Will Canada's next election be as tumultuous as the U.S.? An expert weighs in

Questions and anxiety continue to loom in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a rally for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Though the shooter’s motive remains unclear, the incident has many calling for unity amid the increasingly violent political cycle in the United States.

“I was quite shocked,” said Chris Adams, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

“It is something that’s endemic to the United States political culture. We’ve seen many presidents or presidential candidates shot at and some murdered.”

As for whether the assassination attempt will give Trump a boost with voters, Adams believes most people’s views of him haven’t changed following the incident.

He said he’s interested to see what Trump’s commentary will be in the next few days, and suspects he will continue with his “abrasive” and “pugnacious” tone as he heads into the Republican National Convention.

“I suspect he will not be taking the high road on this campaign after this,” Adams said.

What will we see in Canada?

For those left wondering if Canada will see similarities in the next election cycle, Adams said the country’s parliamentary democracy and the fact that we elect local candidates makes things a little different.

At the same time, he added, studies have found that leadership choice is the main concern of voters.

“That leads towards more partisanship. The leaders are battling each other, they’re in debates, etc.,” Adams said.

He added that Canada has seen the “temperature rising” when it comes to political debates, noting that people threw things at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the last election.

However, he doesn’t believe it will be on the same level as what is happening in the United States.

“There has been a heightening of the temperature and the partisanship,” he said.

“Pierre Poilievre has been very strongly partisan in his rhetoric. So there might be more of a move towards American, but I don’t think it will be anywhere near the degree of what we’ve seen in the United States of hard, right-wing politics.”

- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.