Canada: A Very Ugly Year

When the pandemic began, no one could have begun to imagine where the circumstances would take us. Canada, the true north, strong and free. rings hollow for a growing number of Canadians. Canada is a coveted destination for new immigrants from around the world. Yet, many who have fled oppressive regimes are alarmed by what they are finding in a country they now call home. A fair and equitable country where innocence and naivety have long defined a nation, a bitter harvest has now set in.
While the pandemic has inflicted waves of pain on the public, the most shocking development has been the county’s descent into what could only be described as the beginnings of a totalitarian police state. Yet in the midst of it all, many Canadians seem to have no concern for what is happening around them. The virus has provided the perfect storm, a blanket of reasonable excuses that cover a host of sins. The end justifies the means and the means are very ugly indeed.
Control over the public has defined the agenda. The cultivation of fear developed by the government is willingly disseminated by the mainstream media. Fear breeds panic and panic leads to knee-jerk reactions that have resulted in “solutions” that in some ways are far worse than the virus itself.
The incessant daily fixation on the numbers – those testing positive for the virus and on the number of hospitalizations and deaths, has hung over us like a dark, constant and foreboding cloud. We have blindly followed government and health officials down a rabbit hole filled with pain and suffering. For those who have dared to question if our response to the virus has been appropriate, the consequences have been harsh, unyielding and without mercy. Questioning citizens have been fired, ticketed, arrested and jailed for daring to speak up, for daring to question the official line. The Charter of Rights has been trampled underfoot and the right to assemble, the right to speak freely – cherished beliefs of democracy, have been destroyed. Some of those who traditionally have been asked to uphold the law have become oppressive thugs intimidating and bullying men, women and children who have dared to disagree.
The desire to seek balance in the face of competing concerns has been absent. The importance of attending to mental health issues, rising suicides, concerns for protecting livelihoods, to acknowledging the importance of nurturing relationships and family have all been sacrificed on the altar of covid restrictions. Thousands of those with covid have died alone, without family and friends beside them. Many thousands of small businesses have been driven into bankruptcy. Others who have dared to open their doors to try and survive, receive crushing fines and have had their licences revoked. The police have occupied businesses, changed the locks on doors, boarded up windows and fenced off private property so no one can enter. Meanwhile, concern that we have to stay the course and do all we can to keep the virus at bay, drip with hypocrisy. Big box stores that welcome thousands of shoppers every day operate with impunity, while small stores are forced to close.
In addition to such oppression, gouging the public seems to be the order of the day. Fines levied by the police for walking the dog or participating in a protest can get you a $ 1,200 ticket. For travellers, a three-day stay in a mandatory quarantine facility will cost close to $ 2,000. You will have to stay in a hotel room that’s costing you three to four times the normal rate.
We are developing a tier of second-class citizens who do not share in the privileges the rest of us enjoy. Those with mask exemptions are routinely thrown out of stores across the country. Exemptions that are supposed to be honoured, mean nothing. Covid passports that are on the horizon will further consign some to a second-class status. Those who are unable to get a shot because of medical issues will be denied the ability to travel and participate in many events in our society.
We have descended into a country that encouraged us to spy and snitch on our neighbours if they are not following the rules. It reminds me of East Germany during the Cold War. The Stasi, the East German secret police employed armies of people to spy on each other. Police are turning up late at night, pounding on people’s doors, demanding to know how many are inside. There is no longer an expectation of privacy. Your home is no longer beyond the reach of authorities. People have been dragged from their homes, handcuffed and fined in front of their children and friends.
Churches have been closed and forced to meet underground. I thought this was largely the fate of Christians in China, but apparently Canada, to the Country’s shame, is copying the work of China’s police. Why is Canada the only country in the world jailing pastors? Pastor James Coates has already spent 35 days in a maxium security jail including weeks in solitary confinement. Another pastor, Artur Pawlowski and his brother were arrested on the way home from church on a busy highway in Calgary by a swat team and forced to kneel in the middle of a busy road. Many Canadians across the country have spent days in jail for not wearing a mask or taking part in illegal gatherings. Where does this end? Is any of this beyond the acceptable behaviour for elected officials in a democratic state?
In all of the madness, we’ve lost sight of the reality that people die. Last year, over 15, 000 people died of the coronavirus in Canada. In the same year, 130,000 died of cancer and heart disease.
Most disappointing of all are those who see everything and yet say nothing. Fear and intimidation have bought their silence. Injustice triumphs when courage cannot be found.
Paul Williamson