It was bound to happen, really. Canadian politics has its first official accusations of "Trumpism."
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and opposition politician Françoise David are slapping the tag on François Legault of the Coalition avenir Québec, whose party wants all new immigrants to undergo a "test of Quebec values."
The unregretted Charter of Values episode wasn't enough – now the CAQ wants a written exam. The party is also demanding that 10,000 fewer immigrants be admitted to Quebec every year.
Mr. Legault's riposte to his opponents' accusation of stealing from Donald Trump's playbook? "I don't care."
There are parallels between the U.S. presidential candidate and Mr. Legault. Both are independently wealthy, both are immigration skeptics, and both are given to plucking populist chords.
But while it may not be a coincidence that the CAQ, the National Assembly's third party, has toughened its stance on immigrants since Mr. Trump launched his candidacy last year, Mr. Couillard and Ms. David's comparison isn't exactly fair.
The CAQ may swim against prevailing political currents – federal Immigration Minister John McCallum is pushing to increase immigration, not cut it – but the party is not pandering to white nationalists or denigrating the electoral system as fixed.
Nor is Mr. Legault a rancorous demagogue or political neophyte. He is, however, the leader of a party that is flagging in the polls and trying to regain relevance ahead of next year's provincial election.
In Quebec, sadly, that often means a descent into identity politics. So the CAQ has tried to drum up outrage over the "burqini" and the fact Montreal's police department is willing to allow its officers to wear the hijab (none has yet asked).
Resentment and frustration are powerful forces in politics, and many of the elements that underpin Mr. Trump's political rise exist in at least some quarters of the Canadian electorate.
There's growing economic inequality, which feeds the belief that political and business elites are out of touch, and a sense that political correctness has run amok.
No, Mr. Legault is not Canada's answer to Mr. Trump. But that's not the same as saying he or she isn't out there somewhere.