Canada needs to return to being a country of laws, economics, and accountability.

Following the Federal Court of Canada’s ruling on the use of the Emergencies Act in early 2022 was an over-reach of that Act’s intent – it brought forth some salient recollections from that tense time.

Partisanship aside, it’s a relief to see that our interpretation of the legal glue that holds us together is not just a collection of paper that can be routinely ignored by governments.

Reflecting on the position many of us took at the time on the abusive over-reach of the government’s actions two years ago allows some ‘rear-view mirror’ assessments:

1. Positively – it’s good to see that some of Canada’s highest jurists read the law the same way as reasonable Canadians. Part of the crisis of this government’s consistent legal over-reach is that Canadians are becoming confused by what is the real ‘rule of law’ that binds us. Partisanship aside, it’s a relief to see that our interpretation of the legal glue that holds us together is not just a collection of paper that can be routinely ignored by governments.

2. Freezing Canadians’ bank accounts who haven’t transgressed any law is a dictatorial over-step that has precedential impacts on the concept of the government’s ability to wrest individuals’ assets – and their very ability to sustain themselves — without legal rationale or recourse. That our banks went along willingly is also tragic. The government clearly tried to establish a mechanism that destroyed our trust in the integrity of our financial accounts. Will future moves to remove earned benefits be equally justifiable? It also affects the faith we need to store in our currency – which is a secondary currency in world markets.

3. All in all, based on the responses we saw from the highest levels of government, this is all really just ‘water off a duck’s back’. Canadians will forget, and move on to the next crisis this government puts in front of them. Accountability for gross mis-governance of our country, our financial system, and our legal framework will be ignored, and the unceasing efforts of ‘divide and conquer’ – so often on display by this cabal – will continue unabated.

It’s a small victory – and we need to ensure Canadians see that it is a continued pattern of behaviour from this irresponsible band of self-serving manipulators. Canada needs to return to being a country of laws, economics, and accountability.

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My comments of February 19, 2022 are even more valid now.

Raising my voice against the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act