One of the most important lessons taught to me early in my psychotherapy training was to “strike when the iron is cold.”
The idea is to give challenging feedback when a client is in a relaxed and open frame of mind, as this is when someone is much more likely to hear the feedback and be open to change. If you try to provide blunt counsel to anyone when they are in an emotionally hot state, the feedback will inevitably bounce off their skull, just like a stone skipping across a pond.
I use this concept all the time in my work coaching CEOs. If I know that a client will be facing a difficult decision sometime down the road, I will take time in our coaching meetings to debate goals and preferred outcomes around this decision, long before the time is at hand. We might even discuss the kinds of distractions that could nudge them away from their preferred outcomes.
As we head into this critical federal election, I encourage you to adopt a similar technique. I probably should have written this column a couple of weeks ago. But I think we are early enough in this election cycle that we can each still objectively develop our own list of what matters most to us in our vision for Canada. Even better, it would be really great if we shared our priorities with a few trusted friends, who can help us stay accountable and honest with ourselves.
If this sounds naïve and unrealistic, I could point you to studies that show Canadians — in contrast to Americans — are more likely to make their electoral choices on the basis of issues, rather than on party. We are less slavishly devoted to symbols that can separate us.
I would also encourage you to read one of my previous Canadian Affairs columns on the psychological truth about political extremes. In that article, I point to research showing that about 30 per cent of voters sit on the extremes — either left or right — but the majority reside in the reasonable middle.
These Canadians may be life-long Conservatives, Liberals or NDPers, but are not reflexively committed to staying in their lane. I would encourage these Canadians to do the hard work of understanding the issues and having the intellectual honesty to adapt their votes as circumstances require.
In the spirit of this approach, I am happy to offer up my own list for this election.
First of all, I will evaluate the leader who has the best disposition, skill, bravery, resilience and cunning to deal with the constant threats and insults coming from the U.S. These threats are designed to keep us off balance. We need a leader who can stay on task and be a unifying force in the country.
My second priority naturally flows from the first. I will evaluate which leader can best unite the country. I am particularly concerned about resentment and mistrust that is simmering in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
My third priority is economic and military security. I want to see a credible plan for an east-west energy corridor. I also want to see a plan for exponentially building up our defence capabilities, and in doing so, leveraging our domestic manufacturing and technology base. We will need to keep the Russians and Chinese at bay in the Arctic, and to keep the U.S. from ever again thinking about challenging our southern border. We should also be instituting some kind of civil defence force, as is the practice in countries like Singapore and Switzerland.
And finally, I would like Canada to make a truly bold move on trade away from the U.S. Having 70 per cent of our exports going to the U.S. is irresponsible and cannot continue — regardless of who occupies the Oval Office. I do think the world is moving into multipolar trade and security blocks, and we are too vulnerable on our own. It is not a stretch to imagine Canada joining the EU, and I would be very impressed with a leader who is ready to take this on as a serious possibility.
So there you have it. That’s my list, and I wish you the best as you develop yours!
I like the framing of the column and agree with many of your ideas (civil defense?!?. It is the only credible defense against the only credible threat – but can’t see any politician touching it).
I am an old man living in Winnipeg’s inner city, in one of the 2 or three poorest ridings in Canada. These facts shape my priorities.
Poverty and homelessness have grown dramatically in my community over the last couple of decades at least. I want credible proposals to for an equally dramatic increase in low cost housing and supportive housing. Without this, the Canada I want to defend will slowly erode.
As an old man, global heating is of little relevance to my well being. There is a good chance that, thanks to the birth lottery, my middle age children will suffer manageable negative impacts from global heating. effects.
But global heating poses a ‘clear and present danger’ to my teenage grandchildren. Ignoring that would be a criminal example of ignoring the important long term issues to focus solely on less important short term issues.
I will never again vote for any party which does not show a serious and credible commitment to reducing our green house gas emissions and strengthening our resilience in the face of the damages that will inevitably come.
Dave Hall
Winnipeg