WIECHNIK: The absurdity of civilian resistance in a disarmed Canada

The Globe and Mail has reported that the Canadian Armed Forces quietly put together a hypothetical scenario of the United States military invading Canada.The results — if you’ve been paying any attention to Canada’s military over the last decade — were what you probably expected.According to two senior government officials who leaked the model, planners expect American forces to overwhelm Canada’s conventional land and sea defences within several days or, in the worst-case scenario, as quickly as 48 hours.Since Canada lacks both the personnel and equipment to resist an attack against what is quite possibly the largest war machine ever created in human history, the model calls for “unconventional warfare.”.Toronto police refuse participation in Ottawa’s gun grab.That’s right, folks, get the Viet Cong and Taliban training manuals out; we’re going full insurgency, full guerrilla.The plan calls for small, decentralized groups to launch ambushes on occupying forces, as well as sabotage of infrastructure, the use of drones, and all-around hit-and-run attacks. The aim is to impose mass casualties on US forces.However, the timing of this revelation couldn’t be more ironic, as this past weekend the Liberal government rolled out its national firearms “buyback” program for individuals.Since May 2020, Ottawa has prohibited more than 2,500 specific makes and models of firearms through successive cabinet orders..Despite those bans, however, there is no official public accounting of how many firearms are actually affected. The federal government does not publish a definitive count of how many prohibited firearms exist in Canada or how many were owned by Canadians at the time of prohibition.The figure most often cited — roughly 150,000 firearms — comes from Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates used to model potential compensation costs.Firearms owner groups and industry analysts argue that this figure significantly understates reality, suggesting the true number of banned firearms in circulation could be closer to 300,000 to 500,000 units, based on historical registration data, ownership patterns, and the prevalence of models such as the SKS rifle.For the sake of the military planners, they’d better hope it’s close to half a million for what they have planned..MAUSER: Armed citizens are an asset.However, we’ve got a severe case of mixed signals if everyday Canadians are being told we’re the last line of defence against resisting a hostile occupation, yet on the other hand, we’re being told we can’t be trusted with the kinds of firearms that would be most effective for that role.AR-15-type rifles and SKS variants with detachable magazines?No can do, bucko, Liberal Karens have been complaining for years that those look too scary and are “dangerous, assault-style firearms,” unsuitable for civilian ownership.If Public Safety Minister “Gun Grab” Gary Anandasangaree has his way, you’ll be lucky if you can rustle up a muzzleloader with your own black powder supply..Grandpa’s hunting rifle could take out a few Yanks if you know what you’re doing, but those are odds I wouldn’t want to take against trained US Marines.Yet, somehow, the Globe reports that military planners are actively discussing scenarios involving armed volunteers providing resistance or disruption if Canada were occupied.Military conscription has been ruled out “for now,” but Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, has already spoken of building a reserve force of more than 400,000 volunteers.Armed volunteers? Civilian resistance? Sounds like a well-regulated militia. .Ottawa's gun grab program for individuals goes national, Prairies refuse to play along .How very American of you, Canada.Perhaps the most striking part of the whole situation has been the reaction online, particularly from the political left.Patriotism that was notably absent when discussing government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Freedom Convoy, and the Emergencies Act, or possible interference from an actual authoritarian regime (China), is suddenly on full display.The same voices that spent years insisting firearms ownership had no legitimate purpose in Canada have suddenly discovered their inner Rambos when potentially faced with the evil legions of the Orange Man Imperium..All that’s left is for a DEI Isaac Brock of the new multicultural Canada to stand up, be counted, die a martyr, and then we’ll be launching a maple blitzkrieg to burn down the White House again in no time.This whole debacle also raises another uncomfortable question: who, exactly, is expected to fight?Napoleon Bonaparte said that, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of coloured ribbon,” but if the current Laurentian elite believe young men will willingly die in a guerrilla war for a political class that has presided over collapsing affordability, stagnant wages, broken institutions, flooding their country with millions of third-world immigrants, and a shredded social contract, they’re sadly mistaken.The prevailing mood among young men such as those in Gen Z today is not patriotic fervour but alienation. .No job, no family, no future? No society for you.Can’t say I blame them, really; it’s hard to be patriotic when it seems like the biggest traitor is your own government.A recent EKOS survey showed that some Canadians like the idea of armed resistance.The poll found that 59% of Canadians believe Canada should fight back if the United States used military force against Canadian territory..Among Liberal supporters, that figure rises to 78%. NDP supporters came second at 73%.Conservatives were far more skeptical, with only 38% supporting resistance.In my experience, it’s usually people on the right side of the political spectrum in this country who know what they’re talking about when it comes to firearms or a fight.It’s difficult to square our current reality with liberal fantasies of a Canuck-style Red Dawn. Millions of Canadians are law-abiding firearms owners and will defend their homes given the chance, but the current government is sending very mixed signals when it actively tries to disarm its own law-abiding populace..BURTON: Mark Carney’s Davos pivot from globalization’s architect to its critic.And even if the will exists to fight, the competence question remains.How seriously should Canadians take Ottawa's assurances about defence or firearms policy when our senior officials struggle with what should be primary tasks like competently managing the healthcare and immigration systems?A government that struggles to maintain its legitimacy in peacetime cannot — and should not — assume loyalty in wartime.The whole thing's a joke, but like most good jokes, it contains an uncomfortable dose of truth.Canadian firearms lawyer and YouTuber Ian Runkle summed up the absurdity perfectly: “If the US does attack Canada, one of the tactical advantages they’ll have is that they can start firing right away — while the Canadians are still doing the land acknowledgement.”

WIECHNIK: The absurdity of civilian resistance in a disarmed Canada

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