Canada Is Not Broken!

But it is bent.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

-- Winston Churchill

I’d love to be able to say I wrote two versions of this article, one for if the Liberals won and one for if the Conservatives did. I’d love to be able to say it, but I didn’t. For me to have written two I’d have to have believed that the polls were wrong. I’d also have had to believe that enough of my fellow citizens have been paying enough attention for the last 10 years to understand the depth of corruption and incompetence of the Liberal government. That and were smart enough to know that appointing a new head clown doesn’t make it a new circus. That’s too much belief for anyone who no longer believes in the Easter Bunny.

My faith in my fellow citizens was rocked by what I saw during the COVID pandemic. Too many people were too willing to sacrifice individual rights for a little temporary safety because they were afraid. The fact that the media, bureaucrats, and politicians stoked this fear in order to manipulate them is hardly an excuse. Adults are responsible for their actions.

What little faith I had in my fellow citizens was further eroded by the results of the 2021 election. Despite countless corruption scandals, the unconstitutional use of the Emergency Act, and Trudeau’s cynical decision to call an election during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the populace – or enough of them at least – voted to give the Liberals another 4 years.

The 2025 election may be the final straw. Every conceivable measure of crime, corruption, and economics has shown that the Liberals have been disastrous to Canada and yet they have been given another four years. You can lead a voter to the polls, but you can’t make him think.

Where does that leave us?

Put succinctly? We’re in a lot of trouble.

There are two groups that present a threat to Canada, the progressive left which has likely won another 4 years in which to inflict their degrowth agenda on Canada and those on the right who claim that Canada is broken beyond repair. I will not call them far-right because I do not believe that is what they are. They are people whose agenda is the dissolution of Canada. Separatism, annexation by the US, whatever you wish to call it. A victory by either of these groups will result in the collapse of the Country. If the former gets its way, alienation in the West will continue to grow as the Carney Liberals extend the Liberal policy of hindering the use of natural resources that western provinces are so reliant upon while treating these provinces as piggy banks to fund the dysfunctional governments of the eastern provinces. If the separatists get their way the country will shatter as one by one the provinces are convinced that prosperity lies not within Confederation but in US statehood or independence.

What is to be done?

I have no easy fixes. The underlying problem is that despite our common use of the term “confederation” politically and legally, Canada has become a federation, one in which the central government in Ottawa is too strong. Decentralizing power or eliminating the equalization payments would solve the natural resource problem and take the winds out of the sales of the separatists (why leave Canada if you already get to call your own shots within the country?). Officially both would require a constitutional amendment making them highly unlikely. The “7/50 Rule” requires approval from Parliament plus 7 provinces representing at least 50% of Canada's population. Parliament is unlikely to vote to give up any of Ottawa’s power and the fact that 7 provinces benefit from equalization payments means they’re unlikely to support abolishing them.

While amending the constitution may be too difficult, it may be possible to modify both informally. Provinces can assert more control by:

• Negotiating "asymmetrical agreements" (ex. Quebec getting special immigration powers).

• Pushing back against federal policies (ex. Alberta resisting federal environmental regulations).

• Using the courts: Provinces frequently challenge federal laws as unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court sometimes limits Ottawa’s power.

Similarly, while the principle of equalization is written into the constitution, the formula, structure, and size of the payments are controlled by federal legislation. Ottawa could:

• Shrink equalization payments,

• Redesign the formula to pay out much less,

• Change eligibility rules (making it much harder for provinces to qualify).

It would still be difficult though as it is a certainty that Quebec and the maritime provinces would fight it and unlikely that the federal government would risk alienating eastern voters to placate the west given that there are more votes east of Ontario than there are west of it.

Ironically, while the threat of Alberta separatism is a danger to the country, it may also be our salvation. If Alberta ever seriously threatened secession (like Quebec did in the 1990s), Ottawa might be forced to negotiate decentralization and equalization payments in order to keep the country together.

One more simple change

If the pollsters are correct then the Liberals will receive about 42% of the vote (plus or minus 4%) and Canada will once again be ruled by a party that is supported by less than half of the voting public.

It is within the government’s power to address by eliminating first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting. This would not fix all the country’s problems but would give more people a sense that their vote matters. In would also allow the Liberals to make good on one of Trudeau’s many broken promises and prove to Canadians that Carney really isn’t Trudeau.

Canada is not broken…but it is bent.

There are dark days ahead for most of us and the situation is bad, but Canada can be saved.

If Carney’ Liberals prioritize the climate agenda over the economic wellbeing of Canadians, the country’s socio-economic status will continue to decline. There is little that can be done about that as they have been given the power to do as they please for the next 4 years. Until then patriotic Canadians must do what they can. Make your voice heard! Get involved in politics at the riding level and continue to emphasize the dangers of centralized government and the dystopian climate crisis agenda. Activists may be insufferably annoying, but we should take one lesson from them, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” There is no advantage to being in a silent majority, you need to annoy the hell of out of your MP regardless of which party he or she belongs to.

Canada is our home. It has problems like any home which has been neglected for a decade. But you don’t abandon your home because it has a leaky roof and needs a new paint job, you fix it.

Joe Rogan recently asked Jordan Peterson how Canada could course correct. Peterson’s reply is not reassuring:

“People either correct course by waking up or by experiencing severe pain, and it looks to me like we’ve chosen the severe pain route.”

Many of us have woken up to the dangers of the Liberal party and of the road that they are leading us down…but not enough to win this election. It is said that in a democracy you get the government you deserve. It is unfortunate that this is only partially true. The roughly 40% of the population who voted for the Liberals will indeed get what they deserve, but the rest of us will have to suffer as well.