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The state of Canadian political speeches is so bland that, when Justin Trudeau found a way to talk about “a uniquely Canadian idea of freedom” in Toronto this past March, onlookers would have been forgiven for toppling from their chairs in surprise.

It is not as though Trudeau’s argument in the speech was overwhelmingly brilliant or that his account of history was flawless. But his words were compelling to read and hear; almost uniquely in recent memory, a political leader had stood in front of an audience and developed an idea.

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Citizens need to demand more than the “sonorous nonsense” currently on offer.

But how did expectations fall so low? How have good speeches become so scarce?

If one were to look for the primary perpetrator of recent oratorical vandalism in this country, Prime Minister Stephen Harper would deserve the cuffing. As journalist Paul Wells documents, “Harper doesn’t spend his afternoons trying to find potent expression for his ideas. He works at removing memorable turns of phrase and identifiable ideas from his speeches. He puts great effort into flattening the prose.”