Politicians never take away your rights and freedoms without offering a pretext. Throughout history, tyrants have always justified their human rights abuses by appealing to the “public interest,” the “common good,” or some grand goal or vision.
Goals used by tyrants include national security, building a workers’ paradise, fighting communism, fighting fascism, fighting a virus, fighting terrorism, or restoring a nation’s honour, dignity, and rightful place among competing nations.
As just one example, Prime Minister Trudeau justified his illegal use of force against peaceful protesters in Ottawa in 2022 by falsely claiming there was a national emergency. He also asserted that the victims of his government’s violence were dangerous, violent, racist, white-supremacist criminals who wanted to overthrow the federal government.
We should remember “the tyrant’s pretext” when considering a secret RCMP report that warns the federal government about potential civil unrest coming to Canada when Canadians realize just how bleak their future economic situations are.
The report warns of living standards declining even further due to “climate change” and a global recession, noting that many Canadians under 35 are unlikely to ever be able to buy a home.
The report warns of “paranoid populism” and claims that “authoritarian movements have been on the rise in many liberal-democratic nations,” with populists “capitalizing on the rise of political polarization and conspiracy theories” that allow them to “tailor their message to extremist movements.”
The report also warns of people now having too much access to data through social media and the internet, which will allow “private entities to develop the means to exercise undue influence over individuals and populations at an unprecedented level.”
The report states that “[l]aw enforcement should expect continuing social and political polarization fueled by misinformation campaigns and an increasing mistrust for all democratic institutions.”
Ironically, among the report’s more heavily redacted sections is one carrying the subtitle “erosion of trust.”
“The past seven years have seen marked social and political polarization in the Western world,” reads a partial first sentence, with the entire rest of the section deleted by government censors. The report’s final paragraph, titled “Next Steps,” is redacted entirely.
There is nothing wrong with a police agency presenting a report to government about likely future trends and problems. However, Canadians should be gravely concerned about some of the language used by senior RCMP officials to describe their take on reality. The report actually says a lot about the RCMP and about the government receiving this RCMP report.
The RCMP warns of “paranoid” populists who capitalize on “conspiracy theories.” I vividly recall reading one conspiracy theory that circulated in early 2020, claiming that lockdowns would continue for years (not just two weeks to flatten the curve) and that lockdowns would be replaced with mandatory vaccination policies. Those refusing to get injected with the new vaccine would lose their jobs and would become second-class citizens. Yes, how paranoid of people to think and say such things in early 2020.
Sometimes, the difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is six to twelve months. Another paranoid conspiracy theory from 2020 was that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab. This kooky, fringe thesis was mocked and ridiculed until it was accepted by most as plausible or true.
Let’s not forget Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s characterization of Canadians who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine as misogynists, racists, and science-deniers. Demonizing minorities does not necessarily lead to human rights violations, but human rights violations always start with demonizing minorities.
The RCMP worries about “political polarization” and “extremist movements.” Polarization is a normal part of every democracy: people disagree with each other about taxes, immigration, parental rights, health-care policies, and other political issues. Polarization only becomes a problem when one side (or both sides) use violence instead of the democratic process. When that happens, the problem is violence, not the polarization that arises from disagreement. A democracy makes it possible for citizens to consider minority political opinions that are deemed “extreme” by the establishment. Remember: not long ago it was an “extreme” position to favour same-sex marriage.
The RCMP believes people have “too much access to data” through social media and the internet. Should citizens have only limited access to data? Does the RCMP want the government to censor social media and the internet? Should citizens receive only “reliable” data from “reliable” sources like Prime Minister Trudeau and the CBC?
The RCMP seems to be opposed to “private entities” that “develop the means to exercise undue influence over individuals and populations at an unprecedented level.” Only in a totalitarian state are private entities prohibited from exercising influence over people because the government controls every sphere and dimension of society. In a free society, individual citizens, as well as the groups they join and support, can and do influence each other. This is part of a healthy, functioning democracy.
The RCMP is concerned about “misinformation campaigns and an increasing mistrust for all democratic institutions.” Everybody is against misleading and false “misinformation.” At the same time, people also disagree vehemently as to what is, or is not, false or misleading. In a free and democratic society as envisioned by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, citizens debate and discuss what is true or false, and government does not determine on behalf of citizens whether something constitutes “misinformation.”
As for democratic institutions like Parliament and our courts, they earn our trust (or fail to earn it) based on their behaviour and conduct. If Canadians trust courts and Parliament less today than they did five years ago, this should provide Parliament and the courts with an opportunity to reflect as to why this might be and to determine ways to improve their performance.
The RCMP report suggests that future violations of our charter rights and freedoms could be justified as part of the government’s efforts to protect Canadians from “paranoid populism,” “authoritarian movements,” “political polarization,” “conspiracy theories,” “extremism,” “misinformation campaigns” and “mistrust for democratic institutions.”
