Levant on Nenshi: A Q&A

Ezra Levant recalls his old debating partner and Calgary's new Mayor.

Newly-elected Mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi and conservative activist and lawyer Ezra Levant were debating partners at the University of Calgary – the latter a Jew on the right, the former a Muslim on the left. In a conversation with The Mark, Levant explains their unlikely partnership and discusses why Nenshi's election is not all that unusual in Calgary politics.

The Mark: What do you recall about your time debating with Mr. Nenshi?

Ezra Levant: Well he was always a very bright student and a great debater, even 20 years ago. We met in high school when we were in different schools and we debated against each other. Then we went to the University of Calgary business school together and we were actually on the same team as debate partners for two years in a row. It was fun working with him. I mean he was left-wing, I was right-wing. He was Muslim, I was Jewish. So, it was sort of an odd couple in way but it worked and we actually won two national debate tournaments together, which was pretty fun; a couple of boys from Calgary going out and winning the event at Queen’s University. It was really good times and we took different paths after undergrad. He became the student union president, I went off to law school. But he was always interested in politics. He wasn’t so much of a partisan, that is, he wasn’t involved in youth wings of political parties as such, but he was always interested in public policy so you could see that in him even 20 years ago.

TM: Have you kept in touch with him over the years?

EL: Not really, like I say we were in different cities and took different paths. But we have mutual friends, and obviously like all of us, he’s grown up and learned a lot and his ideas have matured since he was in high school and college, but he still has the same energy and I think values that he had as a youngster, so it’s fun to watch.

TM: What do you think about his win in Calgary?

EL: It’s actually not that surprising even though I think folks outside Calgary find it surprising. First of all, Alberta has been electing minorities to high office for decades. The first Muslim MP was Rahim Jaffer, elected 13 years ago. There are several South Asian MPs in Calgary right now, Deepak Obhrai and Devinder Shory. At the provincial level, it’s a very multiracial, multicultural legislature. So this just keeps with Calgary’s tradition of being a true meritocracy where anyone can come and succeed based on their merit. It’s a place where people can really rise or fall on their talents and there are no barriers to newcomers. Second of all, the fact that Naheed is liberal again might be odd to outsiders, but Calgary, for some reason or other, usually votes for liberal mayors. Our last mayor, Dave Bronconnier, ran for the Liberals federally before he became mayor. Before that, Al Duerr was a liberal. And people forget that Ralph Klein was a liberal until he wanted to win provincially. Naheed is the fourth liberal mayor in a row for a conservative city. It’s an anomalous combination to think that a young liberal Muslim bachelor is now the mayor of the city regarded as the most conservative in Canada, but actually all of those characteristics have been evident in this city for decades.

TM: How do you think he’s going to do?

EL: He’s a very bright fellow who is already quite familiar with city hall issues, he’s smart and he has a vision for his answers to the problems. But I think his big problem will be how to deal with a city council that, I think, to be charitable, we would call it dysfunctional. Every city thinks they have the worst town council in the country but I think Calgary can make a serious claim to it. Obviously, Naheed has moral authority right now. He has democratic legitimacy. He has the endorsement of the city but let’s see how that force interacts with the inertia of the 14 other aldermen he has to deal with. So that’s actually going to be his biggest problem, not ideology and not even how smart he is or how good his ideas are, but can he work with 14 people who are like herding cats. That’s going to be his challenge. I think if anyone can do it, he can. Like I say he’s quite bright and a good communicator and he knows where he wants to go, it’s these 14 people that may have other ideas though.