There are a few of those in Prince George who remain delighted with President Trump, not just the Quiverfuls and Evangelical Christians, but normal people who might even live next door to you.
So let's look at a few changes in our lives if we were to follow America's lead and elect a Trump as our prime minister.
Everyone would suffer when our "single payer" medicare was cancelled. Get ready to reach deep into your pockets to cover private medicare - up to more than one's income for those above 65. The elderly would see their incomes under CPP, OAP, and GIS drop substantially. How they would survive is anyone's guess as we would not be building shelters or other facilities to take care of those left homeless. Disabled? Forget our community nursing and other services and probably much of the hospitalization necessary.
Canada is currently a large seller of arms. Canada is currently the sixth largest exporter of military arms in the world and the second largest to the Middle East. This is one industry that would be favoured and our own military budget would skyrocket. In lockstep with the U.S., we would forgo our peacekeeper image and join in all invasions launched by that county. To provide a domestic market for these goods, gun controls would be relaxed and then eliminated. "Guns Are US" stores would spring up in every town of over 500.
Diplomacy would stumble and fall. A major portion of our foreign affairs department (and any other department) would lose a large portion of it's budget and terminate many members of staff, not to be replaced. Not needed as the Americans could speak for us. Large staff reductions would be seen in every government department as cuts were made to safety and quality inspections of all sorts; regulations concerned with protecting waterways and wildlife would be tossed out. Business would regulate itself as they know what they are doing. Maintenance of dams and other infrastructure would cease in any meaningful way and many pipelines would stretch from the tar sands and other oil producing regions to each coast. National parks would be privatized and able to grant exploration and mining rights. Banff would enjoy ten new casinos; Jasper five.
The upper 10 per cent of Canadians would benefit from massive tax breaks, of course. The rest of us - well, not so much. Rules banning or preventing the formation of unions would increase. Public schools would see funding cuts and for-profit, unregulated non-union schools would be publicly funded by vouchers.
Immigration would be cut back. Only those who could pass a religious test on the Bible would be permitted in after intense vetting. Churches could actively support political parties and candidates while keeping their tax-free status and all religious leaders would be tax exempt with no vow of perpetual poverty. That is, all Christian churches. Moratoriums on building non-Christian facilities would be strictly enforced. Only those with no unexcused absences from Sunday services would be permitted to vote and all levels of education would have mandatory courses in Bible study.
Too much education being deemed a bad thing, public funding beyond grades school would be eliminated. Those with higher degrees would have to register at their local police stations.
Not all of the above changes have yet been implemented south of the border but each has been recommended by Trump supporters. Up here, we are far more intelligent than to elect a government that would do such things - or are we?
Willow Arune, Prince George
