Incompetence, conspiracy, compromise, arrogance, the leaders of the federal parties have received their fair share of criticism since the beginning of the year.
What could be better than taking advantage of the summer to treat yourself to a dose of introspection? To guide them in their reflection, here is my suggested reading for the Prime Minister and the leaders of the federal opposition parties.
Justin Trudeau: The subtle art of not giving a damn by Mark Manson
Far from being a personal growth book to allow Justin Trudeau to forget the crises that afflict him, this is a small introductory treatise on stoicism.
Because stoicism is not reduced to cultivating the courage to endure pain and misfortune. Above all, it aims to focus on the important things that one has the power to control. Think here of the prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous. Urgent learning for a Prime Minister endangered by his love of symbols to the detriment of the discipline of complex issues.
Yves-Francois Blanchet: The fables of the fountain
With the prospect of a confrontation over secularism and the Charter of the French language, then the prospect of an operation of seduction so that he takes the head of the Parti Québécois after the elections, it would be tempting for the leader of the Bloc Québécois to think that all is well in the best of all possible worlds.
The wisdom of Jean de La Fontaine can only be beneficial to him. The frog who wants to be as big as an ox or Death and the Unhappy seem ideal for anyone with big ambitions.
Besides, how not to remember The Milkmaid and the milk jug for a Bloc Québécois whose electoral success is based more on a plan B than on enthusiastic support for its project?
Jagmeet Singh: Faust by Goethe
The story of Faust is that of a scientist who signs a pact with the devil to then see his soul haunted for eternity. Jagmeet Singh should have read this classic of German literature before signing his pact with Justin Trudeau.
From support for the Emergencies Act to gag motions, we see today that the NDP must sacrifice many principles to respect its commitment to the survival of the Trudeau government until 2025.
Jean Charest: His Autobiography
In this great plea, Jean Charest had tried to convince the electorate that becoming Premier of Quebec was the natural fulfillment of his political career. Something to inspire him when he must now convince the Conservatives that after all, it is Canada he has chosen.
Among the curators, a suggestion for each of the main protagonists
Pierre Poilievre: Equality or independence by Daniel Johnson
Photo QMI Agency, Toma Iczkovits
Pierre Poilievre would do well to understand the foundations of nationalism in Quebec if he hopes to find a way to explain to English Canada that it is not aplaventrism to recognize the distinctive character of Quebec society.
In this regard, the seminal essay by the last great leader of the Union Nationale seems essential.