Lionel Widmer | Contributor
Featured image: Glendon College invited international experts to discuss the United States Presidential Election. | Lionel Widmer
Amid controversy and rallies, the new Trump administration was the topic of debate at a recent panel that featured four international experts. The January 26 event hosted at Glendon discussed the recent American election and its implications for Canada.
The debate looked to question whether President Trump’s ascendency to the White House marked a new era of populist nationalism and whether this would be damaging for Canada’s relationship with the United States.
The panel was made up of foreign policy leaders, including Juan Alsace, the United States consul general in Toronto; Joan Ablett, a consultant with Ablett Communications; Professor Ron Pruessen from U of T; and Miloud Chennoufi, the chair for the Department of Security and International Affairs of Canadian Forces College Toronto.
Alsace started off the discussion on a positive note, focusing specifically on the relationship between Canada and the United States.
He pointed out that not only is Canada the United States’ most important trading partner, but the two countries are also built on the same pillars of tolerance, pluralism, rule of law, democracy and freedom.
“No matter who is president or prime minister, Canada and America will remain close allies,” noted Alsace.
Ablett led a team in Florida that aimed to get new voters to the polls, with a focus on the growing Haitian community. She described the shock at how many they registered who were voting for Trump.
She also expressed her surprise at the number of women and members of visible minority groups who voted for him.
“Those who supported Trump took him seriously but not literally, those who opposed him took him literally but not seriously,” she concluded.
Pruessen described the dysfunctional patterns that were seen during the election, specifically the demagoguery and protectionism of the Trump campaign and the fickleness of supporters on both sides.
He emphasised how, as a historian, he felt that the over-simplification of complex issues and the promotion of protectionist and nationalist rhetoric left a lot to worry about.
“Does the sometimes-ugly United States have the ability to restrain Trump?” he questioned.
Chennoufi promised to be critical, stating that no matter which president occupies the White House, it is an academic’s job to apply critical thinking.
He highlighted that although the Trump administration has proposed a lot of controversial policies, there is some cause for optimism in their ability to fulfil them.
“Trump doesn’t have one strong goal or stance, rather he likes to brag about goals that he has for many issues faced by America and the world,” he said.
Chennoufi reminded the audience that there are influential sources in Washington capable of limiting the president and holding him accountable.
“As scary as Donald Trump is, it is important to remember that the president is not the only powerful figure in Washington,” he stated.
This was the second of the Glendon Global Debates held by the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs in partnership with the Canadian International Council. The next event will be on March 23 and will examine the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union.
