Is the Ontario Conservative government inspired by American chaos? It is difficult not to draw a parallel between the chaos of the assault on the Capitol in Washington by extremist militants and that of the demonstration by truckers who went to attack the Canadian Parliament. Is it a coincidence? Can the current suspension of Ontario education workers’ right to strike and the use of the notwithstanding clause be linked to the US Supreme Court ruling abolishing the right to abortion and the repression of women who wish to terminate their pregnancy?
Will the wave of far-right America that will peak this week in the midterm elections have an influence on our own democracy? Does the next Canadian federal election herald a drift in our social gains and American-style chaos, knowing that the new federal Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, has personally supported the truckers occupying Parliament Hill and the city of ‘Ottawa? I worry about it and here’s why.
The Commission’s hearings on the state of emergency declared by Ottawa to counter the occupation of truckers on the federal Parliament Hill revealed the lack of participation of the Ontario government during strategic security meetings. His silence was interpreted by the citizens of Ottawa as tacit support for the demonstrators who poisoned the lives of downtown residents day and night for almost a month.
But, even more surprising, the refusal of Ontario Premier Doug Ford to testify before this commission seems to confirm an indirect complicity in the chaotic demonstration by truckers, who are part of his Conservative electoral base. Like the Prime Minister of Ontario, it is very likely that former US President Donald Trump will also refuse to appear before a US Congressional Commission to investigate the assault on the Capitol? Similar behaviors of mistrust of institutions, curious isn’t it?
sectarian conservatism
The Ontario government, which favors sectarian conservatism, has created a climate of social chaos through its behavior. Think of the laissez-faire attitude of truckers in the face of the violated “rights and freedoms” of the citizens of Ottawa and the crushing of the “rights and freedoms” of workers in the Ontario school sector. Prohibiting strikes by special legislation is one thing, but adopting a derogation provision against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms preventing any legal challenge to the right to strike seems disproportionate to me.
Under the pretext of governing responsibly, the Ontario government is unleashing its own underpaid employees and its silence is encouraging the chaos of the occupation of the city of Ottawa by demonstrators who are taking its own citizens hostage. This drift of double standards contributes to breaking the social peace. Will the Government of Quebec resist the siren song of Ontario and American Conservative chaos in negotiations with its own employees?
Resisting the Conservative chaos in Ontario and the United States?
The Quebec Conservative leader, Éric Duhaime, has already threatened to organize demonstrations in front of the Quebec Parliament if he does not obtain official recognition from the National Assembly even if he did not elect any MPs. Is this a prelude to changing the fundamental values of Canadian society? Considering the dangerous rise of sectarian conservatism across Canada often inspired by American extremist ideologies, will we be able to preserve the current “model” of Quebec governance inspired by social consensus?
Will our policies for the equitable sharing of wealth and accessibility to unique social programs resist the conservative wave favoring above all individualism and everyone for themselves? Are we on the eve of experiencing a period of great darkness and social chaos? The upcoming American and Canadian elections risk revealing to us the dark side of far-right ideologies. Let’s hope that our political and legal institutions will resist this threat.