Sean Kennedy is a writer based in Washington. Previously, he was a U.S. Senate aide, television producer and a fellow at public policy think tanks. He lived in Canada and observed the last federal election in Canada firsthand. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.
(CNN) According to the Reputation Institute, it is the "most admired" nation on earth. Immigrants flock there from all over the world -- for the most part politely standing in line for the opportunity.
Taxes seem to get lower every year and the government runs a surplus. Burdensome regulations have been slashed and the tax code's been rewritten to encourage business investment and pro-family policies. Abroad, it's taking the fight to ISIS with a reinvigorated military, standing side by side with Israel and against aggression from the mullahs of Iran and Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Sean Kennedy
No, it's not three years into the Marco Rubio administration -- it's present-day Canada, and its courageous leader just got booted out of office after nine years of steadily maneuvering the ship of state.
The Conservative Party's loss is to the detriment of its neighbors to the south and the world at large, since the Tory leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was defeated by the unprepared, gaffe-prone but well-coiffed son of a former prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
Harper's fate is all the more shocking when you consider how well Canada weathered the 2008-2009 financial crisis under his watch. He didn't bail out anyone (except the U.S.-based auto industry), no financial institutions failed and the Canadian economy hummed along. ...
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