Damien Kurek: Canada mustn’t fall into the ‘better than Trudeau’ trap

A composite image of Mark Carney and Justin Trudeau. Photo by file /Postmedia

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On the prairies, progress is measured by simple, tangible work: whether the fence got mended, whether the crop came in and whether the next generation is better off than the last.

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From that vantage point, watching Ottawa feels like looking into an ecosystem entirely obsessed with its own reflection. Pundits track every minor polling shift, dissecting Liberal policy moves, endlessly speculating about Conservative infighting and seem to care more about Washington than our own challenges. It makes for lively political theater in the capital, but it misses the fundamental question Canadians across the country are asking: Is Canada actually in better shape?

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Enter Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Liberal political machine paints him as a steady managerial hand overseeing a fresh start. But Canadians shouldn’t confuse a polished wrapper with a new product. There is little question that Carney is the ultimate elite technocrat.

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In contrast with Justin Trudeau, the difference appears stark. Under the former prime minister, the approach to economics often seemed reckless and unmoored from reality, whereas Carney brings central-banker polish to the forefront, but is life getting better for Canadians?

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Thus far, despite many announcements and promises, Carney hasn’t offered real reform… just better public relations and someone who simply isn’t Justin Trudeau.

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My friend, former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, had subtle letters engraved above his cabinet room door asking a simple, timeless question: “Did you leave things better than you found them?”

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This should be the baseline for anyone who holds public office. When Stephen Harper left government in 2015, Canada was defined by economic strength, rising productivity, deep business optimism, growing national wealth and a quiet, genuine patriotism. More than a decade of Liberal rule systematically eroded that foundation, burdening Canadians with record debt, stagnant living standards, less safe streets and unaffordability.

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The danger facing our country now is the “Trudeau metric.” If Canadians allow the Liberals to define success as merely being slightly less disastrous than Justin Trudeau, our country is in deep trouble. Clearing a low bar created by years of policy failure isn’t governance; it’s a low-expectations trap, to the point where the prime minister isn’t even being held to his own self-imposed standards.

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This government, and any future government or any political stripe, must be held to a far higher standard. We must judge the trajectory of our nation against the true potential of our country and whether we are leaving things measurably better than we found them. For the current prime minister, and his party that has held the helm for more than a decade, it’s a metric that is sobering.

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Ottawa’s political commentators will keep chasing daily drama and polling bumps. But Canadians must reject the low bar. Canada was built on high ambition and we deserve a standard of governance that matches it.

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National Post

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Damien C. Kurek is the former Conservative Member of Parliament for Battle River—Crowfoot. He is currently a principal at Upstream Strategy Group and continues to farm in Alberta’s Special Areas.

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