Historically, privilege is based on name, wealth and connections. It may be earned or not. When you grow up in a family with privilege, people do things that provide benefits for you, simply because you are a scion of the family. Since that is how you experience reality, there is no need for you to think too much about it. In this way many children from notable families reach maturity quite ignorant of how others perceive them receiving those benefits. Nor do they have much of a reason to question what others might think. A vacation in a luxury $9,300 per night oceanfront villa for free, enjoying the private island get away for free or Chinese businessmen donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to your foundation is all rather normal to them. And the best perks of all for a scion are that they will never have to be responsible for the decisions they make, because the mere fact of their privilege will smooth everything over. Unfortunately, when such a person is the prime minister of a country, it is the people who will pay for their bad decisions.Canada has the good fortune to have been bequeathed the parliamentary form of government as once part of the British Empire. Although not perfect, it is far more workable than many other forms of government. The British however, instead of making regulations for the day-to-day operation of their Parliament, rely heavily upon custom and practice. This works very well for them. The two houses of the US Congress also have customs, even if they are at times disregarded. (Last fall senator John Fetterman challenged the business-like dress code of the senate by showing up dressed for a basketball game. The upper house had to vote in a regulation about appropriate dress.)One of the customs in the British parliament is that when a prime minister loses support, he or she has the good sense and civil manner to step down. Liz Trust, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron and Tony Blair are all recent examples. In Canada, Justin Trudeau has been sliding in the polls for months. Most recently, nearly three quarters of Canadians think he is past his sell-by date. He is tone deaf to the masses. It is a clear demonstration he is unconcerned about what is good for Canada or even what is good for his Liberal party. Instead, he vows to fight on. His record of handling controversies suggests he does not understand the concepts of good sense or civil manner.Sometimes the worst effects of privilege are diminished at least, by a sense of noblesse oblige. Not in this case, it seems. Where's that British-style custom and practice when you need it?Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. For several years, he lived and travelled in Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China and India.
Historically, privilege is based on name, wealth and connections. It may be earned or not. When you grow up in a family with privilege, people do things that provide benefits for you, simply because you are a scion of the family. Since that is how you experience reality, there is no need for you to think too much about it. In this way many children from notable families reach maturity quite ignorant of how others perceive them receiving those benefits. Nor do they have much of a reason to question what others might think. A vacation in a luxury $9,300 per night oceanfront villa for free, enjoying the private island get away for free or Chinese businessmen donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to your foundation is all rather normal to them. And the best perks of all for a scion are that they will never have to be responsible for the decisions they make, because the mere fact of their privilege will smooth everything over. Unfortunately, when such a person is the prime minister of a country, it is the people who will pay for their bad decisions.Canada has the good fortune to have been bequeathed the parliamentary form of government as once part of the British Empire. Although not perfect, it is far more workable than many other forms of government. The British however, instead of making regulations for the day-to-day operation of their Parliament, rely heavily upon custom and practice. This works very well for them. The two houses of the US Congress also have customs, even if they are at times disregarded. (Last fall senator John Fetterman challenged the business-like dress code of the senate by showing up dressed for a basketball game. The upper house had to vote in a regulation about appropriate dress.)One of the customs in the British parliament is that when a prime minister loses support, he or she has the good sense and civil manner to step down. Liz Trust, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron and Tony Blair are all recent examples. In Canada, Justin Trudeau has been sliding in the polls for months. Most recently, nearly three quarters of Canadians think he is past his sell-by date. He is tone deaf to the masses. It is a clear demonstration he is unconcerned about what is good for Canada or even what is good for his Liberal party. Instead, he vows to fight on. His record of handling controversies suggests he does not understand the concepts of good sense or civil manner.Sometimes the worst effects of privilege are diminished at least, by a sense of noblesse oblige. Not in this case, it seems. Where's that British-style custom and practice when you need it?Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. For several years, he lived and travelled in Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China and India.
