Politics: Dividing a Nation While the Country Burns

Here we go again.

Another election. Another wave of outrage manufactured to divide us. The formula never changes: stir up emotion, amplify it on social media, and keep Canadians busy fighting each other while the real issues go untouched.

Left vs. right. East vs. West. Now, even north vs. south. Everyone is labelled. Every conversation turns hostile. It’s all theatre — and we’re the ones paying for the show, in real consequences.

Instead of unity, we get tribalism. Instead of leadership, performance. Instead of meaningful progress, we stall — and stall hard.

Meanwhile, the cost of living has hit the breaking point. Grocery prices are through the roof. More families are relying on food banks — over two million visits a month, according to Food Banks Canada. That’s not a statistic to skim over. That’s millions of Canadians unable to feed themselves in one of the wealthiest, most resource-rich countries on the planet.

Our national debt has crossed $1.2 trillion. That’s not a talking point — that’s a warning sign. The Fraser Institute says $46 billion alone will go just to interest this year. That money doesn’t fix healthcare, build schools, or improve infrastructure. It disappears — because no one in power has the discipline to spend within their means.

And crime? The latest Statistics Canada numbers show violent crime rose 4% nationally in 2023. The erosion of public safety is real. Families feel it. Business owners feel it. Canadians across the country are being told to just “adjust” — while nothing changes.

Young Canadians, in particular, have lost hope. According to RBC’s 2024 report, housing affordability is now the worst in this nation’s history. That’s not a partisan statement — that’s an economic reality. A generation has been locked out of the housing market, priced out of ownership, and told to “wait.” For what?

But what are we actually talking about?

Trump. MAGA. American culture wars. Imported slogans. And political protests at Canadian events that look more like U.S. rallies than meaningful discourse. We’ve somehow let the chaos south of the border hijack our own conversation. MAGA hats and memes are used here — not to debate — but to divide.

We’re losing the ability to simply disagree. It’s now protest or nothing. Shout-downs at town halls, organized disruptions of political events, verbal attacks in public spaces — it’s nonsense. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. That’s the foundation of a free country. We can disagree without turning into enemies. We can debate without dehumanizing.

We’re better than this — or at least we used to be.

Here’s what no one in Ottawa wants to talk about: for the past nine years, businesses have been leaving Canada. Capital investment is drying up. Confidence is down. High taxes, stifling regulations, and weak leadership have driven companies elsewhere. Canada is no longer seen as a serious place to grow a business — and that should alarm every Canadian.

We’re still fighting over pipelines that should have been built years ago — critical infrastructure we need. But instead of solutions, we waste our time in endless ideological battles. Petty fights. Political theatre. All while jobs disappear, and investment stalls.

We don’t need more division. We can’t afford it.

This election can’t be about MAGA or anti-MAGA. It can’t be about Trudeau vs. Poilievre personalities. It can’t be about who said what in 2014. And it’s not about urban vs. rural, rich vs. poor, or east vs. west.

It must be about Canada. And whether we’re serious about fixing the country — or content to just fight each other while it falls apart.

We are being divided on purpose. It’s strategic. Politicians find it easier to campaign on outrage than to govern with results. Media outlets know that rage drives clicks more than truth. Meanwhile, Canadians lose — we lose safety, affordability, opportunity, and trust in one another.

If we keep going down this road, we’ll lose the country we grew up in.

We need real leadership — not performances. We need courage — not slogans. We need serious policy — not petty politics. And above all, we need to come together.

The basics matter: affordability, public safety, jobs, a working economy. That’s where our focus should be. Not in the extremes. Not in the noise. And definitely not in tearing each other apart.

The next time someone tells you that your neighbour is the problem — because they voted differently, believe differently, or think differently — pause. That’s not leadership. That’s manipulation.

We are Canadians. We live in a country worth defending. But right now, we’re letting it slip through our fingers.

We don’t have time to waste. Our children are watching. Our economy is stalling. Our national identity is being hollowed out by division, distraction, and dysfunction.

Let this election be a turning point.

Make it about our future. Our values. Our recovery. Let’s cut through the noise and demand better — from our leaders, our institutions, and ourselves.

Because if we don’t come together now, there may not be much left to fight over.

Not left. Not right. Just forward. For Canada.