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The Comfortable Collapse: Canada’s Decade of Managed Decline Originally via @JoeyTweeets on X There is a concept in ecology called a “shifting baseline.” It describes what happens when each
When Glenn Beck exploded onto Fox News almost 20 years ago, he was must-see TV for half a year straight. People tuned in the way they once watched car chases on live news — just to see what wild truth he would drop next. Then the mainstream media shrugged and moved on. Beck didn’t vanish; he built his own media ecosystem, and today he continues to comment on politics with the calm fury of a man who has watched too many countries trade liberty for “safety.”From 2016 to 2024, over 76,000 killed by their own government’s health care system — now the fifth leading cause of death in adults.Recently he trained his gaze on Canada, calling what is left of a once-great democracy “an oligarchy with the trappings of democracy.”As a Canadian who occasionally writes for Blaze Media, I sat down to watch. Beck’s segment on my country losing its freedoms was sharp, but I kept thinking he was starting three steps too late. The real story begins with free speech — because once that is gone, the rest of the Bill of Rights becomes decorative wallpaper.We’re literally one Senate vote away from burying it under Bill C-9, Bill C-8, and the Online Harms Act (rebranded, I’d bet my maple-leaf pin, as the cuddly-sounding “Online Safety Act”). Parliament usually packs up in the third week of June. Mark my words: We'll have the final nail in the coffin of free speech before summer recess.Prime Minister Mark Carney has fulfilled none of the promises he made prior to the last federal election in April 28, save one — his pledge to censor Canadians’ free speech. The 10 hallmarks of a truly free nationBefore assessing Beck’s critique of freedom in Canada, let’s lay out what he says actually keeps a country free. Glenn says that democracies are "rare and historically very fragile" things. Here are the core "pillars" — straight from Glenn's list, with a few Canadian reality-check footnotes.Rule of law, not rule of man: The law applies equally to citizens, leaders, and institutions. No one is above it; no one is beneath it.Free, fair, and regular elections: Citizens must actually choose their leaders through transparent, competitive votes. Power must be transferred peacefully. Note: The old Soviet Union held elections too. One party was on the ballot. Very festive.Protection of individual rights: Some freedoms can never be voted away by majority rule: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and due process. This is the real foundation — lose it and everything else collapses. I would rank this No. 1. Canada clearly disagrees.Separation of powers: The legislature makes laws; the executive enforces them; the judiciary interprets them. Canada’s “responsible government” fuses the first two together like a bad marriage.Independent judiciary: Courts must be able to rule against the government without fear. Our courts now openly brag about being “progressive.”Free press and open information: Media that questions power, not media subsidized by it.Civilian control of the military.Protection of minority rights.Economic freedom and property rights.A culture that values freedom.Beck’s segment walked through these and found Canada coming up short on almost every one. Even worse is the polite shrug with which Canadians greet each new restriction.Accountability? What accountability?Beck opened with the jaw-dropping scandal that broke in 2021: A scientist at Canada’s highest-security lab shipped live Ebola to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and "collaborated with the Chinese military on bioweapons research." Parliament "ordered the documents four times." Liberals blocked it every single time, sued, stonewalled, and then called a snap election to kill the probe.As Beck dryly observed, “That’s rule of law being violated and separation of powers being violated.” Three years later, the auditor general found nearly $400 million in outright corruption. Parliament shut that down too.Then Trudeau “resigned.” "One-third of 1% of Canadians — the elite inner circle — handed the prime minister’s office to Mark Carney" in a leadership race that smelled like a script. Carney racked up a cartoonish 80% in every riding, including opponent Chrystia Freeland’s own back yard. That's right: She somehow only managed to attract 20% of Liberal voters on her home turf.Satirical gold: The party that once preached “sunny ways” now runs on North Korean turnout numbers and zero raised eyebrows.Elections, emergencies, and the slow-motion coupThe Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections. "Trudeau was briefed." Nothing happened. One Liberal MP openly urged supporters "to collect a Chinese Communist Party bounty on a Conservative candidate. No charges." Five MPs "flipped" to the Liberals in five "convenient" months, handing them a two-seat majority. Meanwhile the House of Commons simply stopped sitting for eight months — Canada governed by executive decree.Beck asked what is really operating in Canada: “Democracy by design, or is it democracy by manipulation?”Then came the 2022 Freedom Convoy. Trudeau "invoked the Emergencies Act," "froze the bank accounts of protesters" and their supporters, and treated peaceful assembly like a national security threat. "Two federal courts, including the Court of Appeal," ruled it unlawful and a Charter violation. The government is still appealing to the Supreme Court — because in Canada, judicial rulings are apparently suggestions.Layer on the censorship bills: C-18 (Online News Act) "that forced Google and Meta to pay Canadian outlets for links." Meta just blocked news entirely. C-11 (Online Streaming Act) put Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify under DEI and "Canadian content mandates." Then there are the coming C-8, C-9, and Online Harms/Safety Act that could turn Scripture into hate literature.Throughout, Beck didn’t need to raise his voice. The facts spoke loudly enough.Property rights? Optional. MAID? Canada’s growth industry.Property rights have been quietly torched too. Ontario’s Bill 212 "lets the province ram through highway projects" and "override municipal bylaws." In Waterloo, the government is in the process of acquiring roughly 770 acres of prime farmland — using NDAs that limit public visibility around land deals, alongside the looming threat of expropriation that puts pressure on landowners to sell. New Brunswick merged municipalities and jacked rural taxes 50%-60%. Rural British Columbia now requires government permission to sell eggs or give riding lessons — or "face a $50,000-a-day fine."In British Columbia, Aboriginal title claims — imposed when the provincial government embraced the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — have turfed homeowners. Native chiefs — who are the only real winners in this land-grab — are claiming huge swaths of the province because their ancestors might have claimed it or occupied it at some time in the past.No matter what the racial yardstick in use, having unique rights or special status based on your ethnicity is blatantly racist and a flagrant violation of equality under the law — a concept that used to define Canada and all democratic countries.And ask Katie Pasitney and Karen Espersen of Universal Ostrich Farms whether farmers really own their land or have any protection from the ravenous Canadian Food Inspection Agency and its vicious “stamping out” policy. The CFIA invaded and occupied their farm and then massacred hundreds of ostriches because it merely suspected the birds of having H5N1 avian influenza. The government bureaucrats refused to test the birds and threatened anyone else who did with a $500,000 fine and six months in jail.And then there’s Medical Assistance in Dying. "Legalized in 2016 for those with reasonably foreseeable deaths," the safeguards were dropped in 2021. "In 2024 alone, 22,535 Canadians requested it; 16,499 received it." That’s 5.1% of all deaths. "From 2016 to 2024, over 76,000 killed by their own government’s health care" system — now the fifth leading cause of death in adults. Doctors are offering MAID for back pain and mental health.As Beck stated with grim precision, "when the state controls your health care and offers death as a solution to its own failures, you’re no longer a citizen. You’re a cost center."RELATED: Aftermath of a slaughter: Universal Ostrich Farms vows to hold Canada accountable Katie PasitneyThe cage is already builtBeck closed with the line that still echoes: “The slide is gradual. The language is polite. The slogans might even make people feel good — until one day, you realize the cage was built around you. You’re free to walk around, but not out.”Canada still has the maple-leaf flag, the Parliament buildings, and the elections. "The forms remain." The substance has been replaced by a "managed oligarchy with democratic trappings." "Power is consolidated now. Dissent is managed. The individual exists to serve the state."Beck turned to the camera and spoke directly to Americans: “Look how far Canada has fallen. Now recognize, America. This is your future.”He’s right. The cage is comfortable, the guards speak softly, and the signage says “Equity, Inclusion, and Safety.” But once the door clicks shut, apologies won’t open it again.Wake up, Canada — maybe it’s time we stopped saying “sorry” and started saying “enough.”A version of this essay originally appeared on Krayden's Right.
The World Health Organization is calling on countries to remove any travel restrictions recently imposed on people coming from Ebola-affected countries. The request comes days after Canada stopped approving visas for Congolese nationals as part of what the federal government said was a temporary measure to reduce the risk of the virus entering and spreading …
For decades, Canadians have thought their property was secure by default. The Cowichan ruling has shattered that illusion.
Don't let them keep endorsing the death of healthy Canadians who might simply be having a bad day.
What happens when a government can order technology companies to create a back door into encrypted communications that even they cannot access?A rare cross-border coalition of Canadian civil-liberties advocates and Republican lawmakers is warning that Canada's proposed surveillance legislation could threaten privacy rights on both sides of the border.'Privacy is not a luxury in a free society.'Sweeping vulnerabilitySupporters of proposed Bill C-22 say such powers are necessary to help law enforcement investigate terrorists, organized crime, and other serious threats in an age of encrypted messaging. Critics counter that once a vulnerability is built into a system, it cannot be confined to one country, one agency, or one investigation.Last Friday, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms presented a petition to the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. More than 40,000 people signed the petition opposing Bill C-22, which would expand the government's ability to obtain electronic communications and other digital evidence during criminal and national security investigations.US oppositionVPN providers are already threatening to leave the Canadian market if the bill becomes law. In a May 7 letter, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree that the legislation could jeopardize privacy rights in both countries."Canada's Bill C-22, currently under consideration in Parliament, would drastically expand Canada's surveillance and data access powers in ways that create significant cross-border risks to the security and data privacy of Americans," the lawmakers wrote."We write to express our concerns that, if enacted, Bill C-22 would allow Canadian government officials to compel American companies to build backdoors into their encrypted systems, thereby introducing systemic vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers, foreign adversaries, and cybercriminals."The lawmakers also warned that the bill's language is sufficiently broad to permit secret ministerial orders."If a U.S.-based provider is forced to redesign its system to facilitate Canadian authorized access to content that is currently inaccessible even to the provider itself, the resulting capability cannot be geographically limited," they wrote. "This directly threatens the privacy of U.S. persons who expect and depend upon robust encryption to protect sensitive communications, health data, financial records, and personal correspondence from unwarranted intrusion."RELATED: Albertans are ready to vote on Canadian secession — so why is their premier stalling? Separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre at a rally in front of the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton, Canada. Henry Marken/Getty ImagesStark termsAt a Friday news conference before submitting the petition to Carney, JCCF board member John Robson, a prominent Ottawa historian and journalist, described the bill in stark terms.“I'm here on Parliament Hill today because we are delivering a petition with 42,344 signatures asking Parliament not to proceed with Bill C-22 ... because [Prime Minister Mark Carney] is the moving force behind this bill, and we're hoping to persuade him that all these signatures from Canadians across the country ... represent legitimate, serious concerns about the scope of this bill,” Robson said.Robson noted that many Canadians and the constitutional scholars at the JCCF “are concerned about Bill C-22 because it would require service providers to compile Canadians' electronic data, to develop systems for extracting information from it and turning it over to the government.”“It's not that Canadians ... are against law enforcement having appropriate powers, including to fight organized crime,” Robson said. “It's one more ham-fisted way of targeting ordinary, law-abiding people instead of adopting tailored measures suitable to the real crime problems. And privacy is not a luxury in a free society.”
The government insists it isn't surveilling ordinary Canadians; it's just requiring every company to store their location data, device information, and daily movements for a year, just in case. The
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods if Canada finalizes a trade agreement with China. Trump stated that Canada would be making a grave mistake and would be "swallowed up" by China. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by asserting his country's autonomy.
Canada’s decision to slash tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles is being sold as a pragmatic trade adjustment. In reality, it looks more like a self-inflicted wound to the country’s auto industry, workforce, and long-term economic sovereignty. Lower prices today may come at the cost of lost manufacturing tomorrow — along with vehicles that struggle with quality and cold-weather reliability in a country where winter is not a minor inconvenience but a defining reality.A vehicle that looks competitive on paper may tell a very different story after several Canadian winters.Under an agreement announced earlier this month, Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into the country each year at a tariff of just 6.1%, down from the 100% rate imposed in 2024. Officials emphasize that this represents less than 3% of the domestic market. But auto markets are shaped at the margins. Even a relatively small influx of aggressively priced vehicles can disrupt pricing, undercut domestic producers, and discourage future investment.Under pressureCanada’s auto sector is deeply integrated with the United States, with parts, vehicles, and labor flowing across the border daily. That system has supported hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs for decades. Introducing low-cost Chinese imports into that ecosystem does not simply add consumer choice; it destabilizes a supply chain already under pressure from regulatory mandates, rising costs, and declining market share.That pressure is already visible. The combined market share of General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis in Canada has fallen from nearly 50% to roughly 36%. These companies are not just brands on a dealership lot. They are employers, investors, and anchors for entire communities. When their market position erodes, the consequences ripple outward through plant closures, canceled expansion plans, and lost supplier contracts.Cold comfortSupporters argue that Chinese EVs will make electric vehicles more affordable, accelerating adoption and helping Canada meet emissions targets. But affordability without durability is a hollow promise. Many Chinese EVs entering global markets have yet to prove themselves in extreme climates. Cold weather is notoriously hard on batteries, reducing range, slowing charging times, and increasing mechanical stress — conditions Canadian winters deliver in abundance.Reports from colder regions already using Chinese EVs raise concerns about performance degradation, software issues, and inconsistent build quality. Battery thermal management systems that perform adequately in mild climates can struggle in deep cold. Door handles freeze, sensors fail, and range estimates become unreliable. These are not minor inconveniences when temperatures plunge and drivers depend on their vehicles for safety as much as transportation.Quality concerns extend beyond climate performance. Chinese automakers have made rapid progress, but speed has often come at the expense of long-term durability testing. Western manufacturers spend years validating vehicles under extreme conditions precisely because failure carries real consequences. A vehicle that looks competitive on paper may tell a very different story after several Canadian winters.Cheap creepThere is also the question of what happens to Canada’s manufacturing base as these imports gain a foothold. History offers a clear lesson. When markets are flooded with low-cost vehicles produced under different labor standards and supported by state-backed industrial policy, domestic production suffers. Plants close, jobs disappear, and skills erode — losses that are extraordinarily difficult to reverse.Europe offers a cautionary example. In the rush to meet climate targets, policymakers opened the door to inexpensive Chinese vehicles, only to see domestic automakers squeezed between regulatory costs and subsidized foreign competition. The result has been declining investment, layoffs, and growing concern about long-term competitiveness. Canada risks repeating that mistake but without Europe’s scale or leverage.RELATED: Exclusive: 'Anti-China moves' pay off BIGLY — Governor Sanders and Arkansas earn A+ for crushing CCP land-grabs Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImageSpy gameThe geopolitical implications cannot be ignored. Modern EVs are data-collecting machines, equipped with cameras, sensors, GPS tracking, and constant connectivity. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that Chinese-built vehicles pose national security risks. Whether or not those fears are fully realized, perception matters. The United States has already signaled that Chinese EVs will not be allowed across its border, even temporarily.That leaves Canadian consumers in a difficult position. A vehicle purchased legally in Canada could become a barrier to travel, commerce, or even family visits. The idea that a car could determine whether a driver can cross the world’s longest undefended border should give policymakers pause. Instead the Carney government appears willing to accept that risk as collateral damage.Realism over resentmentSome Canadians, frustrated by U.S. tariffs and rhetoric, may view this pivot toward China as an act of defiance. But trade policy driven by resentment rather than realism rarely ends well. Replacing dependence on the United States with dependence on China does not restore sovereignty; it simply shifts leverage from one superpower to another, often with fewer shared values and less transparency.President Donald Trump has made his position clear. He is open to Chinese companies building vehicles in North America if they invest in domestic factories and employ domestic workers. What he opposes are imports that bypass production, undermine jobs, and introduce security risks. Canada’s deal does nothing to address those concerns. Instead it places Canadian workers and consumers squarely in the crossfire.The promise of cheaper EVs may sound appealing in the short term, but the long-term costs are becoming harder to ignore. Lost manufacturing jobs, weakened supply chains, unresolved quality and cold-weather issues, and strained relations with Canada’s largest trading partner are not abstract risks. They are predictable outcomes.Canada built its auto industry through integration, investment, and a commitment to quality. Undermining that foundation for a limited influx of low-cost imports is not a strategy. It is a gamble — and one Canadian workers, manufacturers, and drivers are likely to lose.
I take self-custody seriously. Bitcoin, my seed phrases, my communication channels, the phone in my pocket. So when I started reading about Bill C-22, I paid attention.
Projections for higher growth missed the mark amid global turmoil.
Canada’s new sovereign wealth fund is expected to cost $750 million a year in debt interest charges, according to figures from the department of finance. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund, the Canada Strong Fund, on April 27. The federal government will contribute $25 billion over three years to the fund and accept investment from the private sector and individual Canadians. However, the government’s Spring Economic Update did not say where the initial $25 billion for the fund will come from. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne had suggested on April 28 that the money would be borrowed, saying Canada’s strong credit rating allows it to borrow cheaply.
