Pierre Poilievre goes out of his way to be seen as a firebrand. It’s a look he’s been working on for years. He loved ginning up partisan supporters by saying he would fire the Governor of the Bank of Canada and replace him with someone “who would reinstate our low inflation mandate”.

That was in May of 2022. Inflation peaked that month at 7.7% - part of a phenomenon that was happening around the world, not only in Canada. But today, Canada’s inflation rate is down to 2.3%. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has cut interest rates 7 times in the last year.

Where monetary policy goes from here will have a lot to do with the uncertainties caused by Trump’s tariff threats.

But what lesson can we take about Poilievre? Coming out of a crisis, Canada needed steady hands and careful, considered choices. Not overheated, political posturing. Poilievre wanted to dismantle a principle that has served Canada and many other countries well, for a long time: that a central bank should be insulated from political pressures and can make independent judgment calls to protect our currency for the long term.

Poilievre’s ego was such that he thought he should burn down that custom and pick someone to follow his political agenda. Lately, he doesn’t talk as much about all of this.

And it’s not hard to figure out why. He’s worried people will see how his personality seems to resemble that of Donald Trump.

Trump is showing us just how badly things can go, when voters pick a reckless narcissist and let him tear down norms. Here’s a few things to consider:

There are varying estimates of how much shareholder value Trump has destroyed with his roller coaster announcements on tariffs, but most seem to be above $5 trillion.

The Tax Foundation estimates that Trump’s tariffs will cost each American household $1243 in 2025 alone. Penn Wharton predicts US GDP will slide by 6% and US wages will drop by 5%.

The US tourism industry – worth $2.3 Trillion - is seeing massive declines in business. Tourism Economics, a forecasting company, had predicted a 9% increase in in International travel to the US, and is now predicting a 9% decrease. The decline in Canadian visits alone will cost 14,000 American jobs. American, Southwest and Delta all suspended forecasting their business for the coming year, based on uncertainty and weakening demand.

Goldman Sachs says that while tariffs could create 100,000 manufacturing jobs in America, they will destroy 500,000 other jobs.

Beyond the reckless tariff moves, Trump’s rash approach is causing a host of other problems for Americans.

His Secretary of Health, RFK, Jr. has closed measles immunization clinics in Texas amid the worst measles outbreak in 25 years, in what one expert observer called, the “revenge of the COVID contrarians”. The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration is looking at cutting $40 billion in spending, has cut a quarter of its staff, and would even put an end to a suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth.

Trump’s controversial FBI Director Kash Patel arrested a judge, and Trump supporters shared a photo of the judge being led away in handcuffs. This is widely seen as a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

What is the point here?

On Monday, Canadians can choose to support Pierre Poilievre, and no doubt a good number will do so.

But for those who haven’t made up their minds, there are more than a handful of parallels between Poilievre and Trump to think about.

Both rage against central bank independence.

Offer comfort to radical anti-vax conspiracy believers.

Run down the idea of global economic relationships.

Both love to break norms, rules, customs.

Promote their own names, more than their parties.

Pick noisy fights with journalists, and members of their own parties.

Both talk a lot about fake news and radical woke ideology.

Both lead parties that include a lot of people who would like to end a woman’s right to choose.

Both have been looking at ways to work around the constitution when it comes to their law and order agenda.

No Poilievre isn’t Trump. But Trump is a clear warning of just how much damage a rash and reckless narcissist can do, in a very short period of time

.