With a bit of effort, Canada can be kept whole and restored to the Canada I came to know and love. May God be with you;
Although I'm not a Canadian citizen, I have many fond memories of Canada and Canadians. Growing up in the Great Plains near the border, we would often go to Canada for a day or two, just to visit. Our high school band would sometimes be invited to perform at hockey games. I would often listen, safe and warm, to CBC Winnipeg on a cold winter's night with a winter storm howling outside. Trips to Regina were a treat.
I loved watching the Snowbirds perform at an airshow in Moose Jaw, an got to spend an awesome day at the Abbotsford airshow one year. Driving the western half of the trans-Canada highway was an incredible experience with majestic mountains, crystal clear lakes and pristine forests for hundreds of miles. Skiing for a week at Banff, with a broad range of slopes from bunny grade to black diamond and deep powder left lasting memories.
I confess I have had little occasion to visit the Eastern provinces, but I have heard good things said of French Canadian girls. Toronto was a modern, cosmopolitan city, while Victoria, BC, retains much of the Empire charm. Throughout, Canadians were warm, cordial, friendly and welcoming, making Canada a good place to visit, at least a few years ago.
During the Vietnam war, Canada was a refuge for many young males who opposed the war and wished to avoid being drafted into military service. Always welcoming of strangers seeking refuge, that generous spirit appears to have been abused of late, contributing to some of the changes Canada is experiencing now.
Importation of millions of people from cultures with radically different values than those of native Canadians - imports who are more interested in colonizing than in assimilation, has introduced Canadians to the same problems that Western Europe, England, and the US is experiencing. A few unfortunate choices in leadership has compounded the problems.
As with most of Europe, Canadian leadership has drifted further and further Left in the last couple of decades and more. Globalism has been presented as the solution to all the world's ills, ranging from war to "excess" population, to poverty, even down to what to have for breakfast. In the course of the drift, government has become increasingly authoritarian since Globalism requires absolute power in order to function.
The transition has been slow and gradual, with various measures presented as "improvements" offering greater security and equality for all Canadians. What it has been in reality is a slow erosion of liberty, gradually turning the Charter of Rights into a series of good suggestions that can be ignored when inconvenient to "leaders".
In many ways, matters came to a head during the Covid years. The Western provinces from British Columbia and Yukon to most of Manitoba are culturally and economically different from the Eastern provinces. It is reflected in the fact that the Western provinces are predominately English speaking while the Eastern are Francophones. The differences are much deeper than that, though. as the West is largely rural, agricultural, mining, and related while the East is more urban, manufacturing, fishing, and such.
During Covid, the ruling leadership situated in Ottawa in the middle of Eastern Canada sought to impose draconian regulations on travel, commerce, and instituted requirements for "immunization" with an unproven vaccine - one that has subsequently been proven to cause far more lasting harm than any good. These regulations had serious negative effects on the populations and economies of the Western provinces, more so than those of the Eastern.
In response, the Western provinces objected, with protests culminating in a massive convoy of truckers converging on Ottawa to peacefully, if somewhat noisily, protest and petition leaders to reconsider and revoke the harmful regulations.
A test of whether a government actually represents the people and is responsive to their desires, or whether it is a tyranny that seeks to impose its will on the population is how it responds to disagreement with its policies and rules. What you might call a "touchstone for tyranny" is its response to disagreement. A representative government will see disagreement as valuable feedback, and will reconsider the rulings and modify them, repeal them, or offer acceptable justification satisfactory to the opposition.
On the other hand, tyrannical leadership will see disagreement as defiance of their orders, and will take measures to suppress dissension - measures ranging from ignoring dissent, to various forms of punishment, including imprisonment and even death.
The Ottawa government chose the second course in dealing with the Trucker Convoy. Measures included arrest of leaders, freezing bank accounts, positioning snipers, confiscation of trucks and fuel, and many other actions that did not include actually listening to legitimate grievances and considering alternatives. Defiance must be punished!
One lasting consequence of this protest and its outcome is a reawakening of awareness or the differences between East and West, coupled with an awareness of the arrogant disregard of Eastern rulers for the concerns of the West. As a result, the Western province of Alberta is seriously considering separating from Canada to become its own nation, free from the growing tyranny of the East. Were it to succeed, there is a good chance that other Western provinces would follow.
This is not the first time that thought has been given to separation. In the mid 60's, there was also discussion of the Western provinces leaving. While they ultimately decided to stay, many of the grievances that led to the situation, differences in language, economy, governance, and culture were the same as those of today. This year may be determinative.
The response of Ottawa could be significant. Recently, Canadians were "persuaded" to surrender their firearms in order to make Canada "safer". While it made Canada safer for tyrants, it did little for the rest of Canada. Mao Zedong, that famous Chinese freedom fighter, said that power comes from the mouth of a gun.
While the US has often been criticized for its "gun culture", our founders realized that governments were dangerous beasts that would grow in power unless kept in check by a populace that had equal or greater power, and that an armed populace was the only power sufficient to keep a government in check.
The balance of power remains in Ottawa. How that power will be used remains to be seen. Canadians have been, and still are today, a peaceful, live and let live, people. However, any people, when pushed too far, may, however reluctantly, take up arms. I pray it does not reach that point for such a great nation.
Canada's economy has suffered in recent years, largely due to policies from Ottawa. Again it has been the Western provinces that have suffered disproportionally, but the East has also been affected. The tyrants of Ottawa blame conservatives, Americans, and Donald Trump for punitive tariffs, trade restrictions, failure to import Canadian oil, and many other economic problems as a way of scapegoating to distract from the consequences of their own bad decisions and policies.
As a result, some Canadians, largely in the East, have become hostile to Americans and to their fellow Canadians who disagree with the Globalist aspirations of their leaders. Few people will admit that their own bad choices have led to their unhappy circumstances. It takes courage to honestly examine our own decisions, to evaluate outcomes, and to admit error. The Socialist arguments of the Globalists are seductive and persuasive. They also hide the horrible consequences that lie behind those arguments and the conditions necessary to implement their dreams.
The situation is not beyond redemption. Bad choices can be countered with good ones. The dreamers can be awakened to reality. There is much work to be done, but much joy in the doing. With a bit of effort, Canada can be kept whole and restored to the Canada I came to know and love. May God be with you.
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