The World Weighs In

Doing our part to satisfy Canada's insatiable appetite for getting a passing mention in other countries' newspapers.

It's been a week, but the rest of the English-speaking world has decided that our little election is worthy of a couple of column inches. In the U.S., The Boston Globe's Michael Levenson talks to a bunch of professors at Michael Ignatieff's former employer, Harvard University, all of whom were saddened – but not surprised – at the smears against his loyalty to Canada that effectively killed his political career. Conservative pundit Michael Barone urges the Republicans to heed the Tories' victory as proof “that a center-right party can win immigrant votes” and that “smaller government policies, far from being political poison, are actually vote-winners.” And Variety's Brendan Kelly looks at what the CRTC, CBC, and other such acronym touchstones of official Canadian culture can expect with the new government. Neat!

Down Under, Gerard Henderson encourages Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the Sydney Morning Herald to follow the Conservatives' lead on climate change, which is, basically, to do whatever the U.S. tells them to do. About to table a budget, Gillard's Labor Party is contemplating a carbon tax, the prospects of which haven't sat well with the populace. Since Australia, like Canada, is a stable, resource-based economy, Henderson suggests Gillard mimic Stephen Harper's rhetoric, summed up as: “Canada is a responsible nation and will play its part in reducing carbon emissions but only when the likes of the U.S., China, India and Japan do likewise ... There is no obvious reason why such an approach would not also have appeal in Australia.” Popular appeal, sure. Leadership on an ever-present international issue? Not so much.

And across the pond, The Guardian's Ed Vulliamy paints a parochial picture of Canada while scouring the streets of Jack Layton's riding in Toronto, “a Commonwealth city that looks like the American midwest but sports the crown of Windsor on licence plates and freeway signs, and her majesty on a C$20 bill.” The usual “Brits say 'lorry,' Canucks say 'truck'” follows, but Vulliamy notes that Canada seems to be “now bitterly divided along ideological lines, rather than the usual linguistic, geographical or demographic issues, thanks to Layton's NDP.” His backhanded comparison of Harper to Margaret Thatcher surely doesn't help.