Freedom Convoy 2022 verified the very undemocratic nature of the way Canadians formulate, discuss, and think about political issues. This is because Canada has no uncensored forum for public discussion.
Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms highlights our inherent right to freedom of speech, but there are very few opportunities for citizens to publicly voice our ideas. We are all familiar with the censoring of social media. Any statement outside the accepted narrative of a privately owned company is quickly removed. News agencies worldwide, also, follow a very prescribed set of talking points. They provide a narrow view of world events. Even during election campaigns public questions for candidates are limited to very short segments with no informational preamble.
Freedom Convoy 2022 created a public discussion in a forum outside of government or media control. This highlighted a desperate need for a permanent place for responsible citizens to exchange uncensored ideas. Currently, information flows from the censored world of parliamentary chambers, through the filter of media bias to the public. No matter how loud the mainstream media cries “fake news,” it is quite understandable that the average person would search the blogs and discussion boards for a wider range of viewpoints. And, as our federal government seeks to enact the Emergency Measures Act, it is even more imperative that all Canadians are able to discuss laws that could be used to suspend our rights and freedoms. Right now there is no accepted uncensored public venue for such a discussion.
I urge our elected public servants to provide an open, uncensored commons for their constituents. Yes, outrageous ideas will be presented. There will be information that challenges our beliefs. That’s OK. As we determine the validity of information, Canadians need to consider all sides of a question. The current trickle of ideas from our news sources does not allow the public to participate in our modern democratic society. Give Canadians a public place to talk to, and amongst, other Canadians.
Gary Raddysh
Chilliwack
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