this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023

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Opinion | America’s far right is operating in Canada. Why don’t we consider that foreign interference? (www.thestar.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Important read about hostile foreign influence/meddling in Canada's political system.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The US is always the big elephant in the room in Canadian political debate.

I remember when that "cablegate" thing happened where US diplomatic cables were leaked over a decade ago. As a Canadian, I looked up the cables pertaining to Canada.

In those leaks the US ambassador remarked how it's very odd that the US is never really discussed in Canadian politics. It's like we pretend it doesn't exist.

And he's right. We generally feel like talking about the US isn't appropriate for some reason. Maybe the US is so omnipresent in Canada we don't feel like it's necessary? Or maybe we're ashamed to admit it.

I mean if 90% of newspapers were owned by a Chinese company, wouldn't that be something concerning to Canadians? But 90% of newspapers being owned by a US corporation... that's just expected. It's considered to be normal.

If Chinese money was flowing to a protest group occupying Ottawa, we'd all flip shit. But US money flowing to a protest group... that's just expected. It's normal.

But should we consider these things to be normal? That convoy thing indicated to me that Americans don't care if bad things happen in Canada. It's good for ratings.

I think we should be wary of US owned media. Also should note that the article linked to above is in what may soon be the next newspaper to be transferred to US ownership.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The Competition Bureau should step in

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then wouldn’t we also need to hold ourselves accountable for our own exports of right wing nut jobs? 🙄

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yes, we absolutely should. Let's go all the way with this.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have American relatives who were (and probably still are) hardcore pro-Trump. While I vehemently disagree with their position, at least I can understand how it might serve them.

But when I meet a pro-Trump Canadian, it leaves me incredulous. Are we talking about the same person? The guy who literally started up a trade war with us which impacted our industries, communities, infrastructure projects, and on and on? The most Canada-hostile leader since I dunno, 1812?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I have a 75 year old uncle here in BC who forced his wife (my aunt) to disown my mother as a friend because of his slavish devotion to the maga-cult. These people think trump is the son of god.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We should. But then the PP/Conservatives will get people to rage about something completely unrelated to deflect.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The ongoing conspiracy theories and manufactured scandals will continue daily as scheduled. Absolutely!

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sorry to spoil your fantasy but FINTRAK investigated and found no foreign interference...and yes that included the US. But hey don't let facts get in the way of a good old fashion bigotted hate on

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You're mistaken.

[+] [email protected] -7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Sure, but how much cross-border support do activists on the left get? Hillary Clinton was just here speaking about left wing ideals of feminism, diversity, and inclusion. The dogma of the left, if you will.

This person hardly has an unbiased perspective. My personal belief is that people who use the term "far right" are suspect from the beginning. It's not a real and definable group. It's a dog whistle for left wing supporters that these people are "outsiders" who fall outside the liberal orthodoxy.

I fall center left on almost every issue. I am regularly called "far right" because I spend most of my time trying to explain and defend the mentalities of the right to the left. When you stop demonizing them and start talking to them, even someone like me can find a lot of common ground with the right. Common ground leads to compromise, and compromise leads to peaceful resolution.

The convoy is a perfect example of what happens when you pretend that we can ignore a large section of our citizens just because you don't like what they believe. We tried to force vaccines on people by making employment conditional on them. Not a very liberal thing to do. We acted out of fear, and so did they. The convoy was about the fear of giving up bodily autonomy. How hard would it have been just to keep recommending them instead of forcing it on people? Do you think so many would have protested if we weren't so heavy handed?

American influence, direct or indirect, is impossible to avoid in Canada. We are neighbors. Even the way I choose to type is American, otherwise I would have written "neighbours". It's inevitable. But that's not an excuse to downplay the interests of either side. China's interests are entirely different. The US government isn't seeking to undermine us. China wants to destroy both the US and us. The Chinese are systematically trying to insert their citizens and paid operatives to erode Canada for their own gain, through economic means as well as by eroding national security.

The threat and nature of the two is entirely different. Comparing them is severely underestimating the intentions of China.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I love "the dogma" of inclusion, feminism and diversity. People aren't being killed by the ones who want that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My personal belief is that people who use the term “far right” are suspect from the beginning. It’s not a real and definable group.

Lots of people have gone to a lot of trouble to define it.

I fall center left on almost every issue. I am regularly called “far right” because I spend most of my time trying to explain and defend the mentalities of the right to the left.

Are you familiar with the concept of the Overton window? You might consider your views centre-left relative to the mainstream, but from your posts I’ve read, those views are definitely right-wing relative to the entire political spectrum.

When you stop demonizing them and start talking to them, even someone like me can find a lot of common ground with the right.

As a queer person who just wants to live my life and make things easier for the generation coming after me, there really isn’t much common ground, no. And I say that as a white person who doesn’t have to endure racial oppression, among other privileges I have.

The convoy was about the fear of giving up bodily autonomy. How hard would it have been just to keep recommending them instead of forcing it on people?

No one was forced to get vaccinated against their will. For quite a while, restrictions simply weren’t lifted for unvaccinated people, which is very reasonable when dealing with an infectious disease actively killing many millions of people. The convoy’s fears were misguided. They still had bodily autonomy, they just didn’t have the right to put other people at grave risk. (Being vaccinated can’t give any individual person total protection, so it’s crucial to have widespread adoption.) Health isn’t just an individual thing, it’s communal, too.

The US government isn’t seeking to undermine us.

Not as far as we know, and only because they don’t need to. If the countries weren’t close allies, the US wouldn’t hesitate to try to influence us. They have a long history of doing exactly that, including some failed coups.

China wants to destroy both the US and us.

Destroy? No. We’re far too valuable as trading partners. I don’t doubt that the Chinese government would like to influence our government to be more aligned with their desires and are probably making efforts to, though.

The Chinese are systematically trying to insert their citizens and paid operatives to erode Canada for their own gain, through economic means as well as by eroding national security.

The way you’re describing it here is dripping with racism and nationalism. This isn’t centre-left talk.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well written but there's sus contents in there. Finding common ground with reasonable people is one thing. Affirming their negative opinions about objectively good concepts like feminism, diversity, and inclusion for example is very different. 🙃