Ontario mayor says Canada is being 'damaged' by political polarization
![mike bradley - sarnia - mayor - jan 2024 Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley as seen on Jan. 10, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/1/10/mike-bradley---sarnia---mayor---jan-2024-1-6719851-1704913154680.jpg)
One of the Canada’s longest serving mayors says political polarization is “damaging” the country.
In a state of the city address this week in Sarnia, Ont., Mayor Mike Bradley warned “civility in politics” is far worse now than at any point in his 36 years in office.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said during an interview with CTV News London Wednesday.
Bradley himself known for heated exchanges and controversy, stated the current political environment “is at another level.”
“My God you just have to look at the United States. That’s influencing what’s going on here,” he added.
The migration of U.S.-style political attacks is threatening the fibre of the country, according to Bradley, and he blames politicians at all levels for cultivating it.
“We’re actually propelling it forward.”
In this combination of photos, President Joe Biden speaks on Aug. 10, 2023, in Salt Lake City, left, and former President Donald Trump speaks on June 13, 2023, in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo)
As political polarization accelerates, Bradley said Canada is becoming far too heated and in extreme cases, threatening.
“I didn’t bring my vehicle to city hall for a year on the advice of the police, because they said it’s not safe,” Bradley shared.
He expects backlash for taking a stand against the current political environment but he maintains the public is ready for a return to civility and bipartisanship.
“In five or 10 years do you want this to continue? The status quo of what we are seeing in Ottawa and Queen’s Park, and to some degree city halls, it is just not beneficial to this country and its future. It just isn’t!”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wait to continue escorting Newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons Greg Fergus to his seat as he goes to speak to a fellow candidate on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
In his experience, Bradley said bipartisanship is the only way to move issues forward.
He told CTV News London it’s time he and other politicians focus on working together.
If not, he fears the concerns of Canadians today will go unanswered.
“All they want is employment, low inflation, low interest rates, and their leaders to treat them with respect.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6963286.1720919030!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING Trump rally shooting latest: Shooter was a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, officials say
The shooting at former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say.
'Horrific act': Shooting at Trump rally condemned by Trudeau, Poilievre
Canada's prime minister and other leaders condemned political violence following a shooting at a Republican rally Saturday, during what appears to have been an assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump.
Long list of U.S. presidents have been shot or shot at
Multiple presidents and presidential candidates in U.S. history have been shot or shot at.
Biden says he's grateful Trump is safe after rally shooting, denounces political violence
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday he is grateful former President Donald Trump is safe after a shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania.
Eyewitnesses describe scene at Trump rally shooting: 'It's pure insanity'
Eyewitnesses described an awful scene following a shooting at former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn., in which one person was killed and two others injured in what’s being investigated as a possible assassination attempt.
Canada loses on penalties to Uruguay in Copa America 2024 third-place match
Luis Suárez tied the score two minutes into second-half stoppage time, and Uruguay beat Canada 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw on Saturday night to finish third in the Copa America.
Obituary Richard Simmons, fitness personality and TV host, dead at 76, per reports
Richard Simmons, the perennial 1980s workout personality who was defined by his uplifting spirit, died in his Los Angeles home, according to multiple reports. He was 76.
Former B.C. Realtor has licence cancelled, $130K in penalties for role in mortgage fraud
The provincial regulator responsible for policing B.C.'s real estate industry has ordered a former Realtor to pay $130,000 and cancelled her licence after determining that she committed a variety of professional misconduct.
Should you wait to buy or sell your home?
The Bank of Canada is expected to announce its key interest rate decision in less than two weeks. Last month, the bank lowered its key interest rate to 4.7 per cent, marking its first rate cut since March 2020.