I often direct my humour at current events and contemporary society. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have often made light of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Americans who support him. But I also realize that Canadians cannot afford to be smug or complacent. Although we are currently riding a wave of progressive thinking and politics, it won’t last forever.

Western alienation and resentment of central Canada still exists. There are still separatists in Quebec. Here in Ontario, workers continue to be displaced by economic globalization.  We don’t have the racial issues that exist in the U.S., but there are cultural flash points that occasionally flare up. Just look how the niqab became an election issue in 2015.

Someone who can harness one of more of these different forces could gain power and become a divisive force in Canada. A Canadian Trump could use culture, international trade and national security policies to turn Canadians against each other. We won’t be talk about building a wall, but we will have our own stupid ideas to debate.

So we can laugh for now, but we need to also stay vigilant of voter anger and resentment. We don’t need a Canadian Trump.