Nick Fillmore asks a question the regina mom has been grappling with for years: “Is Stephen Harper displaying fascist-like tendencies?” Ever since Naomi Wolf published “Ten Steps To Close Down an Open Society” at the Huffington Post in April, 2007, an essay has been brewing on trm‘s computer. (Yes, trm admits to being a slow writer.)
Wolf’s research for that article became the book, The End of America, which documents “how open societies become closed societies.” Her family’s friends, Holocaust survivors, urged her to explore a few texts and the result was what she called a “blueprint” that has been adapted by several societies when making a shift from an open to a closed society. In the HuffPo piece she named ten significant pieces of the blueprint and showed how they were at work in the USA at that time.
To complement Nick Fillmore’s work, trm thought she’d finally share, in point form, what she discovered by placing Wolf’s blueprint on Canada.
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
- What’s more terrifying to a parent than ‘child pornographers’? According to Vic Toews, the regina mom’s opposition to Bill C-30 — the Snoop and Spy bill — means that she stands with “the child pornographers”. How does that make a mother feel?
- Women should be used to it, perhaps. Years ago, the Prime Minister suggested women’s groups are of the “left-wing fringe.”
- More recently, as trm has noted, on the eve of the Joint Energy Board’s hearings on the Northern Gateway Pipeline, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver had choice words to describe those in opposition to the proposed pipeline. He painted “environmental and other radical groups” as those wanting to “block this opportunity to diversify our trade” regardless “the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth.” The groups have a “radical ideological agenda” and will “exploit any loophole they can find” to “kill good projects” with “funding from foreign special interest groups to undermine Canada’s national economic interest.”
2. Create a gulag
- What is the purpose of new prisons when Canada’s crime rate is falling? National Chief Sean Atleo understands.
- Canadians can also rot in Guantanamo.
3. Develop a thug caste
- The RCMP have proven to be thugs and are watched by the public. The taser attack on Robert Dzeikanski is but one instance of their thuggery. [Warning: It is difficult to watch.]
- The Fifth Estate‘s documentary, Out of Control, about the suicide of Ashley Smith when she was improperly incarcerated in a penitentiary and allowed to die. [Warning: It is difficult to watch.]
- The Canadian Race Relations Foundation has found reason to comment on policing in Canada.
- Extreme violence attributed to white supremacist youth. A “dump” by the “hacktivist” group, Anonymous, confirmed that some of the accused are associated with neo-Nazi groups in the USA.
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
- Since 9/11 Canadians have witnessed an alarming increase in surveillance measures. Are the new airport scanners and procedures are part of the scheme?
- It looks as though Vancouver’s making use of public cameras to invade privacy. So is Victoria.
- BC’s Civil Liberties Association reports on how we’re moving towards a surveillance society.
5. Harass citizens’ groups
- Dennis Greunding has a list of citizens’ groups which have faced funding cuts courtesy the current regime. trm previously mentioned some, specifically those impacting women. Certainly these, when combined with more recent cuts to organizations such as the Mennonite Central Committee, constitute harassment.
- Forest Ethics supports its former employee in his allegations that the PMO is trying to “to silence and intimidate non profit organizations like ForestEthics, and the thousands of citizens and civil groups who, like us, are concerned about the direction this country is taking and are speaking out.“
- The criminalization of dissent came as a creeping assault until the most noteable at the G20 demonstrations last year.
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
- G20 protests were an exercise in arbitrary detention and release and suspension of civil rights, as pieced together by CBC’s The Fifth Estate.
- Saskatoon’s “Starlight Tours” as highlighted in the NFB film Two Worlds Colliding, about the freezing death of Neil Stonechild at the hands of Saskatoon police officers.
7. Target key individuals
- There have been pointed attacks on several individuals. The former head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, was harassed and fired over the shutdown of an aging nuclear reactor.
- Richard Colvin, a diplomat, repeatedly raised concerns about Canada’s practice of turning prisoners over to be tortured in Afghanistan. His character was repeatedly attacked by the government and he experiences continued harassment in his attempts to seek justice.
- Franke James is a visual artist with a strong ecological leaning whose federal government funding for a show in Croatia was “suddenly cancelled by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, with the words, ‘Who was the idiot who approved an art show by that woman, Franke James?‘” She has asked and is currently awaiting a meeting with her MP, Joe Oliver, who announced he would meet with environmentalists if asked.
8. Control the press
- The current government’s propaganda machine is in full swing. Government secrecy is rampant.
- Early on in the Conservatives’ mandate the PMO set in motion new ways of co-ordinating and disseminating of news and information by the government of Canada.
- The head of the RCMP must seek approval for publicity and access from the PMO or Minister Vic Toews office.
- The so-called “ethical oil” debate brought to light the interconnectedness of the PMO, Sun News and the oil industry spokespeople.
9. Dissent equals treason
- Item #5 above identifies ForestEthics as a harassed citizens’ group. It’s former employee Andrew Frank maintains that he and other employees were told the PMO considered them to be enemies of the state.
- Canada has a long history in naming enemies of the state.
- Recently, Canadians were advised that they may be placed on counter-terrorism watch lists if they are involved in “the promotion of various causes such as animal rights, white supremacy, environmentalism and anti-capitalism” activities.
10. Suspend the rule of law
- The conservative government has twice prorogued Parliament while critical debates and actions were underway that may have toppled the Minority government.
- The government appears to flout the rule of law in the case of Omar Khadr and the closure of the Canadian Wheat Board.
- MPs are concerned about closed-door sessions at Parliamentary Committee meetings.
As you can clearly see, dear Reader, Canada is active in every area of the blueprint Wolf found. And, up against Nick Fillmore’s piece, there is definitely overlap. Canada is creeping towards closing down as a society, to becoming a fascist state.
Our democracy is very fragile. Hold onto her tightly.
the regina mom 
Richard Fantin (@RichardFantin)
/ February 21, 2012This is a better account of the G20 than CBC’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zejD0UkMGGY (CBC tried I think, but there are some “details” they left out)
Both Harper & Martin have publicly said the G20 will have sovereignty over Canada.
Martin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjIsyc-Rims
Harper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg4tyqQ2oHc
The SPP and all of this “integrated borders” is part of a North American Union: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgjaJh-AF2s
Which is part of a New World Order: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO24XmP1c5E
In light of industrial collapse:
1) http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/50078/Collapse__part_1_/
2) http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/50113/Collapse__part_2_/
And a corrupt & collapsing global economy:
1) http://www.zerohedge.com/news/chris-martenson-lecture-why-next-20-years-will-be-marked-collapse-exponential-function
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZNvSX3A7pc
Caution: New World Order Ahead: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5138vIJ0Y1qz51eno1_500.jpg
Like the U.S., Europe, and the third world.. there is a global banking cartel (IMF shock therapy is the method of delivery) that is running the show here. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL111862016CF39978&feature=plcp – and has been for awhile.
thereginamom
/ February 21, 2012Thanks for the links. I’ve blogged about the SPP before, written about it for mags, too. Good to have the info placed in this post, too.
Qui ça? Moi?
/ February 21, 2012White supremacy : Preston Manning had a white supremacist as a bodyguard.
Smoke and mirrors.
Reform aka CPC’s attitude towards women: Küchen, Kirche, Kinder.
tuxedorama@gmail.com
/ February 21, 2012Thanks. I think it’s important to document the situation, but the unanswered question remains: ‘what to do?’.
thereginamom
/ February 21, 2012Make noise. We’ve shown with the Twitter campaign against Toews, the #tellviceverything hashtag, that the Cons can be moved. So, what else can we do but jump at the opportunity? Talk, express, act. Together, we’re strong.
Sask
/ March 30, 2012We need to alert people outside of Canada to what is happening too.
weareincurablycurious
/ February 21, 2012this is an incredibly well researched and presented resource! thank you!
Richard Fantin (@RichardFantin)
/ February 21, 2012Cheers.
It is overt now, we have a small window of time where they are vulnrable while they activate the fascist fist.
Further, I believe that the child porn was a failed divide & conquer excuse, and Plan B is to “soften” the act.
A classic ploy is when something you’re going to do will upset people, you over-do it, and then cut back some. The backlash was to be expected, it’s highly likely multiple psyop tactics are at play to confuse the population. Such as the so called, media promoted “twitter win”.
Toe
/ February 21, 2012The Canadian Media carefully ignores the noise we make on blogs and we can’t impeach. Perhaps a letter to the Opposition(s) to write up a legally binding (petition?) that can put enough pressure on the GG to protect Parliament and the Canadian people. WE, the undersigned have no other resource as there are no tools in the Constitutional Act of 1982 to remove a sitting PM. Only the Supreme Court of Canada can charge the Government with violating the law or the constitution, and order the Government to cease to act in violation, and/or to make reparations and only the GG can remove a sitting PM.
Other than that we demonstrate and march as in Europe. The list of countries refusing to ratify ACTA is because Europeans see internet freedom as a global fight.
Thanks TRM, been waiting for a post like this.
G.J.W.
/ February 22, 2012There is no doubt, Harper is a fascist dictator. He is governing Canada with his, very shady Northern Foundation Party, of 1989. The skinheads assisted Harper to organize his dictatorship party. Harper is every bit as nuts as, all the other dictators were. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini, for three of the best known.
The everyday American people say, Harper’s election win was rigged, which I fully believe. They said, this was to prepare Canada to be assimilated into the U.S. Canada and the Mexican NAU. The web site is presscore. They also said, Icc Special Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has served Harper a summons for, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The American people do not have any use for Harper, what-so-ever. Well over half of Canadians did not want Harper as dictator. Harper even had a, many times convicted American criminal working for him. The robocalls to Canadians, that changed their voting locations, came out of North Dakota. Hmmm. Felon Carson and his ex prostitute girlfriend were guests in Harper’s home, they were good buddies. Then Harper got caught, felon Carson made a mad dash back to the U.S. Harper does have his thuggish henchmen. Gordon Campbell is Harper’s favorite henchman. There is of course, Oliver and Toews as well, ranting and raving. Typical of fanatic henchmen.
Google: Harper gives a speech in New York, at the Council of Foreign Relations, in Sept. 25/2007. He made his evil agenda, abundantly clear.
Read, Harper’s speech on Global Governance for Canada.
I posted all of this stuff, three years ago and no-one believed it. I even said, Harper’s early political days, are exactly the same as Hitler’s early political days. All dictators are very similar in personality’s.
Stephanie
/ February 22, 2012Thank you for trying to warn Canadians, I know others were also trying but nobody was listening. My 80 year old mother said last spring before the election “All I can say is God help this country if Stephen Harper ever gets a majority government”. She was 15 when WWII was over. Very sad for her to see this crap at the end of her life.
Stephanie
/ February 22, 2012Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Having never experienced this level of hatred from our government toward its people, I think folks are feeling kind of stunned and not sure what to do.
Here is another piece on the impact of the crime bill on Canada’s First Nations and Metis people
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/law-and-disorder-what-bill-c-10-could-mean-for-canadas-native-people/article2342832/
karen
/ March 1, 2012#7 Target key individuals: Alex Hundert
How soon do we take to the streets?
thereginamom
/ March 1, 2012There’s an event in Regina on Mar 11!
Mogs
/ March 3, 2012I too have been watching the sleazy (couldn’t help this word slip it just slithered out of my mouth 😉 rise to power of The (Far) Right Honor-less Prime minister Slicko Steven Harper, hmphhh. This man unfortunately is not a mental moron but he is a danger to Canada. It is said that he has been anointed by the larger powers that be, in the greater Geo-political world sphere of NWO types, to be the man that dismantles democracy in Canada, which in retrospect is obvious; we can not let him get away with this.
I have seen the change in him he is not the political idealist he may once have been. He sold his soul to the highest bidder and does not work for Canadians anymore or unless you are with him and if your not its easy; your either a terrorist, an Eco terrorist, an anti big business terrorist, an anti development terrorist, an anti G8 (NWO) terrorist or an anti free trade (which benefits only Multi- and Transnational Corporations and the extremely rich) terrorist and if that does not work you are simply a child pornographer, because you have a computer that is internet connected.
Why do you think the NWO would choose Slicko? Here is what Slicko had to say about coalition governments governing Canada in the winter of 96-97, which by the way is quite a reverse from election 2011 where coalition governments became painted as a terrorist plot of some sort:
Basically if I may paraphrase here what Slicko and Tom “Assassinate Julian” Flanagan had to say about a coalition government. Because Canada is such a vast and diverse country the only fair way to govern it is with a coalition of all the separate and diverse regions of Canada, preferable five parties, (basically North, Far West, West Center, East and Far East), represented fairly. Now get this they also emphatically stated that our form of government meaning a sitting one party majority government in Canada was nothing more than an elected dictatorship they called “benign” here is the title of the paper and opening salvo
“”Next City, Winter 1996/97.”
Our benign dictatorship Canada’s system of one-party-plus rule has stunted democracy. Two prominent conservatives present the case for more representative government-by Stephen Harper and Tom Flanagan”
So not only does Harper know he has unfettered power, he plans to make full use of it and have us fall in line into the ‘bigger picture’ of one world government order. Hence the Security Perimeter Agreement with the US behind closed doors, this one is truly scary and the Euro free trade pact. The Security Perimeter Agreement gives the US ultimate say as to whether or not Canadians can enter or exit our own country and not just to the US and back but to anywhere in the world, after all we might be terrorists, right? But also who can and cannot enter Canada, do you feel sovereignty slipping away yet, for the good of the ‘bigger picture’? Read what Ralph Nader warned Canadians about during the 2011 election here regarding the Security Perimeter Agreement:
Click to access Naderpub%20final.pdf
And if any of you doubt that Robo-call was not put into play by Slicko’s “operation reelection: majority at any cost”, read this: obviously a test run in the 2008 election to see if it would work and if anyone would notice:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/lawrence-martin/the-curious-case-of-saanich-gulf-islands/article2354592/
It did work and few noticed, are you getting the “big picture” yet? Why the new jails when crime is statistically declining?
Here:
http://www.canadaandtheworld.com/decliningcrime.html
And google here:
Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2010
And google here:
Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2009
The new jails are for people like us, not criminals, but lawful citizens that disagree with Harper’s criminal cabal that is attempting to steal Canada and put it in the lap of foreign Transnational Corporations and other alien filthy rich foreigners.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m pissed and righteously so. The 24th of May 2012 (“The holiday is colloquially known as May Two-Four in parts of Canada;”) long weekend falls on the 19 to the 21 of May this year. This notice should give all Canadians time to march on Ottawa “two-four” abreast and stay on Parliament Hill until Harper and his crooked band of cronies’ leaves and is locked up for good. You Egyptians have set the bar high, you showed us how to get rid of a crooked sleazy corrupt Dictatorship and now we will show you how to get rid of a crooked sleazy corrupt Benign Dictatorship! I will see you there!
Canada before it is to late set aside your differences that leeches like Harper prey upon and get him out because he criminally deceived his way into office; therefore he is now officially a “criminal terrorist” committing conspiracy to subvert the Canadian Government and its sovereignty from within and the good news is its open season on terrorists because George Bush declared it so!
I AM a Righteously Pissed CANADIAN.
Mogs
/ March 3, 2012On the lighter side a little poem for your amusement:
Harper’s Land and the Roving Polling Stations,
A Magical Mysterious Act: Election 2011!
He’s building really big jails,
And soon it’ll be filled with the wails,
The shrieks of a dying Democracy,
Soon we’ll be a Harper Autocracy,
Harper land is definitely here,
The voting fraud makes it ever so clear,
Canada is gone forever,
Unless we all shout “NEVER”!
The F-35’s he’ll use on us,
It will be like we’ve been hit by a bus,
That is if we give him a chance,
So now we must kick him in the pants,
It’s time to say goodbye,
We know he gave it a try,
But, Harper you’re beginning to smell,
So it’s time that you said, farewell.
Harper you’ve gone way to far,
You think our heads are empty like a jar,
But we’ve caught you red-handed,
And now it looks like you’ve landed,
In a terrible mess,
Now c’mon just fess,
Up to the fact,
That you orchestrated this act!
And because of that,
You will never get fat,
At the hogs trough political,
Because we aim to cut your umbilical,
So you’ll never be able,
To sit at the con party table,
No sir not ever again,
You won’t even be allowed to campaign!
We’ll march two-four abreast,
We’ll put Harper to the test,
We’ll call it the Canadian spring,
We’ll have a real good fling,
We’ll march on Parliament Hill,
We’ll get rid of that schill,
Who calls himself the prime minister,
Since really he’s evil and sinister.
Know anyone that can put this to music?
I AM a Righteously Pissed CANADIAN.
Mogs
/ March 27, 2012Harpers been busy……….
http://harper-canada.blogspot.ca/
Oemissions (@Oemissions)
/ April 14, 2012definitely need to clip this and put on my fridge
thereginamom
/ April 14, 2012Now ^that is the ultimate compliment! Thanks!
Leslie Fieger
/ February 7, 2015Good for you for saying this. Canada is no longer Canada. It is Harperland and has none of the traditional values that Canada used to hold.
thereginamom
/ February 15, 2015It’s certainly not the Canada I was raised in.
Yukon Cornileus
/ February 7, 2015You have the God damn gaul to say that Harper giving the western Canadian farmer the freedom to sell his own grain to whom ever he want is a step towards fascism???
You want the good ol days when Alberta farmers got arrested and beat up, their property seized, their lives ruined ???? For doing what most every other farmer in country got to do. Truly sick.
thereginamom
/ February 15, 2015Wow! That’s some analysis you’ve got there, Yukon!
Harold Rhenisch
/ February 11, 2015I wonder how many of us have begun to plan for the day when Canada no longer exists and our communities need something else within which to survive. I doubt it’s a small number. Sad, though.
thereginamom
/ February 15, 2015I think that number is growing all the time. C-51 is ringing 1984 in many people’s heads.
Catherine Conner
/ January 16, 2016I am truly thankful to the holder of this website who has shared this fantastic article at at this place.
Nina the Nomad
/ December 7, 2022Greaat share