Stop exaggerating
We need to stop exaggerating. For years now government, media and citizens have been engaging in overblown rhetoric. Canada is facing serious problems. Inflation, homelessness, opioid addiction, work shortages and recession are plaguing us in ways we have never seen before. Bending the truth and exaggerating won’t solve these problems. What do I mean by this, and how can we solve this?
Well first let’s stop calling each other names. Anyone who disagrees with you is not an extremist. Conservatives are not Nazis. Anyone right of center is not determined to oppress you. Tradition is not oppressive, and history does not need to be erased or “reimagined.” By the same token, those who believe there is a role for government, or concerned about workers rights, are not always Marxist radicals. None of this is true, yet the exaggeration/insult game continues.
We are all affected by this. In the newly polarized Canada, exaggeration’s first victim is the truth. Canadians at the highest level, as well as the average citizen, are using invective and exaggeration to divide the nation. Others are using unsupported views to influence the public or justify their questionable actions.
We should all be concerned about this. The attempt to push Bill C-11 on the Canadian public is a prime example. Authorities here and abroad, including Peter Menzies, a former vice chair of the CRTC, have expressed their deep concern about C-11 which is likely to limit free expression, a guaranteed Charter right, and yet the government is pushing ahead with it. Why? Because of exaggeration, the exaggerated fear of “misinformation” and unidentifiable “dark forces.”
We don’t need draconian legislation based on this. We don’t need limits on our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. As a result of this many Canadians now live in fear, a fear we did not feel before. Nobody wants to cross a line that could result in job loss, ostracization, being “cancelled” or even physical harm. The bottom line, folks, is that we all deserve to live in a Canada where we are free to express ourselves, do not have to live in fear, and are not subjected to untruths and exaggeration by each other or the government. That’s the Canada many of us remember. Right now we don’t have it. Let’s hope we get it back soon.
Perry Foster
Duncan