Mark Carney stood at Davos, in front of the world elite, and referenced The Power of the Powerless, an essay by playwright and fromer Czech President Vaclav Havel. It tells of a shopkeeper hanging a “Workers of the world, unite” sign in his window though he doesn’t believe it, just to avoid trouble. Havel called this "living within a lie" and it was based on life behind the Iron Curtain under the communist political system of Soviet Russia.
Carney quoted the passage at length, then told the crowd that it’s time for countries and companies to "take their signs down." He said this as though he had some kind of integrity, as though he had any kind of leg to stand on in telling Canadians or the world that they should stand up for what they believe in against conformist forces. He was referring to what he sees as the overreach of the United States.
But Canadians don’t need a lecture on enforced conformity from Mark Carney or any Liberal. These are the ones who enforced conformity to their ideology countless times, whether those who accepted the boot on their neck agreed with them or not.
During COVID, the Trudeau Liberals made it the state’s mission to break the will of those who did not agree with the government’s enforced consensus. Businesses were required to shut down, vaccine passports dictated who could work or travel—in clear violation of their charter right to free movement, or gather for worship. Protests and protesters were vilified and made out to be cartoonish racists who also desecrate statues of national heroes like Terry Fox.
These were men and women who took their grievances to Ottawa to say they wanted to work and live their lives without the barabric authoritarian Covid lockdowns and mandates that in some provinces prevented people from leaving their homes to walk their dogs except during specified times.
Dissent was treated as a threat and compliance was mandatory in every meaningful way.
Enter Mark Carney, who was not the prime minister during this time, but was also not some silent bystander. Carney served as an advisor to the government, in February 2022 going further than most elected officials were willing to go publicly, as he was basically the chosen heir of lockdown prince Justin Trudeau.
In an op-ed written as the Freedom Convoy grasped the attention of the world and inspired millions, Carney declared the protest “seditious.” He didn't say they were simply disorderly or misguided. In what many embarrassed Canadians could see as our cringy little brother syndrome kicking in, with our politicians wanting our very own January 6 moment. He accused donors of “funding sedition” and called on authorities to “choke off the money.” He framed a peaceful, grassroots movement as “dangerous infrastructure” and urged punishment for those who supported it.
What happened next? Protesters bank accounts were frozen. Financial institutions followed government orders in locking ordinary Canadians out of their own money. Not just protesters, either but people who had donated to protest causes lost access to their finances without charges or due process.
So who is Carney now to speak about honesty, courage, and removing false symbols from windows? Honesty and courage are to be crushed and their bank accounts frozen, in the eyes of Canada's prime minister. Those banks were not able to rip the signs of compliance out of their proverbial windows, and when regular citizens tried to buck the Liberal signage, they were vilified and arrested.
Carney also made claims that were unfounded, which were at the time convenient for the Liberals’ framing that this was somehow a foreign-funded insurrection. Carney alleged foreign funding of an “insurrection,” despite testimony showing the overwhelming majority of donations came from Canadians themselves.
Carney stood on stage before world leaders at Davos and earnestly quoted an essay about being punished for nonconformity. And he was cheered. He’s the perfect guy to tell us all about bucking government or cultrally imposed conformity, though not in the way he thinks.
The COVID years taught aware Canadians something important: When leaders talk about values, “truth,” and the greater good, those words often come with consequences for people who don’t fall in line. When Carney says it’s time to take the signs down, Canadians can look back and ask who demanded they be put up in the first place?
Carney quoted the passage at length, then told the crowd that it’s time for countries and companies to "take their signs down." He said this as though he had some kind of integrity, as though he had any kind of leg to stand on in telling Canadians or the world that they should stand up for what they believe in against conformist forces. He was referring to what he sees as the overreach of the United States.
But Canadians don’t need a lecture on enforced conformity from Mark Carney or any Liberal. These are the ones who enforced conformity to their ideology countless times, whether those who accepted the boot on their neck agreed with them or not.
During COVID, the Trudeau Liberals made it the state’s mission to break the will of those who did not agree with the government’s enforced consensus. Businesses were required to shut down, vaccine passports dictated who could work or travel—in clear violation of their charter right to free movement, or gather for worship. Protests and protesters were vilified and made out to be cartoonish racists who also desecrate statues of national heroes like Terry Fox.
These were men and women who took their grievances to Ottawa to say they wanted to work and live their lives without the barabric authoritarian Covid lockdowns and mandates that in some provinces prevented people from leaving their homes to walk their dogs except during specified times.
Dissent was treated as a threat and compliance was mandatory in every meaningful way.
Enter Mark Carney, who was not the prime minister during this time, but was also not some silent bystander. Carney served as an advisor to the government, in February 2022 going further than most elected officials were willing to go publicly, as he was basically the chosen heir of lockdown prince Justin Trudeau.
In an op-ed written as the Freedom Convoy grasped the attention of the world and inspired millions, Carney declared the protest “seditious.” He didn't say they were simply disorderly or misguided. In what many embarrassed Canadians could see as our cringy little brother syndrome kicking in, with our politicians wanting our very own January 6 moment. He accused donors of “funding sedition” and called on authorities to “choke off the money.” He framed a peaceful, grassroots movement as “dangerous infrastructure” and urged punishment for those who supported it.
What happened next? Protesters bank accounts were frozen. Financial institutions followed government orders in locking ordinary Canadians out of their own money. Not just protesters, either but people who had donated to protest causes lost access to their finances without charges or due process.
So who is Carney now to speak about honesty, courage, and removing false symbols from windows? Honesty and courage are to be crushed and their bank accounts frozen, in the eyes of Canada's prime minister. Those banks were not able to rip the signs of compliance out of their proverbial windows, and when regular citizens tried to buck the Liberal signage, they were vilified and arrested.
Carney also made claims that were unfounded, which were at the time convenient for the Liberals’ framing that this was somehow a foreign-funded insurrection. Carney alleged foreign funding of an “insurrection,” despite testimony showing the overwhelming majority of donations came from Canadians themselves.
Carney stood on stage before world leaders at Davos and earnestly quoted an essay about being punished for nonconformity. And he was cheered. He’s the perfect guy to tell us all about bucking government or cultrally imposed conformity, though not in the way he thinks.
The COVID years taught aware Canadians something important: When leaders talk about values, “truth,” and the greater good, those words often come with consequences for people who don’t fall in line. When Carney says it’s time to take the signs down, Canadians can look back and ask who demanded they be put up in the first place?
