You might’ve heard a politician, advocate, or friend say this is the most important election of our lifetimes.
People of all political stripes are weighing the stakes of the upcoming federal election as they make their choice for who Canada should have at the helm in the midst of the U.S. trade war. CBC asked Albertan voters, experts, and businesses if this election feels different.
“I think given the political environment right now — especially with our U.S. counterparts — this election is weighing heavily on a lot of people’s minds,” Tom Tsoumpas told CBC Edmonton this week.
Tsoumpas said voters need to be thinking past a four-year election mandate, and consider the next 10.
“However this election goes, it is going to hopefully lay the groundwork for the economic future of our country.”
Speaking in downtown Edmonton on Thursday, John Maclean said the biggest thing for him this election is pipelines and commerce.
“We have to become more self-reliant, get a better economy for Canada, stand on our own a little bit more — maybe trade with Europe and other countries.”
Kenzie Fragoso said her priorities include trans and Indigenous rights. But added that she worries about the influence from south of the border.
“I think Canada bases a lot of their stuff off of the United States, so it’s kind of scary what’s happening over there. What could possibly happen here?”
Janet Brown, a Calgary-based pollster and political commentator said she’s expecting a high voter turnout for this election, because the current political climate is driving higher engagement.
Voters have to decide what kind of leadership approach is best for standing up to Trump, Brown said.
“What is the right combination of strong versus smart to get through the challenge of Trump and to get Canada to a new place economically?
“It’s going to be a nail-biter.”
It’s also not the first time Canada’s economy and relationship with the United States has been on the line. In 1988, Canadians watched Brian Mulroney and John Turner passionately debate the merits of free trade on television.
Brown remembers 1988 as the first election she worked on a federal campaign — and today’s circumstances take her back to that time.
“I see tremendous parallels between what Canadians are grappling with then and what they’re grappling with now,” Brown said.
“I can see people 30-40 years from now looking back on this election as a pivotal moment in electoral politics and in Canadian history.”
Adam Corsaut, president and co-owner of Analog Brewing, said he opened their business in the midst of Trump’s first trade war in 2018, putting tariffs on aluminum imports. Today feels like round two.
“It is going to be unavoidable that the impact from these tariffs will increase our operating costs at a time where everything has gone up year, after year, after year,” Corsaut said.
He says the brewery strives to keep politics out of the bar, but in the current environment, it’s a tall order.
“The atmosphere is so supercharged right now. There are people who are very tribal right now. And we try not to be.”
“As long as you’re on team Canada in this fight, that’s all I ask.”
Dr. Peter Silverstone, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Alberta, said that many people feel overwhelmed at the current news cycle, and it can be a source of anxiety, but it’s also an occasion where people feel they can make an impact.
“One of the biggest problems is when we don’t have agency, when we don’t have the ability to make any difference. Right now we do.”
But it can go further than just political stress, Silverstone said.
“I’ve unfortunately lived through three major recessions as a psychiatrist, and every time there’s a decrease in the economic environment, people’s mental health goes down, sometimes profoundly.”
“A lot of people are worried that we are heading towards a major economic downturn,” he said.
Instead of ignoring those feelings and changing the channel, Silverstone said talking to friends and family can ease feelings of stress — alongside exercise, mindfulness or therapy.
