The unprecedented spectacle of recent events in Ottawa has challenged the country’s political leaders to put peace, order and good government, per the Constitution, ahead of short-term political thinking. As Canadians examine the causes of the three-week blockade of key targets by foreign-funded propaganda actors, the institutions of our democracy can heed the wake-up call by transcending partisanship.

Lori Turnbull

On Sunday, February 20th, Ottawa police declared the city safe again, after more than three weeks of blockades and illegal activities that made for a continuous disruption of peace, security, commerce, sleep, and basically all aspects of life for the people who live there. Ottawa residents, and the country as a whole, can be relieved that the immediate crisis has been brought to an end. But now we have a huge task ahead of us as a democracy: we need to understand what happened and why. 

Some have suggested that Canada has never been more polarized or fragmented, but this is not true. There is much that continues to unite us. Despite what global headlines have suggested in recent weeks (particularly the ones in the New York Times that have been alarmingly incorrect and misleading), we are not “two tribes”. 

That said, we have long been reassuring ourselves that the anger, populism, far-right extremism, disinformation, and insurrectionist forces that have gripped American politics are not a problem here, at least not to anywhere near the same extent. However, the images of an occupied capital city, an appropriated flag, and blocked border crossings have been a harsh wake up call: our democratic institutions are more vulnerable to right-wing extremism than many of us had realized.

While Canada has not been immune to the impact of far-right conspiracy theories and “fake news”, the problem has become significantly worse during the lockdown periods of the past two years. Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue documents a worrying increase in online right-wing extremism during the pandemic and had actually predicted an increase in “extreme right activity” once lockdowns and other restrictions were lifted. 

With more people spending more time online during lockdowns, content generated by the far-right reached a wider audience than it normally would and, sadly, gained more traction. As Elizabeth Thompson of CBC News reported previously in 2021, “Canadian right-wing extremism increased online during the pandemic.”  As we know, the extreme right in Canada is bolstered by its American counterpart, so we should collectively dispose of the notion that “what happens in the US won’t happen here.” It is happening now.

The key challenge for political leaders is to develop a plan to fortify our institutions against attacks from the extreme right, and to resist any urge to embrace inflammatory rhetoric that could bring short-term political gain but will exacerbate the problem in the long run.

Unfortunately, the events of recent weeks seem to have ginned up partisan, divisive sentiments on both sides of the House of Commons. When the “trucker convoy” took over the capital, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to denounce participants and their supporters as the tinfoil-hat wearing “fringe minority.” He did the right thing by refusing to meet with the “organizers” of an insurrectionist mob. Conservative leaders ought to have done the same (more on this later). 

The Prime Minister showed leadership by rejecting suggestions that the country is divided into two sides. He is correct when he says that the hateful extremism that coursed through the illegal activities of the past weeks is not at all consistent with mainstream Canada. The activities of the occupiers were unlawful and, in many cases, hateful and despicable. The desecration of the National War Memorial, the intimidation of businesses by intruders who refused to wear masks, and the waving of swastikas and Confederate flags are just a few shocking examples of the kind of behaviour that the capital city has had to endure. These actions should  be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

However, when the Prime Minister dismissed the entire trucker convoy phenomenon as existing on the fringes of our society, he gave oxygen to the “us versus them” mentality that he adamantly refutes. He missed an opportunity to address the concerns of the Canadians who have done what they have been told to do, gotten their vaccines, followed the rules to the letter, and still are being left behind.

Just because we are not polarized, tribalized, and deeply fragmented does not mean that we do not have problems with social cohesion and public trust. We have known for many months that the economic implications of prolonged lockdowns and business closures would create stress, anxiety, discontent, disconnection, and a wealth gap that could facilitate a serious class conflict in Canada. EKOS Research has found that a third of the population is sympathetic to the convoy’s objectives. Working class Canadians are more likely to be supportive. Ekos President Frank Graves and veteran political journalist Michael Valpy shared their insights into the numbers in a Toronto Star piece titled: “Who supports the ‘freedom’ protestors and why”. 

While some members of the Conservative Party of Canada have distanced themselves from the unlawful occupation of the parliamentary precinct and surrounding area, others – including interim leader Candice Bergen – have been demonstrably supportive of what they have called “peaceful protests”, to the point of dining and taking photos with some of the participants. Leaked emails confirm that Bergen’s preferred approach from the outset, even before she took the reins of her party, has been to avoid asking the convoy to go home and, instead, let the occupation be the Prime Minister’s problem. 

The Conservatives want to maintain their claim to being the party of “law and order,” so Conservatives who have shown support for the convoy have justified their position by stressing that Canadians who come to Ottawa in “peaceful protest” have the right to be heard. This “both sides,” Trump-style rhetoric is political gaslighting. These were not peaceful protests, as anyone in Ottawa knows, and so the key question here is whether those who claim otherwise are being disingenuous, willfully blind or, perhaps worst of all, actually believe that “peaceful” is an appropriate adjective to describe an insurrectionist occupation.

The Conservatives are flirting with disaster by making appeals to the far right. Under Bergen’s interim leadership, the party seems to be reaching right to capture supporters of the People’s Party of Canada and hoping that the base stays with them during this tactical manoeuvre. 

In the coming weeks and months, Canada will embark upon a variety of reflective exercises aimed at understanding what forces led to the occupation and how we can protect ourselves in the future. Political leadership as well as law enforcement will face questions and will be held to account. Police investigations will continue and those who broke the law could face the consequences. 

After two years of COVID-related restrictions, Canadians in all jurisdictions are now in various stages of reopening. National uptake of vaccines is very high, which speaks to the broad consensus that exists in the country around science, data, and generally being a good citizen. We are not polarized, but we are under pressure – and politicians of all stripes need to understand this and work to build social cohesion, not drive Canadians apart.  

Contributing Writer Lori Turnbull, a resident of the National Capital Region, is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the School of Public Policy at Dalhousie University. She is a co-winner of the prestigious Donner Prize for political writing.