The wave of protests across Canada against vaccine mandates are signs of growing tensions that the federal government doesn’t represent the views of many people. It’s time for election reform.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks across an empty Wellington St. to a news conference on Feb. 22.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Emergencies Act could have been in place for 30 days or more. But 10 days after it was invoked, the government is now confident it can keep Canadians safe with existing laws.
Debris lies on the ground in front of Parliament Hill’s gates after police took action to clear Ottawa streets of trucks and protesters opposed to vaccine mandates.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
There have been bigger protests in other Canadian cities, but the so-called freedom convoy against vaccine mandates could be a sign of a rise in right-wing and libertarian sentiments.
A person holds a copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms during the so-called freedom convoy protest on Parliament Hill.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The Canadian Constitution compels a proportionate weighing of all Charter rights against the threat of COVID-19, meaning that individual freedom is not absolute.
Protesters from across Canada came to the nation’s capital in Ottawa to demonstrate against vaccine mandates and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canada’s international reputation as a relatively peaceful country is at odds with the noisy protests by people opposed to measures aimed at preventing COVID-19.
Conservative Party interim leader Candice Bergen smiles as she rises for the first time since assuming the position during Question Period in the House of Commons.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Democracy benefits from the electoral viability of an alternative party on the centre-right. An unelectable, far-right Conservative Party will solidify the Liberal Party’s dominance.
Movements like the ‘freedom convoy’ in Canada use similar language and sentiments as those expressed by followers of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shown here in 2020 in New Delhi.
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
A study of global far-right movements and their hashtags on Twitter have revealed similarities that display a reliance on long-held myths, including the idea of a “golden age of freedom.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, surrounded by key members of his cabinet, announces his government will invoke the Emergencies Act.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. His father had invoked its predecessor, the War Measures Act, more than half a century earlier.
Tibetans use the Olympic Rings as a prop as they hold a street protest against the 2022 Winter Olympics in Dharmsala, India on Feb. 3, 2021.
(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
The truckers’ convoy has travelled from out west to Parliament Hill and Toronto. Along the way, the responses of law enforcement agencies are affected by both internal and external politics.
People hold signs during a singing of O Canada during a rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Parliament Hill.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
When the ‘freedom convoy’ heads home, governments will be keen to avoid similar events. Angry protest movements are volatile and have lasting consequences, as the rise of Trumpism shows.
People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a rally in Kingston, Ont., in November 2021. Ottawa’s proposals to bypass publishing vaccine mandate guidelines goes against the principles of good governance.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
In a time-honoured tradition of Canadian democracy, government regulations become public when they appear in the Canada Gazette. That’s why Ottawa’s proposal to bypass that step is so troublesome.
People wait in line — some for over two hours — at a PCR COVID-19 test site in Toronto.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
Canadians need to rethink their relationship to the pandemic by learning to live in a state of continual disaster for the foreseeable future.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Amid another flurry of U.S. protectionist measures, Canada should reconsider the value of global trade deals over bilateral agreements. But it should also support its own industries.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon delivers the throne speech in the Senate as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and her husband Whit Fraser look on.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Inflation rates are rising around the world due to pandemic-related pressures. What does it mean for the federal government in the months and years ahead? The throne speech didn’t offer many clues.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman, looks towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, bottom right, as they arrive at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A progressive government can and should take a principled approach to foreign policy. That means Canada’s Liberals must stop pitting good jobs at home against human rights abroad.
The Peace Tower is seen through rushes in October 2021. Rookie MPs will be facing a unique set of challenges with the House resumes this fall.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
COVID-19 and increased public hostility towards politicians present rookie MPs with unique challenges as they begin their responsibility to serve Canadians.
Our first-past-the-post electoral system works poorly when there are lots of three-way races and even some four-way races. Seats can be won with far less than a majority, meaning it’s time to revisit electoral reform.
Pietro Mattia/Unsplash
New research offers a new electoral system that can deliver proportionality and even enhance local representation.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau waves as he leaves a poling station after casting his ballot in his riding of Papineau, in Montréal, on Sept. 20, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
While the recent federal election maintained the status quo, there were moments on the campaign trail that reflected the fragility of Canadian democracy.