is approaching 30 per cent, and participation in the workforce by men aged 25 to 54 is at a historic low. A university degree no longer guarantees rapid movement up the income charts.

All of these breakdowns strike at the heart of the social contract — the responsibility of government to preserve the welfare of its citizens. And when traditional solutions are seen to fail, voters look elsewhere.

Canadians are not Americans. We have a deeper sense of unity. The utter collapse of consensus among our neighbours is unlikely to take root here.

Yet while we might be a more stable and moderate society, that could change. The independence movement in Quebec grew out of dissatisfaction with the status quo. No one saw it coming, at least outside the francophone community, and yet it nearly destroyed our country.

If the Conservatives and NDP are unable to find leaders who follow in the long tradition of competent, experienced public servants, there is cause for worry.

The challenges that face our country will get worse before they get better. We need leaders whose instinct is to unite, not divide.