Northern Exposure

   After a dozen years of conservative rule, the Canadian government has returned to a liberal base as Justin Trudeau became prime minister in recent parliamentary elections.
   What does this portend for Canada's economic giant to the south? Will it mean a resurgence of liberal social policies common in Canada but stumbling in the U.S., tripped up by conservatives more interested in political power than in working for the benefit of society?
   Or will it mean even stiffer opposition as foes of social welfare -- read, government aid in any fashion -- cling even closer to demagogues who chant ceaseless yet meaningless warnings that America is doomed to perdition, drowning in a wave of "takers" as a majority of hardworking "givers" stand by without fighting back?
   Those who praise the virtues of compassion yet show none themselves risk being labeled hypocrite.
   In any case, it's been noted that Canada often follows U.S. trends by one or two election cycles, which partially explains the tenure of conservatives there for the past dozen years, and the shift to the Liberal Party championed by Justin Trudeau after two presidential elections installing Barack Obama in the White House in Washington.
   So now the question becomes whether this trend will continue. Canada has followed the American trend toward a government strongly favoring social welfare policies favored by liberals by installing Justin Trudeau -- son of the popular Pierre Trudeau -- as prime minister.
   Next year, American voters will choose from among Democratic candidates who favor social welfare policies, and Republican candidates who are increasingly rabid about reducing or cutting out entirely such social welfare programs as Social Security old-age pensions, Medicare and Medicaid plans for health care, as well as changing tax rates to benefit even more the already wealthy. 
   The most likely nominees among Democrats are either Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and senator from New York, or Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who readily identifies himself as a socialist, stressing his devotion to social welfare programs. Among Republicans, the current leaders for the nomination are either Donald J. Trump, a real estate developer and reality television entertainer, or Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. Neither has experience in political office, and both call for drastic reductions in government spending on social welfare programs, nearly to the point of austerity.
   Austerity measures did not work in Canada  during the administration of the Conservative Party there, nor has it worked in other countries. Rather than help a nation recover from a troubled economy, austerity only worsens conditions generally, and especially for those who need help.
   Government assistance and economic stimulus programs have worked in the past, most notably during the Great Depression of the 1930s, as well as helping America recover during the past eight years from the Great Recession that opened the 21st Century.
   Canadian voters may well have observed the success of such liberal programs, and that's why they ousted the Conservative regime and returned the Liberal Party to leadership.
   Perhaps this is a sign that concern for the many, rather than favoritism for the few, will echo its populist harmonies to U.S. voters.