The freedom of Canadians is in trouble everywhere, including Saskatchewan. On May 8, protestors against the naked authoritarianism of endless lockdowns will make a direct challenge to the province’s authority..The Moe government believes their threats will deter people from attending, but he’s almost certainly wrong. The government’s tightening grip is more likely to provoke people to attend..Although Saskatchewan’s restrictions aren’t as bad as other provinces, that means very little, especially compared to neighbouring American states, most of which are enjoying life returning to some kind of normal. .In the land of living skies, children run with masks on in gym classes as if that were healthy. Wal-Marts are full, but churches must remain two-thirds empty. Ten people can gather outside, but when 11 do, they can be fined $10,400. These arbitrary, unconstitutional violations cannot be justified, but the authorities that insist this is evidence-based never seem keen to provide said evidence..The situation is all too much like the Jean Charest Liberal government of Quebec. In 2011, Charest made an earnest effort to restore his province to a balanced budget. One obvious target was lowering the provincial subsidy for university tuition. Quebec tuition was less than half that of the Canadian average and was still enviably cheap after the subsidy was reduced. Although the left-leaning student population found something to protest, most Quebecers paying the taxes recognized the change was justified..The problem came in 2012 when Charest brought in Bill-78, “An Act to enable students to receive instruction from the post-secondary institutions they attend.” The bill was passed as an emergency measure. It forbade picketing or protest near university grounds, and required police approval for any protest anywhere in Quebec of more than 50 people. .The heavy-handed law was the undoing of the government, even though it was set to expire one year after its passage. Quebecers never gave the government that year, and the Parti Quebecois came to power in the next election. The PQ government repealed the tuition increases and most aspects of Bill-78 before they could expire. Governments that bite off more than its people can chew end up getting spit out..All of this brings us back to Saskatchewan. A large freedom rally is planned in downtown Regina May 8, and the provincial government is none-to-happy about it..The size of the Regina rally could rival the one Saskatoon had in March. Police counted hundreds in attendance and organizers claimed more than a thousand. It seems beyond coincidence that on May 3, five days prior to Regina’s upcoming event, the province decided to up fines for attending an event of more than 10 people from $2,800 to the new level of $10,400. It is a wildly authoritarian measure that begs defiance from those who value freedom above the power of the state..With some irony, the event will be held in Victoria Park, which had its statue of Sir John A. MacDonald removed because some viewed the legacy of the Father of Confederation as “harmful.” .Tamara Lavoie has four fines so far and expects a fifth. She recently posted a picture on Facebook with a lighter underneath four fines and four court summons and wrote: “$2800…$7500…$10k…it really makes no difference to me. Unlawful tickets from the criminal government make the best kindling no matter which fake fine price you tack on them,” she wrote..Moe’s attempt to clamp down makes Saskatchewan less free. It makes Saskatchewan complicit in the pan-Canadian effort to stifle dissent. It makes Saskatchewan’s government little better than the authoritarian premiers next door in Alberta and Manitoba. .Freedom is like a muscle. If you don’t exercise it, it atrophies. Unfortunately for Premier Moe, his crackdown is only likely to spur more defiance. .Lee Harding is the Saskatchewan Political Columnist for the Western Standard
