(Montreal) In an era where the issues that concern populations are multiple, ranging from climate change to the economy, progressive leaders must propose concrete solutions to prevent citizens from turning to right-wing parties that “reflect their anger », According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This is what he argued during a panel on progressive leadership held as part of the Global Progress Action summit, which took place Saturday in Montreal.
The Prime Minister of Canada met with several international leaders on this occasion, including the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, and the former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin.
“Progressives come and can talk about the need to build a better world, but if we don’t meet people’s daily needs, we won’t be able to connect with them,” said Mr. Trudeau, in English, in front of an audience made up of several leaders from around the world.
“The secret that right-wing parties, populists and people who are not committed to democratic values have is that they can simply reflect and amplify people’s very real anger and anxiety, which is feel (thus) seen and heard,” he continued.
Mr. Trudeau reiterated “that an inclusive economy is a stronger economy,” and that progressive actions such as reconciliation with First Nations have concrete impacts, such as better collaboration during natural resource exploitation projects. .
“Progressives always fall into the same traps, when the right wants to engage in a culture war over questions of identity or “wokeness”, we must be able to say: yes, we will always be there to defend the rights of people, but we will also be there to put food on the table, to ensure that you have a good job in a changing world, to focus on the middle class,” Mr. Trudeau listed.
The various leaders highlighted the measures taken in their countries to deal with the multiple crises affecting the entire world, such as homelessness, and the growing role of social networks.
The issue of climate change was on the table during several summit panels. Alongside Mr. Trudeau, Jonas Gahr Støre, who also heads an oil-producing country, indicated his desire to show that adaptation to climate change can also be beneficial for the economy.
“For me, the issue of climate change is about trying to frame it in a way that reduces emissions, and creates jobs,” he said, emphasizing that the more abstract commitments made by states in the Accord of Paris must be implemented in a concrete way in the daily lives of populations.
Talk to voters differently
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts has called on progressive leaders to change their narrative when speaking to voters about climate change.
If progressive governments want to put in place measures to protect the environment, they must stay in power. “It has to start with the voters,” he said, in English, during a panel on investing in jobs to fight climate change.
“Sometimes I find […] that we in the progressive movement like to talk to each other more than we like to talk to voters,” said bluntly the man who is now vice-president of Eurasia Group, a consulting firm in matter of politics.
“We have a different way of talking to each other […] “We use language that they don’t understand very well, and when they don’t respond the way we think they should, we tend to look down on them, as if they should be smarter.” Mr. Butts continued, emphasizing that this is not about how to put together a sustainable political program.
In addressing the issues of climate change, “the economic dimension is essential, but we are not doing enough to link climate and pollution in general to health effects at the local level,” also argued Mr. Butts.
The Gobal Progress Action summit was organized by the think tank Canada 2020, in collaboration with the Center for American Progress Action Fund, an independent American policy institute.