Trucks on Wellington Street in front of the Parliament Buildings in February 2022.
Trucks on Wellington Street in front of the Parliament Buildings in February 2022. Credit: Patrick McCurdy / Twitter Credit: Patrick McCurdy / Twitter

Elections in over 50 countries are taking place this year, testing the strength of global democracy as a fascist current flows through society.

Fascism and untruths accelerated during the Trump presidency and continue to play out while Americans inch closer to their presidential election. An alarming example is Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump and Republicans to seize unprecedented power by replacing opponents in the executive branch of the federal government with allied conservatives, funded by far-right/climate denial think tanks like the Heritage Foundation.

In Germany, the Alternative für Deutschland party was recently exposed for its secret ultranationalist plan to deport refugees and German citizens of foreign origin, causing over 100,000 people to protest in the streets.

Israel’s government is run by far-right nationalists that have sparked mass protests against the government and its genocidal policies inflicted on Palestinians.

In Italy, just two years after the election of Mussolini-supporting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, hundreds of men marched in a far-right rally proudly giving fascist salutes. Far-right climate denier Javier Milei was recently elected in Argentina. And in Canada, our politics seem to be mirroring the global state of affairs, especially since the so-called “freedom convoy” of 2022.

The freedom convoy to fascism pipeline

The so-called “freedom” convoy to Ottawa was a catalyst event in Canadian society. It attracted people from all over the political spectrum who were understandably concerned with government overreach and economic oppression, and plopped them into the broader far-right and conspiracy-ridden “freedom movement” that has now conglomerated into the Conservative Party (both as supporters and political candidates).

When the convoy-turned-Ottawa-occupation was at its height, the world got a glimpse of its ultranationalist culture solidifying as they tacked on Islamophobia and anti-immigration to the anti-COVID mandate protest. The American insurrection on January 6 had already happened a year earlier and it looked like we were about to see our own version on Parliament Hill.

On the other side of the country, the tension was rising in my community as people took sides—were you for the COVID mandates or were you against them? Did you support the “freedom loving patriots” in Ottawa? Or did you see this as an extremist overreaction? Cherished friendships abruptly ended or withered away after the freedom convoy while we collectively became more polarized.

The Ottawa occupation didn’t see the same level of violence or calculation as the January 6 insurrection. It was more like a parody—a Canadian stereotype with bouncy castles, street hockey, beer drinking, and inflatable hot tubs. Still, despite the buffoonery, the main factions that rose up as organizers and leaders in the occupation had clear intentions that were anti-democratic and rooted in conspiracy theories, just like the January 6 insurrection.

The occupation’s demand to overthrow the Liberal government was my personal wake up call. Although the Ottawa occupation was officially disbanded, the discontent has continued to grow and fester, evolving into what may be Canada’s own version of a neo-fascist movement.

After trying civil disobedience to achieve its goals, the freedom movement switched tactics to focus on electoral politics. There is now a growing voter bloc rallying behind Pierre Poilievre with many signing up to be Conservative Party candidates themselves—both provincially and federally (and in some instances municipally). This bloc has shown to be deeply opposed to basic human rights like 2SLGBTQ+ protections, immigration, and any and all climate policy, which sadly isn’t a surprise given that only 46 per cent of conservatives believe that climate change is a serious threat. And if climate policy also prioritizes Indigenous sovereignty like it does with the United Nations Declaration for Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), then they are really, really opposed to it.

Extremism in the Conservative Party

The Conservative Party’s antics over the last few years shows that extremism is being normalized by its own party members’ actions. Christine Anderson is a German politician with hateful views on immigration, gender roles and identity, and climate denialism, and is a member of the Alternative für Deutschland party. Anderson is a popular figure among Canada’s far-right and was an outspoken supporter of the freedom convoy. During her tour across Canada last year, she made media headlines when she met with several Conservative MPs, despite her known bigotry.

Poilievre gave a written statement after the fact, claiming that the MPs were not aware of Anderson’s views, calling them ‘vile’. But such a statement is anything but genuine if it doesn’t condemn the dangerous extremism germinating in his own party and its supporters.

The admiration of Anderson and other fascist politicians continues among his voters and seems to be of little concern to Poilievre. If he truly believed that Anderson’s views are not welcome in Canada, then perhaps he would work on changing the culture of extremism in his party, rather than using dog whistles and well-rehearsed buzzwords to appease them. It seems that the federal and provincial Conservative parties have no problem promoting conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric, as long as it has a populist frame with which disaffected Canadians can identify.

In October 2023, Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis helped craft a House of Commons petition and has since promoted it on social media. The petition opposes the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and recommendations for sexual education.

The language used suggests the petition was referring to a conspiracy theory that has circulated on the internet under different names: the New World Order, Agenda 2021 (later updated to Agenda 2030 when 2021 came and went without the predicted communist takeover), and the Great Reset. According to this conspiracy theory, there is a secret cabal of elites who are using communism/Marxism/globalism/leftism/wokeism to create a one-world government to achieve totalitarian control over all of humanity. These conspiracies are often linked to other more explicitly racist ones like the “great replacement theory,” championed by the likes of Tucker Carlson who was recently welcomed at an event in Alberta by conservative Premier Danielle Smith. These conspiracies are not based in reality but rather in fear of ‘the other’, whether it be communists, liberals, transgender people, refugees… and the list goes on.

This critique is not an endorsement of the Liberal Party or even the New Democrats as they exist today, because let’s face it: none of our options are ideal. While political elites like Justin Trudeau are busy taking milquetoast stances on just about every issue, the Conservatives are using populist messaging to accurately point out how ridiculous all of this is—which is effective in connecting with the working class who are witnessing failings of oppressive late-stage capitalism and searching for answers as to why. As the late anthropologist David Graeber put it, liberal centrism is one of the reasons why we’re in this mess. Empty promises from centrist-liberal politicians and their mimicry of working class movements have hollowed out social solidarity and allowed fascism to sneak in to take over.

What does this fascist moment mean for climate justice and human rights?

Poilievre and the Conservative Party are leading in the polls, so we must face the reality that a major backslide in human rights and climate policy is in our future unless we rebuild the social solidarity we desperately need. If we don’t do it, the far-right is waiting with open arms to accept the working class, many of whom feel politically homeless. The Conservative Party’s messaging is clearly working (distressingly so among younger voters), as they accurately point out that powerful elites are failing to deliver on the core crises we face, but strategically leave out their own role in marginalizing those who don’t fit into the ultranationalist vision.

It’s time to intentionally rebuild and strengthen our communities that are being severed by capitalism, conspiracies and fascism. Of course, this is no easy feat when we are continually disoriented by political gaslighting and paid disinformation campaigns while struggling simply to pay rent and buy food. But perhaps it is one small step we can take toward resistance.

Erin Blondeau

Erin Blondeau (she/her) is a Métis mom living on the west coast of so-called British Columbia on unceded Quw’utsun territory. Her paternal family comes from the Red River Settlements and the Qu’Appelle...