Former President Barack Obama has said what passes for leadership today falls short of what is needed to solve 'complex modern society problems seen today'

He added that Sarah Palin's vice presidential run with the late Senator John McCain paved the way for President Donald Trump's election, citing populism

Populism has been said by Obama and others to lead to authoritarianism

Obama made the comments during a Q&A hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Tuesday

Former US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that what passes for leadership today amounts to posturing and trying to have the loudest voice in the room.

Obama didn't mention any politician by name but told a Canadian crowd in British Columbia that politics now is too often about being more aggressive.

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'So much of what is trotted out as leadership is old-style beating your chest, being louder, being noisier, being more self-centered, being greedier and being more aggressive,' he said.

'That can work for a short period of time, but it tends not to get the job done – not the complex modern society problems seen today.'

Obama also said the seeds for President Donald Trump's election were planted when then-Alaska governor Sarah Palin was chosen to run as the Republican's vice presidential nominee in 2008.

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Barack Obama told a crowd in Canada on Tuesday that much of what is trotted out as leadership today is just old-style beating your chest and talking loud. Obama is shown on stage on Tuesday during a question and answer session with board president Iain Black of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade in Vancouver

During a question and answer session with board president Iain Black of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Obama elaborated on the tie between Palin's vice presidential run and Trump as Commander in Chief.

He noted Palin's presence gave voice to populist elements in the Republican party, opening the way for Trump's rise.

'John McCain's decision to nominate Sarah Palin as his running mate will be seen as an important point in American politics,' he said.

That, he said, was the moment 'mainstream Republicans lost control of their party... Sarah Palin's nomination suddenly brought that populist energy to the fore in the Republican Party and helped pave the way for President Trump's presidency.'

Obama also tied President Donald Trump's election to Sarah Palin's vice presidential run, saying Palin gave voice to populist elements in the Republican party, opening the way for Trump's rise. The late Senator John McCain and Palin are pictured at a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio on August 29, 2008, where McCain announced her as his running mate

Obama credited the populist approach to garnering political support in a speech last summer for helping to spark a global boom for the 'politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment' that lead the way to authoritarianism, a style of governing which Trump has been accused of.

'I am not being alarmist. I am just stating facts,' he said on July 18 in Johannesburg, at an annual event honoring the late South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, according to a transcript published by the New York Times.

Obama said he is proud he left office without a scandal and says he wanted people with integrity working with him from the start.

He said that allowed his administration to function smoothly and efficiently.

Obama credited the populist approach to garnering political support in a speech last summer for helping to spark a global boom for the 'politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment' that lead the way to authoritarianism, a style of governing which President Donald Trump has been accused of. Trump is pictured speaking during a signing ceremony for an executive order on a 'National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Veteran Suicide,' in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday

In contrast to showboating and hostility, Obama said listening to the advice of others and surrounding himself with people of integrity were the foundation of his leadership style. Obama (left) is pictured with board president Iain Black of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Tuesday

In contrast to showboating and hostility, Obama said listening to the advice of others and surrounding himself with people of integrity were the foundation of his leadership style.

The rest of the focus of Obama's comments was on the need to curb climate change and transition to cleaner energy.

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'Unfortunately, there is a tendency – more pronounced in the United States but in Canada as well – to pretend this isn't going to happen,' Obama said.

'The facts are the planet is getting warmer and you can't attribute any single climate episode to rising temperatures but what you do know is that over time you get more wildfires, and then you get more floods, and you get more hurricanes, and tsunamis of greater force.

'You get more insect-born diseases, and the jet streams start to change, and the sea levels begin to rise; permafrost melts and methane is released.'

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He urged the crowd to think about generations to come, while acknowledging the importance of oil to Canada's economy.

Still, he urged Canadian leadership to 'make real progress on this now,' citing the often stated science that shows the earth will begin seeing much more dire consequences of environmental abuse within the next 20 years.

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Obama's talk on Tuesday was his third stop on a tour through Canada, following appearances at a sold-out Saddeldome in Calgary earlier in the day and one before a crowd of 13,000 in Winnipeg earlier this week, the Nanaimo News Bulletin reported.