THE LEADERS' BATTLE
THE LEADERS’ BATTLE - By Bernard Bujold - Bets are on as to how long Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon’s current government will last! Indeed, many political observers are viewing the Parti Québécois’s first weeks in power with concern, and questions are being raised about the strained relationship between Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon and Mark Carney. What we see in Carney is that, unlike Justin Trudeau or Jean Chrétien, he never directly attacks his opponents, opting instead for indirect strategies devoid of personal emotion—which is far more dangerous and, above all, unpredictable. If the art of democracy is the art of controlling one’s emotions, Mark Carney has mastered this art perfectly. Plamondon is the exact opposite: he often makes decisions based on his emotions and sometimes gets drawn into battles that are impossible to win—and, more importantly, pointless in terms of achieving a final or meaningful victory. The big winner from Plamondon’s struggles will be Charles...