Canada may be the shining hope of democratic resilience that the United States needs to see. In Canada’s most recent elections on Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney, of the Liberal Party, gained a majority in the House of Commons.

These election results will allow the Liberal Party to take control of the House of Commons committees. In the past, the opposition parties have used these committees to slow the progress of Mr Carney’s progressive legislation, such as “bills on bail reform, cyber security and border security.”[1] This is also good news for his main legislative agenda, which includes distancing Canada from dependence on U.S. trade. 

Carney’s rival, leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, is a Trumpian figure in Canadian politics. Poilievre was often referred to as Canada’s next Prime Minister. That was until last year, when Poilievre lost his own seat in Canada’s Parliament. In a “stunning upset”[2], voters kicked him out after 21 years. Voters identified a few key reasons for turning him out of office, including his support of the Freedom Convoy of 2022. This was a protest centered around pandemic restrictions and the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau[3]. Some of the protestors even called for an attack on Parliament, similar to the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Many voters also thought Poilievre could not be trusted to effectively deal with Trump, in either the trade war or “[Trumps] vows to annex [Canada] as the 51st state”[2]. Poilievre seems to echo Trump and his populist agenda, condemning “racial woke ideology”, promising to shrink government, cut foreign aid, and eliminate public broadcasting. 

Many voters see Poilievre for what he is, a populist. One voter even plainly declared, “populist politics is not for me”[2].  Some voters identified his political style as “attack politics”, which he “took to a level not previously seen in Canada”[2], on par with Trump’s behavior in the last U.S. election. However, by electing a Liberal Party majority, it seems that Canadian voters are capable of dismantling the populist agenda Poilievre has built. This gives hope that American voters can do the same. 

Beyond the voters, Canadian politicians, as early as last November, have been taking steps to distance themselves from Mr. Poilievre’s “aggressive and highly partisan approach to politics.”[1] Four of the five members of Parliament who left their party switched from Poilievre’s Conservative to Carney’s Liberals. This came as another hit to Poilievre. Previous Conservative governments have welcomed floor crossers, but after a Conservative member of Parliament joined the Liberals last week, Poilievre “condemned the practice as undemocratic.”[1] 

Canada has seemingly pulled themselves away from a populist leader, which may give hope for the United States. Despite being previously a shoe-in for the role of Prime Minister, Poilievre’s approval has dropped to 22.9% compared to Carney’s 54%.[4] 

Canada’s resilience has given the U.S. a blueprint for recovering as well. Carney has helped this resilience by creating coalitions and bringing back mutual toleration. Both of these are solid steps that U.S. politicians can and should take as well. 

Coalition Government

Carney has created one of the most impressive coalition governments in recent history. His motley crew includes previously critical Conservatives, “progressives, environmentalists, social conservatives, former bankers, like himself,” and others.[5] While he does not hold the record for most floor crossers, Carney has done something extremely rare by having such a high concentration of floor crossings within just a few months. By creating a widespread Liberal Party, Carney is now unmatched in domestic power, and has the power to pass most of his legislative goals, like budgets. His ultimate goal of further separating Canada from the United States seems on the horizon.  

This is reminiscent of what was seen in Poland, where in October 2023, the opposition united in a coalition, to defeat the Law and Justice Party (PiS). Through this coalition, they were able to mobilize a record turnout. This was able to occur, because the opposition party focused on a programmatic approach, rather than a criticism of PiS. 

This is what Carney has successfully accomplished. By creating a diverse coalition government, Carney has shown that there are no sides in politics. This is what U.S. parties should be doing to garner support. Specifically, the Democratic Party should not be alienating voters. Leading democrats should attempt to follow Carney and try to create a more diverse party. A more diverse party could be more likely to bring in centrists and conservatives who do not agree with Trump, just as Carney has done. This could give the Democratic Party the boost they need to regain power from Trump and his path of erosion. 

Democratic Norms are Back 

Carney is bringing back mutual toleration. In his speech Saturday, Carney mentioned two strong points: “This is not the time for politics as usual, for petty differences, for political points scoring” and “United, we will build Canada strong. A Canada for all. A Canada strong that no one can ever take.”[1] 

Mutual toleration is one of the most important democratic norms. Mutual toleration is the understanding that competing parties accept one another as legitimate rivals. Carney does not just accept this, but he actively pushes for collaboration. Carney is not afraid of members of Parliament crossing the floor, unlike Poilievre, who actively claimed the practice as undemocratic. Carney’s majority government was established on the idea of tolerating the opposition, acknowledging the problems in the conservative party, and convincing members that the Liberals are the better option not just for them, but for the people. Carney’s government is not based on fighting, one-upping and differences, but rather a united Canada for the good of all Canadian people.  

Mark Carney’s success in Canada gives Americans the hope we need to keep pushing back against Trump and the far-right conservatives in power today.