Welcome back to class!
As your school week gets started, and class gets more intense, know we’re constantly updating the Curated Library with new resources (37 new additions over the last week alone!) to help you better understand the real-world implications of what you’re learning. But, in addition to these new resources, there are a handful of stories we think need to be on your radar today.
Monday Night (Political) Football
We know many of you will be focused on the Eagles-Falcons Monday Night Football game, but it’s not the only high stakes competition being decided tonight. Yes, you political geeks, it’s by-election night in Canada. Voters in two ridings – one in Winnipeg and one in Montreal – head to the polls to replace retiring MPs. By-elections, we agree, are often snooze-fests, with turn-out and lower stakes.
Not tonight!
The Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Transcona has been an NDP fortress for decades, but Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party is making a strong push to take the seat. If they succeed, not only will it mean important momentum for the Tories (Canadian/British slang for the Conservatives), but it also might spell trouble for the NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh.
And why does that matter?
Well, aside from the drama of a potential leadership challenge, if you’re the NDP and you lose a “safe” seat, you’re probably less inclined to want a federal election. After all, if they can’t hold on to safe seats, what about all of those toss-ups the NDP wants to win? Now, it’s likely the NDP holds the riding, but it’s far from a guarantee. That means this by-election – more than the collapse of the Supply-and-Confidence Agreement the other week – will go a long way towards determining the timing of the next federal election, given that the NDP holds the balance of power in Parliament.
But that’s not all! Tonight is a twofer 😎!
Voters in Montreal’s LaSalle-Emard-Verdun riding also head to the polls. Like Winnipeg, this seat has long been considered to be a safe, in this case for the Liberals. And, again, like Winnipeg, the riding is considered a toss-up in tonight’s by-election, with many predicting it’s essentially a referendum on Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Our prime minister lost a safe Liberal seat in Toronto recently and another loss might be one too many losses for the Liberals to stomach.
What happens if the Liberals lose tonight? Well, for starters, some Liberal party members might start pushing for a new leader (and, by way, a new prime minister for Canada). And then there’s this: Trudeau will likely decide to prorogue Parliament. Proroguing? No, it’s not a Polish culinary delight and it is kind of complicated, so we’ll get more into it if it actually happens. But know this now: proroguing essentially offers the Liberals a reset, while killing all bills before Parliament and delaying a potential confidence vote (and, thus, an election). That might allow Trudeau to hang on as leader, or it might give the Liberals time to replace him.
These are some serious stakes! And, for that reason, keep an eye on your X account tonight while watching the Eagles steamroll to victory. (Would an eagle beat a falcon in a real world fight? There’s a good question…)
One More By-Election Note
The Globe and Mail is reporting that the longest ballot in Canadian history might impact when we find out the results of the Montreal by-election. The longest ballot isn’t random; it’s a quasi-act of civil disobedience. A group of citizens are using democratic tools to frustrate broader society in the hopes of raising awareness about the problems with our first-past-the-post voting system. Interestingly, way back in 2015, Justin Trudeau ran on a promise to change how Canadians vote…and then promptly scrapped that pledge when it became politically inconvenient. Coincidence that this protest is happening as part of a by-election with high stakes for the prime minister? We think not! Oh, the tangled webs we weave.
Trump Assassination Attempt
You already know this: on the weekend, someone (again) tried to kill former US president and current US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Even though there is much at stake for Canada in the upcoming American election, the biggest ramification might be the continuing rise of political violence.
You might not be aware, but 2024 is the year of the election. Almost 50% of the globe heads to the polls this year – the most in world history! – even if some of these elections are only democratic in name. With democracy very much on the ballot in many races globally, the stakes are higher than usual, and that’s led to some heated, nasty rhetoric from all sides. While some argue that the heated rhetoric is necessary to underscore the very dire consequences of the elections, what isn’t up for debate is that angry, divisive political debates are increasingly becoming violent. And we’re not just talking about the US.
2024, at least in some countries, might also turn out to be the most violent election year in history. That’s a big problem for democracy and global stability because, if you haven’t been paying attention, the world – within and between nations – is on the brink of war. Or more war. We’ve got a few going already and we really don’t need more. We also don’t need our divided society to become even more angry and divisive. And, trust me, Canada won’t be immune to rising political violence – outside or within our borders.