Post-secondary staff to talk U.S. election

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This article was published 21/10/2024 (348 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s post-secondary institutions are teaming up to help interpret the potential consequences of the Nov. 5 American presidential election.

This Tuesday, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Brandon University’s John E. Robbins Library, representatives from both BU and Assiniboine College will gather to discuss the local, national and international impacts of the contest between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

The list of speakers includes BU president David Docherty, who has a doctorate in political science, as well as Rick Baker from the university’s political science department.

Docherty is set to discuss American political dynamics while Baker will talk about the impacts of the vote on Canadian-American relations.

On the Assiniboine College side, journalist Murray Oliver from the media and communications program will talk about the current media environment and the role of disinformation in the campaign.

Chris Hunt, from the Peters School of Business, will draw on his experience working as a Canadian Army trainer in Ukraine in 2017 to discuss the potential effects of the election on NATO and global security.

Jointly moderating the event are Jess Giesbrecht, president of the BU Politics Club, and Kelly Saunders, chair of BU’s political science department.

In 1969, then prime minister Pierre Trudeau famously told the Washington Press Club that “living next to you (the United States) is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”

Speaking to the Sun on Saturday, Hunt said if anything, Trudeau’s comment has only become more apt in the 55 years since it was uttered.

“As the world, unfortunately, is getting more polarized, we’re seeing maybe the end of that kind of post-Cold War optimism,” he said. “Both internally, in domestic U.S. politics, and how America, as a superpower in decline, is trying to manage relationships in the world.”

Even though Harris is not a carbon copy of current President Joe Biden, Hunt said the current Biden-Harris administration has set increased international expectations for Canada and there has been a tendency towards protectionist “buy American” trade policies.

Trump, on the other hand, can be chaotic but operates generally under a highly transactional approach.

Either winner could have big implications for Canada.

Another country that could be heavily affected by the outcome of the U.S. election is Ukraine.

Trump, who was impeached in 2019 for trying to coerce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into providing potentially damaging information about Biden and his family, has said during the campaign that he would immediately end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war should he be re-elected, though he has not said how he would do so.

Hunt said he’s reminded of a 1964 speech made by Ronald Reagan before he became president in which he said “there’s no argument over the choice between peace and war, but there’s only one guaranteed way you can have peace — and you can have it in the next second — surrender.”

“That’s sort of what solving the war overnight really means,” Hunt said, adding that the result would probably be very favourable for Russia.

Though the event will tackle some complex topics, Hunt said the intention is for it to be accessible for everyone in the community. That’s why there will be time for attendees to ask questions after the participants make a short presentation and the intent is for it to be non-partisan.

“I think if anyone is interested in learning more, they should come out at whatever level they are,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is serve our community to make this more accessible and to apply our knowledge to give folks the tools they need to maybe understand a bit more.”

The event takes place at the John E. Robbins Library’s Gathering Space. Refreshments will be provided.

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