Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.Canadians no longer have a thirst for freedom, says American writer Michael Malice. Referring to Canada’s 2025 election, Malice stated, “If Canadians wanted freedom, Carney would have campaigned on it.”Canada today is certainly different from 1982. That was the year that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms became part of Canada's constitution. Everyone was talking about freedom then. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau boasted that Canadians stood on a “mountaintop” of freedom. His predecessor, Lester Pearson, spoke to the world when he received his Nobel Peace Prize. He declared, “There can be no enduring and creative peace if people are unfree.”But something changed in recent years. One theory claims it is fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. So many things were prohibited then. US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito called it a period of "previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty.”Another theory blames the rise of cancel culture, or illiberalism, in academia and popular activist causes like DEI and gender ideology. Author Douglas Murray describes it as "The Madness of Crowds,” while Elon Musk calls it the "woke mind virus.”As these things carried on, one might argue, Canada's love of freedom was worn down.According to Victor Habib, Western countries are entering a new era. The UK politician says that Western politics is no longer “between left and right.” He says we are witnessing a new battle scene between those who value freedom and those who don't and instead support "anti-democratic institutions.” Many Western leaders, he says, now brush aside their citizens and instead align with globalist ideals like the WEF, the WHO, and the EU. A battle is unfolding between freedom and control, he says..An Epoch Times editorial also claims that these globalist groups have little care for individual freedom. Instead, the article says, their ideology seeks "control on all the world's nations" and to "eliminate private property, sovereign states, distinctive races, and the traditional culture of each nation."If Victor Habib is right, then Canada's Liberal government is choosing the anti-freedom side. One example is Prime Minister Carney's steadfast support for globalist organizations. He praises them as "collective problem solving.” In his January 2026 address to the WEF, Carney stated, "It's a pleasure — and a duty — to be with you.”If freedom becomes irrelevant, it also becomes easy to admire dictatorships. So another example is Carney's choice of creating stronger ties with countries like China and Qatar — countries that have terrible freedom scores with organizations like Freedom House. Nonetheless, in January, Carney proudly announced "new strategic partnerships" with these nations.Another example lies in the Liberal government's indifference to the Federal Court of Appeal's rebuke of its use of the Emergencies Act in February 2022. More than illegal, the action was, arguably, the worst failure by a democratic government. It was an awful thing that Canadians never before witnessed. It was "breaking the most supreme law", says MP Andrew Lawton.But should Canadians care about the loss of freedom? Immanuel Kant stated, “freedom is the alone, unoriginated birthright of man.” And Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The absence of freedom is the presence of death.” So, if freedom is the hope of every heart, then its decline is a serious injury.Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” If that is true, then Canadians, who are entering their second decade of Liberal Party rule, need a freedom revival soon.Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.
