Opinion | This election could leave our nation divided, and Justin Trudeau is making it worse

No matter who wins on September 20, the lasting impacts of this election could be the divisions that are being sown in this country. In an editorial board meeting with the Toronto Star last week, Justin Trudeau acknowledged that the election he called has crystallized that problem.

Speaking of his “very strict rules” about mandatory vaccination to get on planes or trains, the liberal leader said that “he would not mind if Canadians have a say on that, although yes, it is creating polarization.”

Asked about his role in spreading that division, the former high school educator replied that “trying to unite people is not always compatible with science, with respect for human rights, with the best way to move things forward. “.

Trudeau spoke of the “polarization and anger” out there, but not fear.

She chose to include Canadians in anti-vax and pro-vaccination groups, something that may be politically expedient to try to frame her conservative rival, Erin O’Toole, as less concerned about public safety, but who runs the risk of pulling of the social fabric that has saved Canada from deep divisions in the United States.

Something that he himself recognized on Sunday when he said: “Reaching power is not more important than keeping Canadians faithful to who we are, who are people who defend themselves and are there for others.”

It’s easy to believe that if he weren’t on the campaign trail, Trudeau would be standing outside his home trying to convince Canadians who still fear getting the vaccine, such as pregnant or breastfeeding mothers concerned about the effects on their babies, citing the science. which says vaccines are the best way to protect your baby, which transmits important antibodies against COVID-19.

Just this winter, Trudeau was much more nuanced when discussing vaccine passports, saying that issues of “fairness” and “fairness” also needed to be considered.

Those who remain concerned about the vaccine, who feel powerless after more than 18 months of government-imposed lockdowns, job losses and stress, are being grouped in the same camp as the angry and foul-mouthed protesters who have persecuted Trudeau in this campaign. The home that many of them seem to have found is the right-wing People’s Party of Canada.

The latest EKOS poll has the Popular Party at 9.1 percent nationally (the margin of error for the continuous poll is 2.8 percent). EKOS daily tracking had PPC at 11 percent, and Alberta 21 percent, on Friday, though IPSOS set support at 2 percent last week and Nanos daily tracking suggests the party is on. 5.1 percent.

PPC spokesman Martin Masse believes support is likely to be closer to six percent. Still, there are a lot of people gravitating towards PPC. In 2019, when the Green Party received 6.5 percent, more than 1.1 million Canadians trusted them with their vote.

Masse, who is also Bernier’s closest adviser, told me that he had been “stunned” by the response for the past two weeks. In Winnipeg, a thousand people gathered to hear leader Maxime Bernier speak. On Saturday, the PPC raised $ 130,000, which is the most ever raised by the match in one day. Masse blames the “far-left media” for most of the stories that cast a negative light on his party. All parties have “extremists,” he tells me. He readily admits that it was “one of us” who threw gravel at the prime minister last week, a local equestrian president who was fired. But he hates seeing his party portrayed or associated with racist views, or any suggestion that the PPC is tolerating violence. Bernier has been adamant in calling for peaceful protests, Masse says, and an ideological rather than violent revolution, although clearly not all party supporters are listening.

Jenniefer Lefrançois, the PPC candidate for Beauport – Côte-de-Beaupré – Île d’Orléans – Charlevoix, told me that she feels that as a transgender person you cannot get the vaccine. She cites her previous health conditions, including a pulmonary embolism last year. “I will not inject myself with something that could cause complications.” (Expert consensus is that approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe for those who have experienced blood clots.)

Lefrançois believes that the state has excluded her from life, prevented her from going to the theater or eating at restaurants due to concerns that she believes are reasonable. And she believes she speaks for a silent minority who feel they cannot continue without a leadership change in Ottawa. “I believe that the future belongs to those who bring people together, and right now we feel divided,” he said by phone.

When Trudeau says he “has no sympathy” for people who make personal decisions that endanger others, he is referring to people like Lefrançois. That will not only make Canada more difficult to rule on September 21, but it will also make weathering the next waves of COVID-19 that much more difficult.

Althia Raj is a national policy columnist for the Star in Ottawa. Follow her on Twitter: @althiaraj