MAKICHUK: On doing great things and the Canadian condition

Why is there such a lack of great leadership in the world today? It used to be a cocktail of qualities that include honesty, integrity, passion, resilience, fortitude, self-belief and strong values.Why do so many leaders do so badly? When compared to the greatest generation, most — if not all — seem like lightweights... Ambitious, self-effacing lightweights.Justin Trudeau is an easy target, but he exemplifies the imperfect politician, who lacks on every front. All show and no go. His fame is his last name; otherwise, he is a complete and total rambling failure. An easy target, pathetic ... and I get no pleasure from beating up a deplorable clown, so let's move on.Then we have Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. A practicing Sikh of Punjabi descent, Singh is an Indo-Canadian, making him the first Sikh and the first member of a visible minority group to be elected to lead a major federal political party in Canada. Singh reflects the success of the great Canadian experiment. This is what makes us great. If you grab the bull by the horns in Canada, you can succeed and do well. You can even do good. And it doesn't matter where you come from, or what culture you may be a part of.Unfortunately, Mr. Singh has squandered his vast political potential for the good, by backing a dysfunctional and corrupt Liberal government.Forever tainted by this stand, I think it fair to say his downfall is imminent. He had his chance, and he blew it.So what about Justin's challenger, Mr. Pierre Poilievre, head of the Conservative Party of Canada.Poilievre was the party attack dog, reinvented for the eastern population who was scared of him. That is his Achilles heel, by the way, something the Liberals will use in the next election. It will be the "Scare-athon election." Scare people away from Pierre.But then, Poilievre got reinvented as the family man in Conservative ads. He got rid of the glasses, to look friendlier and not so nerdy.I wouldn't exactly say he edged slightly to the centre, but the makeover was obvious. His point-by-point takedown of an ignorant liberal journalist while eating an apple was truly epic. It was a side of him we had never seen before, and it was rather impressive.Not really fair, of course, as the journo had no idea what he was talking about and only dealt in cliches, but Pierre decked him like a Muhammed Ali punch to the breadbasket.But does that make Poilievre great? And, well ... will he be a great leader?Poilievre has proved himself time and time again in Parliament, but it's easy to be the critic. Quite another thing to be running the show and handling the slings and arrows of the opposition.How do Canadians feel about this fellow? According to a recent Ipsos poll, Poilievre has grown his lead even ahead of his own party, as 44% of Canadians think he would make the best Prime Minister of Canada (+4 pts since January 2024). Lagging by a considerable margin is Justin Trudeau (25%, -5 pts), who may be dragging the success of his party down with him. Jagmeet Singh (23%, -1 pt) is close behind. The majority of Canadians (68%) also believe Prime Minister Trudeau should resign as leader of the Liberal Party in 2024, while one-third (32%) think he should stay on. It's easy to see that Canadians want the errant son of Pierre Trudeau to hit the road — and the sooner the better.But that doesn't mean that Canada will be better under Mr. Poilievre. Different, yes, much different.However, any kind of difference at this stage of the game, would be welcomed with open arms by many Canadians, East or West.Getting rid of our friend Trudeau, would be like getting rid of Stalin in the Soviet Union. And that is no exaggeration, believe me.The breath of fresh air from Trudeau's departure would rejuvenate the nation, much like the elimination of Joe Biden, and the elevation of Kamala Harris in the US Democratic race.American humorist and author, Arnold H. Glasow once said:"It doesn’t take great men to do things, but it is doing things that make men great."Let's hope Mr. Poilievre heeds that advice. If he gets into power — and yes, it is all about power — he will be up against it.He's the only hope we have left. For meanwhile the Canadian brain drain is heading to greener pastures — the US, Dubai and Japan, among others. We are losing good people to bigger money, less taxes and cheaper real estate. Can you blame them? Top level earners are leaving — they've had enough of Trudeau and Freeland. If they stay in Canada, they can't win.Or can they? Even Hiroshima got rebuilt, after an atomic bomb levelled it in 1945.And once the Liberal Ground Zero comes, I look forward to the new start.

MAKICHUK: On doing great things and the Canadian condition

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