Title: The Enemies of Democracy in Canada
Written By: Robin Mathews
Date: Wednesday, November 18 at 16:35
The move from 'Progressive Conservatism' in Canada to 'Far Right Reaction' threatens democracy as Canadians know and live it.  The support by much of Canada's major media for the Far Right is a disturbing factor.
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Here's something anti-democratic - trying to tar members of a mainstream political party whose ideology you disagree with as totalitarians.

   

The above having been said though, we do need to be watchful of the authoritarians in our midst, regardless of which side of the left/right spectrum they sit on.

As a right-of-centre commentator who has participated in a few different online forums, I have encountered a relatively small (but excessive nonetheless) number of people on the left who would gladly kill, imprison or impoverish me for my views, if they had the power to do so. But I have no doubt that my equivalent on the left will have encountered just as many on the right who would do the same to him/her. Both of our "tribes" have their narcissistic, self-righteous assholes.

There's no solution to this. We are in the end just lightly-furred apes whose brains have gotten too big for our own good. But if we are to improve the situation, the secret isn't to become more tolerant of those on the other side who would do us harm, but less tolerant of those in our own tribe who would silence or do harm to our opponents. Accusations of hypocrisy and double-standards have become a facile way to claim victory in a debate. None of us is completely consistent, and we all have our biases.

Within the Canadian democratic context, there is an ongoing battle between left and right (and the similar but not entirely the same one between collectivism and individualism). But it's not a fight to the death, nor will one side ever definitively "win".

There have been online commentators and even some media types who have been claiming that the Conservatives will never be able to come to power again, especially if we ditch first-past-the-post for some other voting regimes. But the reality is that Liberals currently govern a country with a significant number of conservative voters, just as Conservatives governed a country with a significant number of progressives. And the barriers between these two camps are quite permeable when it comes to specific issues. So for those on the left who like drawing swastikas and Hitler moustaches on Canadian conservative politicians, don't throw out your markers just yet. Conservatives will come to power again one day, and you'll be back to your Godwin-violating antics.

In the meantime, all kinds of nasty rhetoric will be coming the way of Trudeau and the Liberals. Care Bears and unicorns take a little more skill to draw though than the Hakenkreuz and small tufts of facial hair.

   

As a right of centre proponent, how can you justify the (now ex) Harper government?

   

I didn't agree with everything they did, and felt they went too far with the fearmongering (barbaric practices hotlines and such) in the last election. But they never even came close to crossing the line into totalitarianism, despite the claims of the left in that regard. The Liberals, at least before their recent shift to "sunny ways", were no strangers to fearmongering ("soldiers with guns in the streets") or targeting groups (Albertans, Westerners in general, rural Canadians, gun-owners, Americans) for electoral advantage. I still believe the long gun registry was to serve as a precursor to eventual confiscation (on a selective basis at least).

And frankly, I don't have to justify to you a government that still held the support of a still significant portion of the Canadian population in the last election, despite being defeated.

I hope the Conservatives mind well the lessons of the last election and become less authoritarian going forward. And I hope Justin Trudeau manages to avoid falling under the sway of those still lurking within the Liberal Party who subscribe the old Keith Davey "stick it to those groups and regions that didn't vote for you" paradigm.

   

[quote="IndividualistAnd frankly, I don't have to justify to you a government that still held the support of a still significant portion of the Canadian population in the last election, despite being defeated.
quote]
You mean the redneck vote? Or, if not redneck, then those who are fearful of letting their arm droop over the side of the bed - because of the ghouls and monsters waiting for the opportunity to attack? Harper was (is) a nascent Donald Trump, and like The Donald, played on the fears and trepidations of the less secure.

   

The Canadian left's inability to accept that not all bad things originate from Western cultures and that there are forces in the world more malevolent than Western "imperialism" and capitalism places us all at risk. They see everything through a "social justice" lens, so even terrorism can be blamed on income inequality or a lack of state intervention in people's lives.

The people engaging in these terrorist acts in Europe and elsewhere are not doing so due to the lack of income redistribution or the absence of an activist state in their lives. Giving them these things will not appease them. They have bought into an ideology that holds that they are living in the only correct way, and that those who live differently (even within their own faith) deserve to die.

People still suffering from Harper Derangement Syndrome and peddling false moral equivalences should reflect on this fact. However bad you think Harper was, he is not anywhere near being in ISIS/ISIL's league. Or even Trump's.