Canada Beware!

On July 18th, Canadian media reported that The United People of Canada, a radical group associated with the mass protests that took place in Canada in January of this year and who are supported by many on the extreme right, are purchasing St Brigit’s Church in Ottawa to create their “Embassy”. This would be a headquarters for extreme right groups who have called for the overthrow of the current government.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, the group is known as The United People of Canada, a self-described federally incorporated “not-for-profit social enterprise organization.” Corporate documents show three members on the group’s board of directors: Kimberley Ward, William Komer, and Diane Nolan. Social media posts show all three have close ties to the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation. 

Canada’s extreme right-wing movements are populated with former military and police officers educated in managing and exerting violence, and many of these groups are armed despite Canada’s tough gun laws.

These groups have been supported by many Conservative parliamentarians and appear to be the darlings of Pierre Poilievre, who is expected to win the leadership of the Official Opposition Party (Conservatives) in September.

Many are wondering how Canada has come to this.

In many international reports, Canada is seen as one of the freest countries, with a high standard of living, and highly democratic in its institutions.

Despite these findings, however, a growing number of Canadians are feeling frustrated and angry with mainstream political parties and leaders who appear to be unable or unwilling to address their concerns: a health care system that works, spending on main objectives that impact directly on their lives and don’t merely service special interest groups, and a leadership with a realistic vision and an ability to get results.

A major element of human nature is fear – fear of the impact of inflation (currently at 9% in Canada) on the average pocketbook, fear of the lack of affordable housing, fear of government spending that has probably created the economic basis for these two conditions.

Added to this is the image of Prime Minister Trudeau who seems to spend his time travelling across the country apologizing to many minorities for past injustices and providing them with taxpayer funding, taking selfies with his supporters and inundating social media with them, and signing a pact with the Social Democratic New Democratic Party that will keep him in office until 2025 despite the fact that he leads a minority government.

They fear a political system that doesn’t reflect their voting intentions, and leaders who appear deaf to their concerns.

Pierre Poilievre is tapping into this fear and creating an extremist right wing movement within the Conservative Party that is quite likely to appropriate it much the same way as the MAGA movement in the U.S has appropriated the Republican Party.

The danger for Canada is that Liberal voters will tire of Trudeau and his leadership style and stay at home when the next election day comes along. Given Canada’s “first past the post” system, Poilievre could conceivably win the most seats in parliament as voters either abstain from voting or vote for him as a vehicle to address their frustrations and express their disdain for the current Canadian political class.

To avoid this, the Liberals must begin to take the leadership of their party seriously and ask if they are on the right track with Canadian voters. They must look for a leader who can galvanize public opinion with new ideas, with the perception of listening to the average Canadian and campaigning in ways that address their frustrations, capture their imagination, and can communicate from the heart rather than appearing to do so from a script.

Canada may really be among the top countries of the world and the envy of many abroad.

However, in politics, perception often replaces reality, and the perception of a good number of Canadians is that the current political class is out of contact with them and incompetent.

Absent a renewed connection, I think that many Canadians may decide to take the plunge on election day to vote for a Poilievre who is connecting with them and who promises easy and immediate results to complex problems.

Like other populists, he appeals to fear rather than to reason, and is bereft of common sense. However, common sense is the least common of the senses in populist leaders, and Poilievre reflects this reality.

Canada beware!

[email protected]

Edición: Ana Ordaz