During my former parliamentary tenure (2006-2011), there were those rare occasions when we would commiserate as MPs from different parties about just how caustic political life was becoming.  There were inevitably expressed concerns about how long the public would tolerate the kind of mean partisanship displayed in the House and on the news.  We knew that it was inevitably destroying the democratic state as a kind of collateral damage in the penchant to destroy the other parties.Canadian politics has always been hard and at times brutal, but in part thanks to populism and the extreme rhetoric of Donald Trump's presidency, we appear to have firmly enmeshed ourselves into a new age of “winner take all” politics.Signs of it have been appearing in “pop-up” political notices that quickly appear on our screens when we're looking for the latest movies or online bargains.  The summer hadn't even started before images of a teary Justin Trudeau began appearing from Conservative support groups and the Conservative party itself, in their penchant to “soften up” the electorate for the coming electoral bout in October and the harsher negative ads that would surely come.  It's what Matt Gurney identified as the “meme-ification of Canadian politics” in last week's Maclean's magazine.  This isn't just to single out one group; we've been informed by all parties that this coming election will be a nasty affair, perhaps one of the meanest on record, and they are ramping up for battle.It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that none of us is surprised.  It is the way of modern life and its current politics, and it has a way of damaging public policy in its intolerance.  Politicos get lulled into the belief that this kind of tribalism is the way to find a sense of unity, and it shows some signs of success – but only among those of like mind.   In truth, it's the “shadow side” of Canada's great hegemony.  It has little to do with building a consensus, overcoming cultural differences, or developing a national bond.  Its motivations are premised upon direct animosity to all those who don't agree.  It's forever drawing a distinction between “us” and “them” and it won't rest until it has prevailed, and even then – perhaps especially then – it seeks to wipe out any remnants of previous administrations simply because it believes it has the power to do so.  It's all about war, not peaceable living, and its soldiers are equipped with every weapon necessary to win the day, even if it entails damaging the country.Intriguingly, David Brooks calls this new kind of politics “a community for lonely narcissists.”  In insightful language he gets to the roots of what the motivations of our modern political parties truly are: “This is asking more from politics than politics can deliver. Once politics becomes your ethnic or moral identity, it becomes impossible to compromise because compromise becomes dishonour.  Once politics becomes your identity then every electoral contest is a struggle for existential survival, and everything is permitted.  Tribalism threatens to take the detached individual and turn him into a monster.” This is strong language, but apt, and the Canadian political parties are warning us in advance that they are prepared to adopt such practices as their combined manifesto.All this is occurring as a CBC Canada Day poll emerged yesterday to reveal that 72 per cent of Canadians are “worried” or “somewhat worried” about their future.  The poll goes on to reveal a “low level of confidence in politicians prior to the fall election.”Of course, politicians, their parties and their advisors don't have to go down this road.  The leaders could come together and say they will elevate their rhetoric to match the seriousness of the situation confronting all of us in a dangerous world.  They could.  But they won't because it's impossible to imagine winning it all by taking such an approach.  Those whose lives swirl around politics will claim it as madness, regardless of what they see south of the border.  It's a new “eat or be eaten” politics and it has to be played in order to survive.But it's effects on the Canadian people are detrimental enough to shake their confidence in these same politicians.  Do they understand this?  Likely, but they wonder what else they can do.  Donald Trump is showing that it's possible to still win by only playing to the loyalists, but most observers are on to the fact that it is risking the country in the process.  Why would Canadian parties follow the same path?  Because they feel they have no other choice – it remains their only option.And in adopting that language they have to assume some of the responsibility for the fact that the fastest growing political group in Canada are the “unaffiliated.”  It's likely that we all know where this will end: endless conflict over an increasing divided country.  It's a kind of insanity – something the leaders could say no to.  They could …Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 32 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.