Freedom in Canada threatened
Congratulations to S. Innis for their reply to a recent letter in the Citizen entitled “Everyone’s freedoms demonstrably intact.” Well said. But there is more to this issue. The mistaken assumption that our rights and freedoms are intact is dangerous. In fact, they are being threatened and reduced. Opposition to this fundamental fact needs to be challenged. Here are some examples:
Academic freedom in Canada is at an all time low. Don’t believe me? Just ask Frances Widdowson, a tenured professor at Mount Royal University fired for having a dissenting view on identity politics. You might also ask Rima Azar, Ricardo Duchesne, Julia Ponesse, Michael Kronenberg and others, all fired or suspended for having non woke views, or challenging BLM. And, of course, there is Jordan Peterson. All have had their freedom of expression quashed. Many academics now fear losing their jobs if they speak up.
On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, it was revealed that Canada has the worst media concentration of 28 developed nations. Organizations like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have chronicled declining freedom in Canada for years, as have many other organizations defending journalistic and personal freedom. The trend is a downward one. The CCLA is now in the process of suing the Trudeau government over the legality of the recent Emergencies Act.
According to the Human Freedom Index (HFI), an organization that assesses Human Freedom in 165 countries, Canada’s personal freedom score, on their scale, is 3.36 placing it in 163rd position in the world. There are many other examples.
Considering this, it is not surprising that many Canadians now fear expressing their views, or having their bank accounts frozen if they support groups the Liberal/NDP coalition deem to be a “fringe minority” or having “unacceptable views.” The simple truth is that we do not now enjoy the freedoms we once did.
At Prime Minister Trudeau’s recent speech to the EU he was condemned by several Members of the European Parliament for dictatorial and undemocratic conduct. Other MEPs refused to attend his speech. Perhaps they know something the average Canadian doesn’t. Having once lived under tyranny, people outside Canada may better understand when our freedoms are being attacked. The notion that they are not is incorrect.
Perry Foster
Duncan