Make the World Great Again

It has now been some months since the Trump administration has taken reins of the US government. It’s been a wild ride ever since—and a boon for late-night comedians. Each day brings new concerns, tweets, and revelations.

Yet there is a solid element of support for the new president. Many see him as the answer to all that ails America and the West: an end to political correctness, restoration of white working class Americans, careful vetting of immigrants, and a stop to immigration from predominantly Muslim countries. “There will be a wall.”

But there is much missing from this picture when seen from our side of the border. We Canadians enjoy the benefits of a not perfect, but pretty good, universal healthcare system. We enjoy a much more sympathetic view of workers’ rights in general than in the US, and have better maternity leave, vacation and vacation pay, overtime pay, and minimum wage protections. We enjoy a flawed but working social welfare system.

We also have a more compassionate view of immigration that recognizes the need to assist the broken and tortured of the world. We recognize that with all of our advantages, we have a moral responsibility to help those less fortunate.

I find it instructive that the Scandinavian countries as well as the Netherlands and Germany enjoy all of these things too—and to a greater extent even than Canada. And they are among the happiest people in the world, according to those who measure these things.

Will Americans become happier now with their new leadership?

I read a variety of news sources both on the political right and left as well as some on the fringes. I do so to try to be as fair and objective as possible when I look at the happenings in the world.

And I worry. I worry that the world is becoming less friendly. I worry that people are becoming more self-centred and less concerned about others, especially the poor, the broken, the suffering. I worry that those with money and power want more of the same without concern for their fellow creatures and the world we share.

Living beside our giant neighbour, it’s easy to think, what can we Canadians do to create a better world? Actually, there’s a lot we can do, both individually and collectively.

• Care for our neighbours—all of them.
• Care for the world in which we live and look after it well.
• Think about who is making the stuff we buy, and make sure they are being paid fairly for the work they do.
• Be concerned if the things we buy and use damage the creation and our neighbours.
• Help the broken, the poor, the suffering by supporting organizations that give assistance to those in need.
• Read much—not just the articles that support your views—so you are aware of what others think and the things going on in your community and around the world.
• Vote when called on to do so, be informed about the issues, know who is running and what their views are, and vote your conscience.
• Get involved in your community.

I profess to be a Christian, and this gives me a certain worldview that colours my thinking. I spent most of my working life representing workers in a wide variety of industries as a CLAC representative. I know that the great thing about CLAC and unions in general is that they gather workers together to make the workplace a better place.

It’s not always easy. There are lots of differences of opinion, and things can become heated and polarized very quickly.

But if we work together in love and respect, if we let compassion, justice, and care for each other be our guide, we can do so much more. Not only to make our workplaces better, but to make the world a better place to live for all.