Right now, there’s a lot of talk about what it means to live in a “police state.” From the constant surveillance under the guise of security cameras and social media algorithms to police raids on our private spaces, it seems like everyone has something to say about it. As a result, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about what it means to live in an authoritarian regime, without really taking action against the things that cause us stress. While it certainly isn’t easy for every single Canadian to live their lives as freely as possible at all times, we need to look beyond the sensationalized headlines if we want to have any kind of constructive discussion about where we are and how we can improve from here.
Is Canada A Police State?
No, Canada is not a police state. Police states are characterized by a high level of state control and surveillance over citizens, typically through the use of secret police forces and extensive censorship mechanisms.
Why Is Canada Not A Police State?
Canada has a strong tradition of legalism and morality
It is no secret that American culture is becoming much more secular in terms of values. The rise of postmodernism and moral relativism have led to an increase in moral ambiguity and a lack of objective moral standards. There are high incidents of moral ambiguity in the U.S., particularly in the political sphere. For example, one of the most controversial political figures today, President Donald Trump, appeared on the Howard Stern radio show as a private citizen where he made vulgar comments about his daughter. The U.S. media reacted to this by calling Trump’s comments “indefensible” and a “disgrace”. Now it may be that these media outlets are just hyper-sensitive to Trump’s words, but it is important to note the moral ambiguity of the U.S. In America, moral authority is held by the government. As such, the government is treated as the moral arbiter of what is right and wrong in the U.S. The government has the power to regulate and legislate morality, as seen in the moral ambiguity of things like the sexual revolution and abortion laws.
Canadians value human rights more than Americans do
Again, American values are becoming increasingly secular at the moment. One of the most well-known values in American society is the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that all men are created equal. This is considered the bedrock of American values and therefore a key part of its moral authority. However, this moral authority is now threatened by the rise of the postmodern moral relativism in America. The Canadian government encourages human rights in a different way. It is an important part of Canadian national identity and has been an essential part of Canadian law since Confederation. Canada is a multicultural country, with many different ethnic groups present. There are some ethnic tensions in the country, though they are not as bad as in the U.S. The Canadian government has a history of promoting and protecting minority groups, including women, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities. This is partly due to Canada’s history as a former colony of Britain. Canadians are also very tolerant people and have a reputation for being a peaceful society. This is partly due to the values promoted in Canadian society by the government. Canadians value human rights and equality for all people. This makes Canada a better country for all people.
Both countries have hardline gun laws
Canada has strict gun laws, as most developed countries do. However, these laws do not appear to have had an effect on the country’s extremely low rate of gun-related crime. In contrast to Canada’s laws, the U.S. has some of the loosest gun laws in the world. Citizens in the U.S. are not required to have any kind of license or permit to purchase a gun. They do not even need to go through a background check. The only requirement is that they be above the age of 18. This means that almost anyone can buy a gun and go straight to a gun shop and pick one up without any questions asked. Gun-related crime in the U.S. is extremely high. A U.S. Senate Committee report released in 2013 stated that gun violence is a bigger problem than terrorism. Sadly, Canada is not immune from this. There have been several high-profile incidents of gun violence in Canada, with at least one every year since 2013. While it is unwise to generalize based on these incidents, it would not be incorrect to say that Canada is not a victimless state. America is no different.
Canada is not as oppressive towards minorities as the U.S. is
The U.S. is the only advanced Western country that disenfranchises felons, including those with non-violent drug offenses. This policy disenfranchises millions of Americans and keeps them permanently excluded from the political sphere, even when they have served their prison sentences and paid their debts to society. Canada does not have this policy, and a sizable number of Canadians have been involved in prison. This may be a result of the fact that Canada has a smaller percentage of minorities than the U.S. does. In terms of law and order, the U.S. has a much higher crime rate than Canada does. While the U.S.’s overall crime rate has dropped in the past few decades, the U.S. crime rate is still much higher than Canada’s. The U.S.’s high crime rate is one of the reasons why it is a much less peaceful place than Canada.
Canada Has A Strong Commitment To Public Education
The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a nationwide public education system. As such, it relies heavily on the private sector to provide education. Unfortunately, the U.S. has a very weak system of public education. This means that many Americans have no access to education at all. Many children in the U.S. grow up with little-to-no education and end up on a life of welfare dependency as adults. Canada has a nationwide system of public education. This means that all citizens have access to public education. This is a valuable service and is worth protecting.
Canada Is Home To The World’s Leading Peacekeeping Organization: The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces (UNPKF)
The UNPKF is the world’s leading peacekeeping force. It is the only organization in the world that has the sole task of maintaining peace by enforcing UN resolutions. The UNPKF is well known for doing its job in a professional and impartial manner. It has been praised for its neutrality, professionalism, and impartiality. The UNPKF has been in operation since 1948 and has maintained peace by force in many parts of the world. The U.S. has very few peacekeeping forces. Its most prominent one, the United States Army Special Forces, is also known for its highly partisan and unprofessional behavior at the UN. Many UN peacekeepers consider the Special Forces to be war criminals and have even been reprimanded by the UN for ignoring UN resolutions. Canada has many peacekeeping forces and has maintained peace by force in many parts of the world. Canada has been praised for doing so in a neutral and impartial manner and has been considered a model of UN peacekeeping.
Canadian culture is more inclusive than American culture
It is no secret that American culture is becoming much more secular in terms of values. The U.S. has experienced a sharp rise in moral ambiguity and postmodern relativism as compared to other Western countries. Canada is a much more inclusive nation than America is. Canada is a multicultural nation with many different ethnic groups present. There are some ethnic tensions in the country, though they are not as bad as in the U.S. While American culture is becoming more secular, Canadian culture is becoming more inclusive. This is partly due to the fact that Canada is a former British colony. American culture is very masculine and has traditionally been very oppressive towards minorities. It is becoming more inclusive, but it is still very masculine. Canadian culture, on the other hand, is very feminine and is generally considered to be more accepting of other cultures than American culture is.
A Brief History Of Canadian Security Laws
- The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was created in 1946 to gather and analyze foreign intelligence.
- The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was officially adopted in 1982, and includes a section on security that guarantees the right to privacy and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
- The CSIS Act was passed in 1984, giving the agency more power to investigate terrorist threats and collect intelligence on threats to national security.
- The Criminal Code was amended in 2005 to include provisions related to terrorism, espionage, and subversion.
- The Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act (CSIS Act) allows the agency to engage in activities that are outside the scope of its traditional mandate, including secret operations that may involve breaking the law.
- In 2013, the Federal Court of Canada ruled that CSIS had violated the rights of Mohamed Harkat by subjecting him to electronic surveillance for over a decade without justification or judicial oversight.
- In December 2015, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-51, which expands the powers of CSIS and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act.
Conclusion
The idea that Canada is a “police state” is absolutely absurd. At the same time, this kind of rhetoric has been used to try to stigmatize legitimate concerns about surveillance, while obscuring the many ways in which security measures are necessary. If we really want to know why Canada isn’t a police state, we need to ask why we think a police state is bad. And then we should figure out how we can prevent that from happening. The truth is that the police in most situations don’t need to be “police states” at all — they just need to be doing their jobs using appropriate, non-bullying methods.
