Let’s start with Bill C-11 (online censorship), which has been coming at us like a slow-motion train wreck since before the last federal election. It finally passed the Senate, for a second time, when Senators gave it the green light, in spite of the fact that the amendments they proposed when it first came to them were categorically rejected by the Liberal / NDP coalition in the House.

Upon receiving Royal Assent, C-11 becomes the law of the land and will be used—no shred of doubt—to censor political opinion that contradicts Liberal talking points. The Liberal / NDP House had rejected a Senate amendment to protect the free speech rights of social media users, although the government has since said—informally—that those rights would continue. Given their history and the fact that they objected to those rights being included in the bill, it seems very likely a hollow promise. If they’ve been willing to violate the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Charter, an assertion of good will with no written commitment does little to reassure opponents of the current socialist regime that our right to express concerns will be respected.

So C-11 is another nail in the coffin. The leftist-dominated CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) is now the de facto arbiter of truth for Canadian internet content. One wonders why the Senate—the “Chamber of Sober Second Thought”—has passed into law this bill about which many Senators had initially raised concerns. The answer to that lies in the fact that PM Trudeau has now appointed 66 Canadian Senators during his time in office. There are currently 16 vacancies of the potential 105 Senate seats. While Mr. Trudeau made a show of dissolving the Liberal Caucus in the Senate, all his appointees were picked for their “progressive” views, and he can count on them to support his legislative actions. Woe to Canada! Even after the next federal election, any positive change in the House of Commons will be undermined by the predetermined socialist leanings of the so-called “independent” senators.

So what else is coming down the pike? One bill—among several—that really concerns me is Senate Bill-233 (Universal Basic Income or UBI), introduced by Senator Kim Pate way back on December 16, 2021. Her bill has been simmering in the background all this time but passed Second Reading on April 18, 2023. The bill would redistribute $24,000 every year from revenues contributed by Canadian taxpayers to every Canadian resident over 17 years of age, including refugees and immigrants and would have no controls based on whether or not the individual was working, seeking work or going to school. It would include some means-testing, so those already earning a certain level of income would not receive the benefit, but critics—like me—argue that it would automatically create disincentives to work, to seek employment or to earn more than the threshold set by government. There are estimates of the cost of implementing this plan that range all the way from $47.5 billion to a whopping $464 billion per annum.

The gap in those estimates largely derives from the extent and application of means-testing and the unknowable impact of a guaranteed living income on human behaviour. Proponents of Bill S-233 are counting on Canadians working hard in spite of the temptation to sit on the couch; they also place their confidence in computer-generated expectations that an unconditional living allowance would reduce medical and policing costs by up to 8.5%. We all know about computer-generated predictions in regard to climate change and vaccinations. In my opinion, human nature—given the choice—will tend toward more reliance on the state and less motivation to exert unnecessary efforts to survive.

Ms. Pate particularly thinks that removing anxiety from low-income people will reduce mental illness and crime. I expect the opposite is true. Mankind was created in the image of God with work being something for which we are designed. Work is not only a means to a paycheque. As individuals, we find satisfaction and fulfilment in our work, and those who do not work are missing an incredible element in their mental and emotional development. Idleness can lead to boredom and drug use which in turn contribute to mental stress.

The ultimate goal of both censorship and universal welfare is a society controlled by the state: unable to peacefully protest and dependent on government for basic needs, citizens will basically become slaves of the state. The economy will inevitably suffer, and the high-sounding phrases about justice and equality will be but meaningless slogans in a nation without truth or freedom and without the necessary ingredients of creativity and personal initiative.

The goals of our current government are plain to see for those who have not been blinded by their propaganda. You can help us fight and reverse this trend by joining or supporting us at chp.ca.