Canada is a country that is known for its progressive approach to democracy. This nation has openly declared its desire to welcome immigrants to the country. The land values immigrants and therefore supports multiculturalism. Canada is regarded as a kind and tolerant society. Social network studies have revealed an empirical gap in understanding the network of Far-Right parties. Various groups have raised alarms regarding the country’s domestic terrorism and extremist hate crimes. These occurrences in Canada were often deemed to be rare. Scholars have revealed through discourse and correspondence analysis that Canada’s Right-Wing Extremists (RWEs) often champion alarming causes. These political groups often advocate their views towards violence, Antifa, anti-immigration, and media corruption. These political groups often argue that leftist views are responsible for breeding dishonesty and are pro-elite. The far-right parties in Canada have been vocal about their anti-establishment values, making them anti-liberalist.
These political groups believe in the power being centered on the people of Canada. These populist views are often against minority groups and therefore promote hate towards groups that advocate for the rights of LGBT, environmentalism, and biological determinism. Far-right groups argue that the majority is discriminated against through white victimization and anti-consumerism. Many far-right party leaders in Canada are seen as decisive and action-oriented. The followers of these parties believe they are authoritative, and they create content and community to galvanize their followers to participate actively. The Social Contagion theory further supports this concept. Parties aligned to the left have begun to raise alarms arguing that the leaders of far-right parties are both, directly and indirectly, inciting others into concrete violent action. These controversies have caused great concern for public safety.
Far-Right Parties in Canada
- The National Front Party of Canada: This far-right party has a history of promoting white nationalist and anti-immigrant views. It has been involved in violent clashes with anti-fascist activists and has been banned from participating in elections in some provinces.
- The Canadian Nationalist Party: This far-right party was founded in 2018 and advocates for the deportation of immigrants, the closure of the border to refugees, and the preservation of a “European majority” in Canada.
- The Proud Boys: This far-right group, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has been involved in violent clashes with anti-fascist activists in Canada and the United States.
Protest
Recently, the City of Ottawa has faced numerous truck convoy protests. These events have gained momentum, with several provincial capitals joining in. These events have caused panic among left-wing parties that have felt the results of this incredible show of strength by the far-right and populist right factions in the country. These events are common in Canada; however, they have rarely generated this much momentum in previous years. Far-right success is often more common in American and European electoral events.
Canada has numerous large political parties. These groups are politically well-organized and often champion the causes of various immigrant populations. This strategy has often brought success to both major parties that compete in civic competitions. These parties have found that courting immigrants are a more promising political approach, even if it leads to white backlash.
Canadian Political System
Canada’s political system is designed in a manner that will allow for the country’s electoral system to empower party officials significantly. This legislation results in grass-roots activists being disempowered. Many scholars have argued that this has resulted in populist outsiders struggling to achieve electoral success. Political identity has become more flexible in Canada, considering the relatively low polarization. Party affiliation has reduced, which disadvantages absolutists who enjoy electoral success through party hard-liners.
These movements are notorious for having informal party structures. The lack of organization means these political groups often struggle to access mainstream media outlets. To gain popularity quicker, these organisations tend to be more extreme, with less strategic preparation.
Populist
Far-right parties in Canada are populist. These groups often garner the most support from their hometowns; however, the solidarity they receive from their American counterparts is quite significant to their cause. America has numerous far-right parties that are better resourced and more organized. They often provide their Canadian counterparts with energy and direction.
Canada’s government has faced backlash and rising impatience over the pandemic restrictions imposed on the public. This frustration has given an electoral opening to far-right parties campaigning against the rules. Political polls have shown that a slight majority of Canadians would vote for leaders willing to do away with the law. This data is promising for far-right parties; however, it is not a conclusive sign of a broad shift to the right. Recent scholars argue that as many as one in three Canadians support the truck protests. This information is alarming to government officials who see this as a display of blatant opposition to their lockdown measures.
The Canadian far-right populist parties began to grow in influence during the mid-2010s. During this period, there was a widespread panic regarding the government’s approach to Muslim immigration. as this momentum died down, many far-right parties emerged without securing meaningful political gains.
Conversely, far-right populist movements in Europe and America have combined forces to increase their influence. This coordination across borders has indirectly helped garner support for their Canadian counterparts’ steady growth. The recent truck protest data shows that several American political and media figures endorsed or promoted the event. Americans online are believed to be responsible for providing a significant amount of the $8 million raised online for the protest.
The Canadian far-right parties have been photographed wearing “Make America Great Again” merchandise. Several far-right lawmakers have since visited the truck protests in solidarity. The strategy employed by these leaders is to garner support based on public opinion in favor of these oscillations.
Canada’s recent elections have shown that public opinion still favors left-wing policies. These policies championed the need for vaccine mandates to reduce the harsh restriction based on the population because of the pandemic.
The far-right political family in Canada is strongly associated with anti-pandemic restrictions. The highly populist wings have found political momentum by criticizing the institutions and experts implementing the regulations. There is currently new energy and blood among the political groups who define their stance as anti-lockdown groups.
Far-right political parties in Canadian politics are more relevant than in American politics. This characteristic is due to their party leaders. Canadian elections are run differently from European systems. This country allocates seats proportionally based on the number of votes shared between candidates. Canadian elections often lead to there being two dominant parties. It becomes highly improbable for political outsiders to achieve electoral success. The primary way far-right parties come into power is to capture one of the two main parties. These committed grass-roots movements will need help to dictate Canadian politics for the foreseeable future due to how primaries are conducted.