CHARBONNEAU – Thanks to the Deep State for keeping government running

NOW THAT Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has prorogued parliament until March 24, the Deep State will ensure that the country keeps running.

The term “Deep State” has an ominous ring to it but it’s nothing more than the civil service that keeps the country running – the hundreds of thousands of workers who toil in anonymity.

I’m calling it the Deep State because that’s what wingnuts call it.

The term gained popularity during the first Trump administration, with claims that a Deep State was working to undermine his presidency.

With his fragile ego, Trump imagines that civil servants are out to get him. He plans to get even.

In his second term, Trump plans to get rid of civil servants and to replace them with individuals aligned with his agenda. According to Trump’s “Project 2025,” he plans to dismantle specific federal agencies and terminate up to one million federal workers.

The megalomaniac Trump imagines that he can run government by himself.

Freedom conveyers in Canada have the same misguided notion of the Deep State. They imagine some nefarious group plotting to inject them with deadly vaccines.

In their echo chambers, freedom conveyers hold a world view where hidden forces orchestrate events, control the world, and implant chips to control their minds.

You don’t have to be a freedom conveyer to get the impression that it’s politicians who run government. The drama of politicians’ lives is played out daily.

Like on Dec. 15, when Trudeau demoted his trusted finance minister Chrystia Freeland. Her response was dramatic. In her resignation letter, she took direct aim at Trudeau’s ability to manage national finances.

It was great theater. If she wanted to exact maximum damage, her staging was impeccable.

But theater aside, we don’t have to worry that government will grind to a halt when parliament is in a tangled mess.

The Public Service of Canada employed 367,772 in 2024. They made sure that Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance was paid. They handled foreign relations and international trade.

Public servants oversaw marine resources, including the Coast Guard. They focused on environmental protection and climate action and maintained parks.

Canada’s system of government is envied by the world. It’s remarkably stable, in large part owing to a non-partisan and merit-based public service. Public servants are well-qualified in the positions they hold.

It’s not easy to be a public servant. They work behind the curtain doing thankless tasks like collecting taxes.

In popular culture, public servants are often mocked for being bungling and incompetent.

Democracy is not possible without a competent and stable public service to carry out the policies of government.

Whichever party or coalition forms government next year, it would be well advised to carry out a review of how to improve the public service instead of taking credit for their work.

In the meantime, until we know when exactly this pantomime will end its run, we might be more grateful that we have this source of stability.

David Charbonneau is a retired TRU electronics instructor who hosts a blog at http://www.eyeviewkamloops.wordpress.com.