I am writing again this week about the Trump regime in the United States, especially related to events that have recently unfolded. To those who would say, ‘Oh, not again, what does that have to do with Canada?’ let me remind you of the old maxim, ‘one horse one rabbit.’ Think of Russia versus Ukraine, China versus Taiwan, and the United States versus Canada, all superpowers with covetous eyes on sovereign entities close by.
In terms of Canada, what happens in the United States inevitably casts a shadow on what happens, or what could happen, here on Canadian soil. We must never forget that.
Recently, a front-page story in the Toronto Star was headlined, “America’s most cherished freedom under threat.” This was followed by a sub-headline that stated, “Silencing of Kimmel following Kirk comments follows pattern seen in authoritarian regimes.”
In the article, Allan Woods, the author, says, “U.S President Donald Trump didn’t silence late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, not directly. But he is the architect of a political climate that contributed to the popular comedian’s show being pulled off the air by broadcaster ABC and its parent company Disney.”
Kerry Kennedy is the niece of former President John F. Kennedy and the sister of Robert F. Kennedy Junior, currently Secretary of Health in the Trump Administration. Just a few days ago, she said, “I’ve been working on human rights issues for 45 years and all around the world the first target of autocrats is always free speech. That’s what is happening in our country right now and it’s the most dangerous thing that can happen in a democracy.”
Last week, Sally Barnes, a renowned journalist and political strategist, wrote a guest article for Listen Up! where at least one subsequent comment accused her of comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. She did not do that. What she did do, however, was compare the public complicity of that time in Germany and elsewhere to the comparable complicity in the United States today.
And that complicity today, in less than a year, has led to an authoritarian government in the United States of America. The umbrella for Canada’s safety and security by being next door to what was the largest democracy and defender of the free world, has disappeared, almost over-night.
An overstatement? I don’t think so.
George Conway, a political commentator, a Lawyer, a Republican, and a fierce critic of Donald Trump, made no bones about it. “What we have isn’t traditional conservatism. It isn’t traditional republicanism. It is authoritarianism. But I think a better word for it would be gangsterism. We don’t have Ronald Regan anymore. We have Tony Soprano.”
So, let’s look at what an authoritarian wannabe can do when they obtain power.
First of all, as has been pointed out here, freedom of expression or free speech comes under attack. People who exercise that freedom by criticizing Donald Trump immediately become a target for the President. In the United States, the latest example is Jimmy Kimmel being kicked off the air because he dared to raise the possibility that the assassin of Charlie Kirk could have had some connection to MAGA based on the political persuasion of his family. Is that hate speech? No. It is conjecture, a legitimate facet of free speech.
Donald Trump does not hide who he is or what he wants to accomplish. He lays it all out front. He makes it clear that he will do whatever he can to attack and punish people who oppose him and stop them from exercising their rights under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
He has not hesitated to say that he will seek revenge on his perceived enemies, and he has started that ball rolling by publicly “ordering” his attorney general to indict former FBI Director James Comey and others on his hit list of revenge. He has said plainly that there are more to come.
Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer, raised the alarm about this when he said, “We have a president ordering his Attorney General to indict his enemies and the Attorney General says, yes sir, how fast can I get it done for you?”
Donald Trump has supported efforts to redraw congressional districts to help ensure that Democrats never hold office again. He claims to be a Christian but says right out loud that he “hates” Democrats and will destroy them if he can. Hardly Christian-like.
Just as Trump and his MAGA supporters have infiltrated the Republican Party, they have also infiltrated some parts of the Christian Church.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who was a member of the evangelical church, has said, “Evangelical Christianity has been hijacked by people who would have given Jesus himself the boot if he knocked on their door.”
Donald Trump also shows little support for international law or agreements. While Vladimir Putin is sending armed drones into European countries, the Trump administration is shooting at ships in international waters and threatening to launch attacks inside Venezuela. All of these are illegal acts of aggression that have the potential of leading to war. In addition to that, Trump has not hesitated to use military forces against their own citizens, another tactic reminiscent of earlier global confrontations.
Trump’s recent speech at the United Nations, seen by most world leaders, friendly or otherwise, showed an American president who appeared almost unhinged, denying climate change, criticizing his allies, calling out traditional institutions, and making little to no effort to avoid lying when it suited him to do so.
What more needs to be said to define an autocrat? And what more needs to be said about complicity when Congress in America could stop this, yet does absolutely nothing about it?
Donald Trump and his MAGA movement want to redefine free speech to conform only to reflect what they want to do. In my view, and from their perspective, they have built an autocratic regime in the United States and are prepared to take whatever steps they deem necessary to protect it.
Expressing strong or even aggressive opinions about what the government is doing is not hate speech. It is free speech and must be carefully guarded.
The United States Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect even deeply offensive or unpopular expressions of speech unless they cross the line into direct threats, incitement, lawless action, or obscenity. Then it becomes hate speech.
A news host suggesting that 700,000 Americans should be killed by involuntary lethal injections or another news host advocating the bombing of the United Nations building in New York City could well be seen to have crossed that line and become hate speech.
But standing up to tyranny, authoritarian governance at your doorstep, or threats to your sovereignty, is not hate speech. It is free speech, fundamentally important to a democratic society, for without it, citizens lose both their voice and their power to hold political leaders accountable. That is the lifeblood that separates a free people from obedient servants.
We can not, and we must not, lose sight of that.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Mr. Mackenzie; you could not write too much on free speech, differentiating it from hate speech for me. Or to call out the many examples of the rise of authoritarianism. Thank you.
Kathryn Henderson, I suggest your amplified rhetoric “our communist government” reflects some of your own fears. I know it is difficult to accept the thought that DJT is psychologically and physically unwell. In my opinion, his policies are one thing. However, HOW he enacts them is chaotic, lawless, and cruel. Once again, I offer the suggestion that you consider googling “malignant narcissism” to gain some understanding of his neediness and behaviours that are easy to spot. He does not keep his word (oral or written).
Josephine McClelland, I suggest that the Ottawa protest convoy was not silenced (plenty of news coverage, for example). It was the convoy prolonged takeover of parts of the city of Ottawa, impeding the spaces and safety of Ottawa citizens that became an important issue to address with legitimate action.
Finally, Daryl Annesley, I couldn’t agree with you more.
“We don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement.” That is the freedom of speech that is being disseminated by the American Secretary of War. Seems the use of napalm, phosphor munitions and the A-bomb aren’t horrific enough for those in charge in the US today. They want to revert to the barbarism that has been used by some nations in recent conflicts. That way hegseth and trump seem to believe they will win. Win what I wonder? Who is the target?
We’ve heard this type of rant before from American ‘chicken hawks’. But the public seemed to be able to digest only so much. This pair of despots are about to see if they can force feed it to the nation.
I don’t believe that there can be a conflict without ‘war crime’ to some extent. Soldiers fighting for their lives will do some unspeakable things. I know that if it were to be him or me, I would do whatever to make it him. But I don’t think barbarism would be my original intention.
Talk is just talk and this pair is gassing. You can bet your ass that it will be other soldiers fighting in this total war they envision. They won’t be reverting back to the war footing of Richard III. “A horse. A horse. My kingdom for a horse.” Where the monarch (read president) brandishes his sword and person at the head of the troops. This secretary of war won’t be walking point with a platoon of men into any “valley of death”.
And ‘the donald’ proposes to practice inside the confines of states and cities that are not republican. The whole scenario is surreal. More like an action movie script than government conduct within a nation. I’m afraid our American neighbor may have to fight to save their democracy. Will it be the ‘total war’ being expounded by todays chicken hawks?
The barbarians aren’t at the gates. They are already inside them.
So very true, Hughie. So pleased you have written this. Just wish it was
national news.
Perfect summation!
I fear we are the next Ukraine.
You know what we need to first look in our own back yard . Silenced protesters in Ottawa froze bank accounts as well. Also our social media is not allowed to share any news due to oh yes Canadian Government. Instead of looking for fault in USA look at our own crap Government first Mr. Mac Kenzie and then once you clean up our crap in our yard maybe you can condemn USA .
Hugh Mackenzie: It is difficult to pick a single outstanding facet of the ongoing American political ‘s$&t show’ named trump. There are so many. But freedom of speech is certainly front and center. And it is impossible to fathom or rationalize his meandering rants. Don’t expect logic and truth in any form.
But a few things stand out for me. The man is using the American enlisted as instruments against his and their own people. A dangerous act in my estimation. It’s like poking a hive to get a reaction from the bees. Will some city or group finally snap. If you let a child have a stick, eventually they will smack someone with it. It seems that he is hoping some group will react and he will have the stick handy to smack them with. Very ‘brownshirt’.
And the concentrating of the military upper echelon in one place? For a sort of pep talk? Even to calling in zone command and leaving the ranks in contested areas. What sort of military leadership would do that? Under different circumstances they could all be gone in one big bang.
The use of the FBI and the courts to silence dissention is a cruel political twist. I don’t imagine that too many politicos achieved their status without a few bodies being buried along the way. Parties never before employed a grudge to the extent that ‘the donald’ is doing. If you actively search for a felony, I imagine that there is no lawmaker without a blemish. So now they are looking and threatening to bring their opposite numbers” to Justice”. And with partisan judges??
It doesn’t seem to matter to the Republicans that what they are doing can be done to them. If the control slips, what sort of a mess do we get then. Revenge on a grand scale? Americans destroy each other with greater gusto than most people.
And it seems there is no way for them to talk things out. Their freedom of speech is being usurped. by a cretin who is intent on showing us all that “action speak louder than words”.
An idiom for an idiot.
My opinion.
We should be following Trumps example. Close the borders. If our communist government would play nice with Trump we could work.out a deal with the tarrifs. Canada use to be the greatest country. Free and lots of industry. Not now. Carney is adding to the debt without even having a budget. Carney gave 22 million to the war which we should have nothing to do with. Carney needs to put Canadians first and fix Canada.
Unhinged is an understatement.!
Your column is spot on and decidedly scary. But we can’t look away. Instead of throwing our hands up and saying, “I’m just one person, there’s nothing I can do,” there are some concrete steps Canadians can take:
-Know your rights: Section 2(b) of the Charter protects free expression.
-Speak up: Write to MPs, post, publish, and engage respectfully.
-Support independent media & local journalism.
-Demand transparency in laws and online regulations.
-Defend the principle, even when you disagree.
Canada has strong traditions of free expression, but those freedoms depend on citizens actively protecting them, especially given how debates about speech, misinformation, and censorship are intensifying in the U.S.