Don’t Make the Mistake of Underestimating Kevin O’Leary

An introduction to the man who wants to be Canada’s Trump

As the 45th President of the United States moves into the White House, the shock of Trump’s electoral victory has, for many of us, yet to fully wear off.

Here in Canada the Conservative Party is already flirting with the possibility of selecting a leader with obvious parallels to the man who took our neighbour by storm. The phrase “Trump-lite” has already been used to describe Businessman, Reality TV Star, and Prime Minister Hopeful Kevin O’Leary, and many of the reasons for the name are more than just superficial. It’s clear from the timing of O’Leary’s announcement of his bid to become Conservative Party leader—and from his very familiar rhetoric—that he’s betting that the same wave of rightwing populism that Trump rode to the White House exists in Canada and can take him to Sussex Drive.

For those of us who are just beginning to come out of denial about Trump, it’s very tempting to assume that what happened there could never happen in a place like Canada. However, after watching the events of 2016 unfold, we should all be well aware of the error in such complacency.

While the surface similarities between Trump and O’Leary are quite clear, there are still a couple of differences between the two that make O’Leary the “lite” version of Trump. So far, he has avoided blowing the immigration dog whistle that became a cornerstone of the Trump campaign, and has largely stayed away from commenting on social issues. This could be seen as an encouraging sign that O’Leary won’t resort to the same brand of gutter politics that proved so fruitful for his American counterpart, or it could mean that he’s just keeping that particular card up his sleeve for a later date.

Where Trump and O’Leary seem to be truly kindred spirits is in their shared attitude toward wealth as the ultimate measure of worth. O’Leary has never been shy about his elitism. In a 2014 CBC interview, the multimillionaire businessman reacted to a report about the disproportionate wealth of the world’s 85 richest people by calling it “fantastic news,” saying that the growing divide between haves and have-nots in Canada and abroad will only inspire people to work harder. This attitude has only continued to show itself in the months leading up to the announcement of O’Leary’s Conservative leadership bid. We can expect a Canada under an O’Leary government to be a boon to the super rich at the expense of everyone else.

A year ago it would have been simple to look at O’Leary’s abrasive personality, blatant disregard for facts, and lack of political experience as reasons to write him off as a possibility for the next Conservative Party leader, and especially the next Prime Minister of Canada. After a year in which we’ve seen the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union and the United States elect a billionaire oligarch with quasi-fascist leanings as President, it’s become clear that the unthinkable can easily happen in a democratic system. With the Conservative Party in disarray, and with no clear direction since Stephen Harper’s departure, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s popularity rapidly deteriorating, and the mistaken assumption that business success translates to sound political policy still prevalent, Kevin O’Leary’s path to power is beginning to look quite clear.

Like it or not, Kevin O’Leary could end up as our next Prime Minister.