The Father: Towards the end of his long tenure as Canada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau brought forward two initiatives that, in many ways, defined Liberal politics of that era.
The first was the National Energy Program (NEP) that, for the first time in Canadian history, asserted a Canada-first policy in respect of Canadian natural resources as the patrimony of our nation. That audacious and patriotic act brought down the wrath of the world’s most powerful corporations, U.S.-based energy companies and their proxy, the province of Alberta.
As we know the NEP did not survive the onslaught. Trudeau’s other initiative was the Canada Health Act (CHA), proclaimed just weeks before the election of Brian Mulroney. A central feature of the CHA is a ban on extra-billing. This ensures that, in Canada, health care will be provided according to need, not ability to pay.
The Son: Last week, Justin Trudeau travelled south of the border to stump for the Keystone XL pipeline. Approval of the KXL, and the oil sands development it enables, will put out of reach any possibility that Canada will meet its obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Equally problematic, the KXL export model would reduce Canada to a hewer of wood, drawer of water, and digger of bitumen — the antithesis of the principles underlying the NEP.
Ditto with respect to health care. Justin apparently sees no problem with two-tiered health care. After all, as he explained, he goes to a private clinic.
It seems the apple can fall quite far from the tree.
Images: wikipedia commons
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