The people are always right, John Turner said.
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It was the evening of September 4, 1984 when he said that. Turner’s Liberal Party had just been crushed by Brian Mulroney’s Conservatives. On that occasion, so long ago, it felt like Turner was right. The people had spoken.
These days, we’re not so sure. These days, it’s pretty hard to believe that “the people are always right.”
In the United States, for instance, the people chose Donald Trump. It was a free and fair election, and Democrats have respected the outcome. The didn’t convene secret meetings of fake electors, they didn’t allege the election had been stolen, they didn’t instigate a riot at the Capitol.
But, in the days since the election, America and the world – and many within Trump’s own Republican Party – have been shocked by Trump’s selections for his cabinet.
There is Robert Kennedy, Jr., who famously opposes vaccines and says he has a worm in his brain (those two things may be related). Trump wants to put Kennedy in charge of healthcare for millions of Americans, which has many experts predicting a return of measles, polio and other preventable disease diseases.
There is Tulsi Gabbard, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of Syria’s genocidal regime, and has been credibly accused of being a Russian asset. Trump wants her to be America’s top intelligence official.
There is Matt Gaetz, who has been investigated for sex with a minor, illegal drug use and accepting improper gifts. Trump wants him to be America’s Attorney General.
There is Pete Hegseth, who has never had a military command role, and who has said he hasn’t washed his hands in a decade, because germs aren’t real. Trump wants him to run America’s military.
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There is Elon Musk, the billionaire who has been secretly meeting with Iranian officials – which, as the New York Times has reported, has delighted the ayatollahs in Iran, who have called it “positive” and “good news.” Trump has brought Musk in for all kinds of meetings, without ensuring first that the X elf lord has a security clearance.
Up here, of course, we have a prime minister who has worn racist black face many times, who has never been cleared of groping a female reporter, and who has been found culpable in multiple corruption scandals. And who claims to be (a) anti-racist, (b) feminist, and (c) leading a responsible and ethical government.
There is Montreal’s mayor, who has appeared indifferent to Jewish schools being shot up and synagogues being firebombed. There is Toronto’s mayor, who wants protective bubble zones around bike lanes – but not around places of worship and schools, which have also been shot up and firebombed in the past year.
And then, this week there is the erstwhile leader of the City of Mississauga. Mississauga, where people celebrated Hamas’ atrocities on October 7, 2023. And who then went on to elect as mayor Carolyn Parrish. Here are just a few of the things the Parrish said before she was elected. These are direct quotes from her social media:
– Parrish has called Israel “a permanent occupying force.”
– Parrish has accused Israel of “THEFT” against Hamas-run Gaza.
– Parrish has said “Israel has stolen huge tracts of land,” and is “destroying Palestine.”
– Parrish has accused Conservatives of “ruining Canadian credibility” for their support of Israel.
– Parrish has said that charging Israel with war crimes is “a legal, democratic process”.
– Parrish has said “I support BDS” (boycott, divest and sanctions) against Israel.
– Parrish has accused Israel of using “starvation [as] a new technique of war.”
– Parrish has said Hamas’ tunnels were used for “food, goods, medical, supplies, water,” and that it is “ridiculous” to say the terror group used the tunnels to murder Jews and keep them captive.
And, of course, this week Parrish compared Nobel Prize recipient Nelson Mandela to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who devised the biggest mass-murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
There’s a lot more, if you have the stomach for it.
Trump, Trudeau and Parrish are not the only mistakes the people have made.
Are the people always right? No. In fact, these days, the people are frequently wrong.
But they always end up getting the governments they deserve.