American democracy is fragile after Trump. What about Canada’s?
Why It Matters
American political divides led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by thousands of violent Trump supporters. Misinformation on social media, racism, and a distrust of democracy all played a role. These factors drive political division in Canada, too, and have led to an increase in political polarization activity since 2016.
Mere moments after taking the American oath of office, President Joe Biden stepped up to the podium and delivered his inaugural address to a bitterly divided nation.
He didn’t start by mentioning his campaign donors, advisors, or peers in the Democratic Party. Nor did he begin with the COVID-19 pandemic, a calamity that has claimed over 400,000 American lives so far. Instead, he acknowledged what for over 150 years had been a given in American politics: the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. “We’ve learned again that democracy is precious,” Biden said. “Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
Two weeks earlier, thousands of Trump supporters tried to change that. On Jan. 6, shocking images of an enraged mob storming the U.S. Capitol building filled TV screens around the world. Shocking, but unsurpri
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