The election failed to produce hope or opportunity and Canadians, as peoples and as a country, are much the weaker for it, writes Ken Coates in the Regina Leader-Post.
By Ken Coates, October 14, 2021
The Labour Day Classic between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a prairie fixture, a reminder of the power of CFL in the West. On a warm Sunday afternoon in early September, the 2021 game was played in Regina’s beautiful new Mosaic Stadium , one of North America’s best venues.
The Labour Day Classic between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a prairie fixture, a reminder of the power of CFL in the West. On a warm Sunday afternoon in early September, the 2021 game was played in Regina’s beautiful new Mosaic Stadium , one of North America’s best venues.
And the crowd was in a mood to party . As Bomber fans in their blue jerseys accepted good-natured ribbing by Riders’ supporters, the loudest cheer in our section was reserved for a man who, watching his partner climb the stadium stairs with hands full of hotdogs and beer, yelled out, “Can you see why I married that woman!” A chagrined Winnipeg fan, kicked out of the stadium before half time, admitted with embarrassment that he had been a drunken jerk and deserved to be sent home. Even our hooligans are polite and responsible.
At times, one recalled the good old days when the CFL was Canadian royalty, when George Reed and Ron Lancaster set a standard for community engagement by professional athletes, when my hero Larry Robinson routinely broke competitors’ hearts, when the annual race to the Grey Cup grabbed a nation’s attention. But on this day, the magic was fleeting, the excitement undermined by bizarre refereeing, mediocre play and an unfortunate result (the Riders lost!). People yearned for something to cheer about; many left early.
The game was a near-perfect metaphor for a country in decline. Enthusiasm for the CFL is dying, particularly in large cities (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver) that drive the national economy. Much as American-style politics increasingly poisons Canada’s electoral process, NFL buzz has pushed the CFL to the sidelines. The quality of play, depressing compared to the precision and controlled violence of the NFL, mirrors Canada’s flagging productivity and competitiveness. That setting in Regina — a brilliant stadium, an enthusiastic crowd — should have shown that Canada can compete with anyone. But in the end, the Labour Day Classic, like Canada, became a damp squib.
Likewise, Canada’s 2021 election, like many CFL games, was a party that was announced in thousands of invitations but attracted few attendees. Interest in an election that no one wanted never picked up , voters finding little to cheer about in the mishmash of expensive but intellectually shallow party platforms. Confronting a global pandemic that could rewrite the world order, facing unchecked technology and an existential climate change threat, dealing with bitter, seemingly intractable divisions across the country, what were Canadians offered? Stale pork barrel politics and all-party vote-buying.
In football games, good coaches rally their teams to greater heights. Canadians wanted the same from our political leaders, but found no such vitality. Despite the need for strong, clear direction, political parties flailed and grasped for grand ideas and a path to power. This is not what Canadians need, as the nation is buffeted by forces that rattle the certainties which once made us one of the most prosperous, stable and admired countries in the world.
The future, rather than being filled with the hope and potential that propelled us for generations, is without clarity and, more worrisome, without purpose. Canada used to believe it was capable of great things, now it wallows in self-criticism and self-doubt, destined for mediocrity. The dismal election failed to produce any sense of hope or opportunity and Canadians, as peoples and as a country, are much the weaker for it.
A nation, like a football team, cannot prosper without legions of supporters. True fans understand the weakness of a team, scream at coaches and players during tough times, suffer the losses and celebrate the championships. Real believers draw on loyalty to stay committed, just as many passionate Canadians are among the fiercest critics of the country but also ardent supporters of dramatic change.
In recent times, we have rarely felt the pulls of nationalism, pride or excitement about Canada. Like CFL fans who remember the exhilaration of Tony Gabriel, Pinball Clemons, Ron Lancaster or Dieter Brock, Canadians long for the politics of John Diefenbaker, Jean Chretien, Brian Mulroney, even Pierre Elliot Trudeau. They walked the stage through decades when we dared to dream big dreams.
We used to celebrate Canada’s distinctiveness and potential; now we contemplate life in the minor leagues. Even when the stadium is great, the weather spectacular and the fans near ideal, it is still the quality of play that defines the experience. Our country’s stunning natural endowment, diverse and talented population and history with both impressive accomplishments and painful shortcomings should captivate us and ignite excitement about the future. Sadly, in Canada, as with the CFL, the game is nearing the point of being unwatchable.
Ken Coates is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan, and a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
