#ICYMI Is Canada Taking the Far Right Seriously?

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

This week from The Walrus:

Canada’s Far Right Is Getting Bolder

As extremism grows, politicians and security agencies are in denial

BY STÉPHANE LEMAN‐LANGLOIS, AURÉLIE CAMPANA, AND SAMUEL TANNER

A protester waves a Canadian flag with 'freedom' written across it amid a nighttime protest.

What has changed far less, if at all, is the official attitude toward the far right in Canada. Most politicians have had little to say about the phenomenon, other than insisting that it is happening elsewhere—where they have neither responsibility nor jurisdiction. Police organizations have also been disturbingly slow to react. Ottawa’s inept, paralytic response to its (predicted) invasion by the Freedom Convoy in 2022 is paradigmatic. Canada’s high‐policing national security agency continued to argue, until 2019 at least, that the far right was a negligible quantity, mostly made of individual, and often psychologically unbalanced, actors. The January 2021 assault on the Capitol in Washington, DC, led to the addition of right‐wing extremist groups to the list of terrorist organizations in Canada, but the general awareness of the danger, even the threat, posed by some of these groups and individuals remains low, especially when compared with the anxiety generated by “jihadi“ groups.

Read or listen to the story

In a photo illustration, workers on strike stand on a road with signs in black-and-white. The horizon is coloured in a violent orange.

How the 1980s Engineered the Collapse of the Working Class

Forty years later, policies to prop up the super rich are still going strong

BY CHARLIE ANGUS

In a black-and-white photo from 1910, a man in an overcoat and hat stoops while writing on a small pad of paper while speaking to a small news boy who holds a stack of papers.

Tech Titans Should Pay to Save Canada’s Newsrooms

It’s time to take seriously the idea of using digital taxes to rebuild journalism

BY MARC EDGE

In a photo illustration, four stacks of books are partially coloured in dark pink, making them look like bar charts of diminishing heights.

Memoirs Are Almost Impossible to Sell

Publishers are turning away from personal stories. Have readers stopped caring about each other’s lives?

BY TAJJA ISEN

Black and white photo of Ricardo Sternberg on an orange background.

Rivers

He wanted throats constricted, / speech impeded, eyes rimmed red, / the room brimming with tears

BY RICARDO STERNBERG

A greyscale photo of Philippe J. Fournier superimposed onto charts and graphs.

How an Astrophysicist Became the Most Accurate Political Forecaster in Canada

Philippe J. Fournier has called elections across the country—with a 90 percent success rate

BY CARMINE STARNINO

In an illustration, a person stares at their phone in the shadow of two massive letters spelling out 'AI.'

We’re Doing What Searchbots Can’t

ChatGPT won’t break a story, craft a deft turn of phrase, or tell a compelling narrative

BY CARMINE STARNINO

In a photo illustration, a baby in diapers sucking his thumb lies on a pile of money. Some of the bills are floating away.

Want to Raise a Kid in Canada? That’ll Be $293,000

… and climbing

BY CHANTAL BRAGANZA

How well do you know our stories?
Test yourself with our weekly quiz

According to Marshall Ganz, what is the one major factor that has contributed to what he calls “the deterioration of collective public capacity” in the United States?

Yes, I Know the Answer

In a world of crises and division, Semafor’s Flagship newsletter offers transparent, balanced journalism. Trusted by heads of state and global business leaders, Semafor Flagship brings you essential stories without the fluff, keeping you connected to what matters. Sign up for free here.

Tonight at 7 p.m. ET!

At The Walrus Talks at Home: Polarization, four experts will dive into how social media amplifies “rage‐bait” and dis/misinformation. We’ll also look at how the COVID‐19 pandemic widened political divisions about health and science policies. In the closing days of a year that saw more than half the world’s population go to the polls, and in the lead up to an expected federal election, don’t miss this urgent discussion about what divides us and how people in Canada can find common ground.

Join us online

When AI Meets the Humanities

AI is transforming the humanities by blending human creativity with advanced technology. In this episode of Youth for Youth, tech futurist Lindsey McInerney and New York Times journalist Steve Lohr explore the opportunities and challenges AI brings to fields like creativity, critical thinking, and cultural understanding.

Listen now

In this week’s episode of What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by writer and publisher Casey Plett. Casey is the author of four books, including 2023’s On Community, which was named a “best book of the year” by The Tyee, the CBC, and Hamilton Review of Books. They talk about Casey’s terrible author signature, surviving the first days of the new Trump regime, and the shift in approach she is taking with her novel in progress.

Listen now

THE WALRUS THANKS ALL OUR ADVERTISERS. BECOME ONE.

All year, we’ve reported on a Canada that’s feeling the squeeze. Rents are soaring, grocery bills keep climbing, and for too many families, the math of daily life just doesn’t add up. These aren’t isolated struggles—they’re systemic challenges tied to policy decisions and political choices. And they’re exactly what’s at stake in the 2025 federal election.

But here’s the thing: understanding these issues, and the solutions being proposed, isn’t easy in a world awash with misinformation and partisan spin. That’s where The Walrus comes in. Our mission is to cut through the noise, to connect the dots between the policies debated in Parliament and the realities playing out in your neighbourhood.

To do that—to keep reporting with depth, rigour, and clarity—we need your support. This election is about more than picking a leader. It’s about charting a future for Canada. Help us keep telling the stories that matter. Donate today.

Carmine Starnino
Editor‐in‐Chief, The Walrus

Yes, I’ll help