Canada's new prime minister and key lessons for Kenya

Canada's Liberal Leader and Prime Minister-elect Mark Carney and his wife Diana, after being elected as the new Liberal Party leader, in Ottawa on March 9, 2025. [AFP]

Canada is geographically a much bigger country than the United States but its population is about 10 per cent of the US. If you visit both countries, it is surprising how despite sharing almost 9000km (kilometre) border are so different. 867km is our longest border with Ethiopia. Did you know that? 

Canada in character is closer to the UK than the US, no wonder the king of England is still their Head of State but the real executive power rests with the Prime Minister, whose party has the majority either alone or in a coalition.

We once dilly-dallied with that system, until we decided the US system was better without evidence. Why can’t we have our own political system without copying others? Why is there so little innovation in governance?

Suppose all MPs, senators and MCAs are volunteers. Why don’t we have mid-term elections? Why must we vote for all members of county assemblies, MPs, women reps, senators and the president at the same time?

If some reps are voted after say two years, the ruling party would be jolted into action if underperforming. 

The parliamentary system ensures that parties become strong, and are conveyor belts of political power. Our parties are more like matatus. 

Back to Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned, after almost a decade at the helm. His father was once a premier. A dynasty in making? The fall in his party’s popularity could be out of voter fatigue, party infighting or the need for political renewal. 

His replacement was chosen by the party, another way to strength the party and democracy. How do we choose our party leaders? Mark Carney contested against four others and easily won. He replaced Justin Trudeau but his reign may be short-lived if he calls a snap poll and losses. 

Someone said one day is a long time in politics. The liberal party that Carney belongs to was very unpopular until Donald Trump started a trade war with tariffs and a long-running joke, Canada may not need to worry about tariffs if it becomes the 51st State.

Kenya’s exports

Trudeau and his party pushed back and that has endeared them to voters, so much that the liberals could win once if polls are called today.

Voters everywhere seem to love fighters. Why else is Raila popular? 

Why should we bother with Canadian polls with the US taking centre stage in politics, trade and even popular media? For example in 2023, Kenya’s exports to Canada totaled $34.9 million (Sh4.5 billion). Canada exported $127 million (Sh16.38 billion) to Kenya.

Clearly Canada enjoyed a trade surplus. For the US it exported $784 million (Sh101 billion) to Kenya in the same year, while Kenya exported $838 million (Sh130 billion) to the US, almost balanced but much more than Canada. 

We should take a keen interest in Canadian polls for a number of reasons. One, compared with US, we can expand the trade with Canada. Though a smaller market, Canadians have a high purchasing power. Any market no matter how small is a market. 

Two, we can learn how to work with our neighbours, amicably despite differences.  No country is self-sufficient, just like individuals, we must trade with one another. How the Canadian leaders have reacted to this trade tiff is a case study in diplomacy and economic policy making. We must add a demonstration of national pride. Can we learn a lesson or two in our trade standoff with Sudan? Why rattle neighbours who need us as much as we need them? We even have Sudanese living in Kenya.

Three, democracy can work. We always punctuate our with acrimony, and in the past with chaos. Remember the acrimony over the Deputy President’s (DP) impeachment?

So far, no one has given us a better alternative to democracy.   Four, what I found profound is that the new Canadian prime minister has not held any political office. Who said politicians must be politicians? Do we need non-politicians to transform our politics?

It gets more interesting. Mark was once the Governor of the Bank of England and also the Bank of Canada! Having led two banks in two countries did not stop him from becoming the prime minister.

His skills and experience overrode his nationality. He is an economist, educated at Harvard and Oxford.

Would a Ugandan become the governor of our central bank? What happened to judges from the commonwealth that used to adorn our benches? 

Can we look beyond our borders for skills and experience? I recall a short list of potential vice-chancellors in our public universities. One key emphasis was their county, why not their country.

In high-level jobs, skills and experience should override tribe, county and other characteristics.  Obsession with local issues has become our soft underbelly.

Experience and highly skilled men and women are overlooked for political expediency.

Yet the most important ingredient in economic growth and transformation is the skills and experience of the employees - it does not matter where they come from.

That’s why the US has an H1B visa to attract such high-level skills. The US took German scientists with them after the Second World War.  What programmes do we have to attract highly skilled labour?