We continue to tolerate groups that work to restrict our freedoms, large corporations that kowtow to this absurdity, and fund unions that support organizations that most Canadians would vigorously oppose. Pictured: CUPE’s Fred Hahn. Photo Credit: Fred Hahn/X.
This Labour Day weekend is a good time to contemplate the immense shifts we have seen in our political landscape in Canada and the Western countries in general over the past few decades, and what that may mean for our future. It used to be that being called a “liberal” meant someone whose politics were centrist, who valued free speech, freedom of association and individual freedom in general. In recent times, views have become much more polarized with so-called liberals now having moved dramatically to the left, espousing authoritarian views and becoming increasingly more intolerant of anyone with whom they disagree. Freedoms of any kind seem to be a relic of the past. Instead, it is conservatives who now value and promote freedom when formerly they were more in favour of social and economic rigidities.
Recent examples of this trend abound. The latest glaring incident involves the Canada Strong and Free Network (CFSN) conference scheduled for this fall. The CFSN is the successor organization to the Manning Network, a conservative think tank that has been around since 2005. The CFSN had invited Christopher Rufo, an American conservative journalist, as a speaker for their upcoming conference. Rufo is hardly an extremist, as a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, among other reputable affiliations. He is a staunch opponent of critical race theory, which is increasingly viewed as a failed approach which does much more damage than good to young students. Rufo also opposes the discussion of LGBTQ issues in public school curricula, another worrisome development in the public education system that is opposed by many parents.
The prospect of Rufo as a speaker got many leftists agitated, as freedom of speech is not a factor in their world. They went to the extreme of starting an online petition to influence CSFN’s corporate sponsors to withdraw their support because of Rufo’s presence. The people behind the petition were LGBTQ activists and other leftists who believe no one has a right to different opinions from themselves. Sadly, the extreme leftists managed to have various corporate sponsors of the CSFN withdraw their sponsorship.
These corporate cowards included Bruce Power, Mastercard, Sunlife Financial, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Canadian Bankers Association. When media tried to contact these weak corporations, no response was received. These cowards deserve all the negative feedback they can receive, as they were pathetic enough to cave in to a very minimal opposition from far-left activists. To their credit, the CSFN did not flinch in the face of this pathetic opposition, but reinforced their support for free speech, and reiterated their support for hosting Rufo at their conference.
What is even more worrisome than far-left extremists trying to boycott speakers at conferences is the unholy alliance of the Canadian left with Middle East terrorists. The outrageous anti-Semitic hate-fests in our streets in Canada these days is appalling, and the lack of reaction to them by police and other authorities is inexcusable. The fact that public sector unions, financed by our tax dollars, are taking such extreme positions in favour of terrorists should be unacceptable to most Canadians. It is encouraging that there has been increasing opposition to the odious Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, who has been outspoken in his support of the terrorist organization Hamas. Hopefully this represents a shift of public opinion toward a more sensible view of the Middle East conflict in favour of democratic, freedom advocate Israel instead of the terrorist forces.
Labour unions have moved far away from their original focus of support for working people. Today, they champion far-left political causes that have little to do with average working Canadians. But as union dues are forced by law, employees in unionized workplaces have no option but to support these unions that frequently act against the opinions of their members. Although unions claim to be democratic organizations that only act based on votes of their members, it has been proven time and again that union activities do not consider the opinions of most of their members.
In Canada, as in most Western countries, most working people have nothing to do with a union. Public opinion polls show that most Canadians do not want to be unionized. In the private sector, only about 14 per cent of workers belong to a union. The last bastion of union membership is government, where taxpayers are held hostage by government employees who have no competition so can demand more and more from the bottomless pit of taxpayer dollars. In Canada, the fact that about 80 percent of our employment growth in recent years under the Trudeau government has come from increases in unproductive government hiring should be of concern to all Canadians. Unions continue to be the main financial support of leftist causes which work against free speech and welcoming speakers with a variety of points of view.
We are currently at a pivotal point in Western society where our freedoms are under attack from all sides, including those within our ranks. Western society in general will have to decide whether it will stand up for values of freedom, free speech and individual rights, which have always been the underpinnings of our successful society. It’s encouraging that, according to all public opinion polls, Canadians are fed up with Justin Trudeau’s authoritarian approach to government, with its censorship, big government orientation and restrictions on our freedoms. But this Labour Day, it is worrisome that we continue to tolerate groups that work to restrict our freedoms, large corporations that kowtow to this absurdity, and fund unions that support organizations that most Canadians would vigorously oppose. We have a long way to go.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
