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The tumultuous race for the White House finally spilled over into Canada when NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to abjure Donald Trump for being a “fascist.” This was odd, for a number of reasons.

First, if the word “fascist” still has any real meaning — it has been so often used by those on the left to lambaste anyone they dislike, it has become functionally inert — it is unclear whether it could be properly applied to Trump. Even with all the publicity he has been getting, the Republican presidential hopeful is still in the larval stage of his political career — who can speak to what may emerge from that strange cocoon? Indeed, trying to figure out what he would actually do if he were placed in the Oval Office is a fruitless endeavour, as logic is not his friend and coherence is an acquaintance he’s yet to make.

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Second, while it’s perfectly fine for Mulcair to go full Trump on Trump, it would be unwise for a Canadian prime minister to trash-talk someone who has a chance of being the next American president, as it could lead to prickly relations in the future. I more than suspect that Mulcair is quite aware that his call was merely meant as a news spark, or a flare from the drifting lifeboat he now finds himself in. He is about to face a leadership review, after the NDP’s lacklustre performance in the last election. And this is happening as Trudeau continues to enjoy the raptures of the world’s news organs.