RESEARCH: CANADA’S RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS: MAPPING THEIR TIES, LOCATION, AND IDEAS

RESEARCH: CANADA’S RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS: MAPPING THEIR TIES, LOCATION, AND IDEAS Canada has often been seen as a progressive country that is welcoming to immigrants, promotes multiculturalism, and generally as a kind and tolerant society. This study used a two-month close examination of Canada’s RWE online presence surrounding the 2019 federal election. Using social network analysis, this study fills a needed empirical gap in current understanding of this network that are known to produce and sustain domestic terrorism and extremist hate crimes in Canada. Then using both discourse and correspondence analysis, we find that Canada’s Right-Wing Extremists (RWEs) galvanize around the following key ideas: leftist-propensities towards violence, projecting especially views against the Antifa, anti-immigration, media corruption and dishonesty, anti-elite and anti-establishment values, anti-liberalism, populism, anti-LGBT, anti-environmentalism, biological determinism, white victimization, and anti-consumerism. By determining Canadian RWE’s ties, location and ideas our findings reveal that many RWE leaders are seen as authoritative for their views in the network and create content and community, potentially inciting active participation. As social contagion theory reminds us, these authorities in the RWE network may inspire others into concrete violent action and are of great concern to public safety. https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/articles/10.33972/jhs.174/ The Far-Right in Canada RESEARCH BRIEF (JANUARY 2019) SUMMARY  Public commentary concerning issues relating to the Canadian far-right mirror the nuances, tensions, and disagreement within and between the groups belonging to the movement  Generally speaking, responses to overt white nationalist, white supremacist, and right-wing ideas were met with a moderate response by online commentators  A strategy of focusing on the semantics and perceived misuse of terms like ‘white nationalism’, ‘white supremacy’, and ‘Nazi’ was frequently used in order to minimize any controversy associated with the recent rise of far-right groups in Canada https://projectsomeone.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FAR-RIGHT_Feb2019.pdf Canada needs to brace itself for the next chapter of far-right extremism. Jenn Jefferys: To shrug it off as a threat that died along with Trump’s presidency, or as a purely American ailment, is as dangerous as it is apathetic. Jenn Jefferys is a freelance journalist based in Odawa (Ottawa) and co-host of the City and Nuuchimii podcast In late January, a 66-year-old white man carrying 36 knives and plotting to “execute” politicians in advance of Newfoundland’s provincial election was only narrowly thwarted by Deer Lake police following a high-speed car chase. He was a Trump supporter, according to his Facebook history, and his hope was to “stop the election.” Sound familiar? This story barely made a blip on Canada’s national radar when it happened. But it points to a worrying trend that’s shown no signs of slowing down since the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAN) says many Canadian right-wing extremists were inspired by what they saw that day and have wanted to hold similar events in Canada. Thanks in large part to Donald Trump, these once fragmented groups are now actively organizing across generations and borders, united as “patriots” in what they see as civil war. https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/canada-needs-to-brace-itself-for-the-next-chapter-of-far-right-extremism/ What's really wrong with political extremists? Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general. https://www.britannica.com/science/Dunning-Kruger-effect https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/conspiracy-theory-addiction/ https://improvinglivescounseling.com/conspiracy-theory-addiction/ 2022: Was it really about vaccine mandates — or something darker? The inside story of the convoy protests. A Canadian protest movement appeared to be fuelled by opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, but conspiracy theories swirled just below the surface. For three weeks this winter, a so-called “Freedom Convoy” delivered thousands of demonstrators into downtown Ottawa, turning them into an occupying force that snarled daily life in the nation’s capital and dominated the national conversation. But who were the demonstrators, really — and what were they after? Many of them positioned the protest as a fight against vaccination mandates for cross-border truckers. Others saw it as a campaign against pandemic restrictions more broadly. No doubt the occupation was many things to many people. But for several of its organizers, the protest was the culmination of years of work, their best chance yet to coalesce a movement around their preferred conspiracy theories and a violent anti-government ideology https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/19/was-it-really-about-vaccine-mandates-or-something-darker-the-inside-story-of-the-convoy-protests.html https://www.printfriendly.com/p/g/qvxBxw https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ts/news/canada/2022/03/19/was-it-really-about-vaccine-mandates-or-something-darker-the-inside-story-of-the-convoy-protests.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/13/freedom-convoys-legitimate-covid-protest-or-vehicle-for-darker-beliefs Working Paper Series: ‘Broadening our Understanding of Anti-Authority Movements in Canada’ No. 17-02 August 2017 Authors: Barbara Perry Professor, University of Ontario Institute of Technology barbara.perry@uoit.ca David C. Hofmann Assistant Professor, University of New Brunswick dhofmann@unb.ca Ryan Scrivens PhD Candidate, Simon Fraser University rscriven@sfu.ca https://www.tsas.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2017-02_v2PerryFINAL.compressed.pdf ANTI-AUTHORITY AND MILITIA MOVEMENTS IN CANADA Barbara Perry, University of Ontario Institute of Technology David Hofmann, University of New Brunswick Ryan Scrivens, Concordia University https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/acdf/a7d35ae8e2cd165e642af233280a853388a6.pdf 2022: Stephen Harper helped create the anti-vax mandate convoy. When it comes to the ongoing fiasco in Ottawa and the copycat incidents it has inspired at border crossings throughout the country, it’s easy to look for someone to blame. Is it the fault of the prime minister and his lack of visibility and presence? Sure. Think it’s on Conservatives and their willingness to give cover and encouragement to anti-democracy radicals? You’re right there, too. And we can’t forget the various police forces and their [utterly ineffectual](https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/02/09/opinion/police-are-defunding-themselves) and increasingly indifferent approach to tackling the law-breaking going on. But there’s one name that doesn’t get as much attention here as it should: [Stephen Harper](https://www.nationalobserver.com/tags/stephen-harper). This probably sounds like a textbook case of partisan derangement. How, after all, could a prime minister who has been out of office for nearly seven years now be responsible for the outbreak of lawlessness and coup-curious behaviour in our nation’s capital? https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/02/17/opinion/stephen-harper-helped-create-anti-vax-mandate-convoy 2015: Read the declassified CSIS report on the threats posed by the Freeman on the Land movement. A 2012 CSIS report into right-wing and left-wing domestic terror threats in Canada highlighted the Freeman on the Land as a possible threat in Canada. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/read-the-declassified-csis-report-on-the-threats-posed-by-the-freeman-on-the-land-movement https://www.timescolonist.com/national-news/freeman-on-the-land-movement-worries-csis-4573117 THE HARPER RECORD 2008–2015. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2015/10/The_Harper_Record_2008-2015.pdf 2012: Government-dodging Freeman on the Land movement creates 'major policing problem': CSIS report An anti-government movement known as Freeman on the Land has become a 'major policing problem' in several provinces, according to a threat assessment by Canada's spy officials. ”Robert Menard. a “guru” of the Freeman on the Land. According to the World Freeman Society website, which promotes Mr. Menard’s ideas, Freemen have “revoked consent to be governed by human laws.” The group has been trying to form its own “corps of peace officers. Who was prime minister in 2012 Canada? Stephen Harper. https://vancouversun.com/news/national/canadian-government-dodging-freeman-on-the-land-movement-creates-major-policing-problem-says-csis-report 2022: Stephen Harper would oppose Jean Charest’s leadership run: sources https://tnc.news/2022/02/23/stephen-harper-would-oppose-jean-charests-leadership-run-sources/ Tory strategist Jason Lietaer discusses the rumours that Stephen Harper could make a political comeback to help the Conservative Party. https://youtu.be/jyq2la68Zkw 2021: Bizarre legal theory making anti-vaccine movement more extreme, experts warn. Opposition to public health measures vaults Freemen-on-the-land ideology into public eye. The anti-vaccine movement in Canada is becoming increasingly radicalized thanks to a bizarre legal theory spreading through its ranks, according to multiple experts. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/charter-gg-disinformation-civic-awareness-1.6365223 Last week, protesters entered a school in Salmon Arm, B.C., to "serve" school officials with what lawyers say are bogus legal documents. The documents are based on the ideology of the Freemen-on-the-land, an anti-government movement with links to white nationalism. "This is very worrying," said Edwin Hodge, an expert on right-wing extremism at the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria. The pseudo-legal ideas of the Freemen have ebbed and flowed over the years, but the philosophy has typically been relegated to the fringes of society, according to experts. Not anymore. The pandemic and its associated opposition to public health measures have vaulted these ideas into the public eye. "It's been a bonanza," said Richard Warman, an Ottawa human rights lawyer who has written extensively on pseudo-law. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/anti-vaccine-pseudolegal-freemen-on-the-land-1.6188648 https://www.trucknews.com/blogs/the-so-called-freedom-convoy-was-never-about-truckers-or-border-mandates/ 2019: Breaking Free: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land Movement. In this chapter, I contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on potentially violent Canadian anti-government movements by providing academics, police, and security practitioners with a primer on the beliefs, practices, and history of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. Given the nature of this volume, I also briefly explore the Canadian Freemen’s potential as an emergent threat to national security. I start with a descriptive overview of the beliefs and methods of the Canadian Freemen-on-the-Land. This is then followed by a socio-historical analysis that links the ideological roots of the Canadian Freemen to the legacy of American far-right anti-government thought over the last forty years. Lastly, based upon key concepts taken from the literature on the root causes of terrorism and what we know from previous cases of North American far-right anti-government violence, I conclude this chapter with a discussion of two conditions that may cause the Freemen to develop into a serious threat to Canadian national security. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336650320_Breaking_Free_A_Socio-Historical_Analysis_of_the_Canadian_Freemen-on-the-Land_Movement https://www.amsapw.ca/resources/Documents/Roadrunner/BROWNLEE%20LLP%20presentation.pdf https://www.siskinds.com/freeman-on-the-land-a-growing-concern-in-canadian-courts/ Freemen on the Land Don’t Pay Taxes, They Go To Jail – Canadian Tax Lawyer Analysis The murder of constable Daniel Woodall by a self styled Freeman on the Land is the latest tragedy by a member of one of the groups that tries to opt out of normal societal conventions and laws. In September 2013 Calgary police arrested Andreas Pirelli, another Freeman on the Land, who had claimed his rental property was an “embassy” and refused to pay rent or grant his landlord access to the property. One of the hallmarks of these movements is their refusal to comply with tax obligations. While most Canadians will file their tax returns by April 30 every year and pay the taxes owing, some may be tempted not to file on the basis of schemes being marketed saying that Canadians don’t have to submit tax returns or pay taxes. This is wrong and will lead to heavy fines and to jail time. Donald Baudais was sentenced in 2014 to pay fines equal to 100% of the income tax evaded, 100% of the GST tax evaded, and 6 months in jail, despite the fact that his spouse is suffering from the aftermath of brain cancer and chemotherapy, for counseling people not to pay taxes using the discredited and bogus Paradigm Educational Group teachings that “natural persons” do not have to pay income tax, a theory referred to as “nonsense” by the courts. A detailed summary of most known de-taxer tax evasion scams (used as a general term for all tax evasion schemes based on the concept that there is no obligation to file or pay taxes) was given in the September 2012 family law judgment of Meads v Meads by Alberta Associate Chief Judge Rooke. He said that all de-taxer tax evasion schemes essentially boil down to making a claim that an individual does not have to pay taxes because they are neither under the court’s nor government’s jurisdiction. Put another way, all de-taxer arguments are “different shades of lipstick on the same pig”. Rather than attack the court’s authority, de-taxer arguments merely try to evade or confuse it. Consequently, de-taxer claims can be seen as intrinsically frivolous and vexatious. He goes on to say that these schemes are marketed under various names (de-taxers, freemen-on-the-land, sovereign citizens, the church of the ecumenical redemption international [“CERI”], practitioners of Moorish law) and utilize different back-stories such as using magic phrases that trump the government, believing in the availability of opting out of societal obligations, or believing that everything in life can constitute a contract (including things said in normal conversation). https://taxpage.com/articles-and-tips/freemen-on-the-land/ OATH KEEPERS, ANTI-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS ON THE FAR RIGHT ARE FUNDING CANADA’S “FREEDOM CONVOY” The Intercept obtained the hacked donor data of GiveSendGo, including roughly 104,000 donors who contributed $9.6 million to “Freedom Convoy 2022” and “Adopt a Trucker.” https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081987391/the-funding-behind-freedom-convoy-protests The funding behind 'Freedom Convoy' protests. February 19, 2022. https://theintercept.com/2022/02/17/freedom-convoy-givesendgo-canada-oath-keepers-funding/ https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/insights/articles/what-canada-and-isnt-doing-prevent-foreign-interference-upcoming-federal-election https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/paper-terrorism-case-leads-to-charge-against-freeman-on-the-land-member-1.3772454 Under international human rights law, states also have the obligation to prohibit and eliminate racial discrimination, including in the enjoyment of the right to security of the person and protection by the State against violence. The UN Human Rights Committee clearly stated that “… peaceful assemblies may not be used for propaganda for war (…) or advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence (…). As far as possible, action should be taken in such cases against the individual perpetrators, rather than against the assembly as a whole.” Amnesty International has produced reports outlining good practices on the [policing of assemblies](https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/01/policing_assemblies_26022015_light.pdf?x56589), as well as guidelines on the [use of force by law enforcement officials](https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/01/policing_assemblies_26022015_light.pdf?x56589). https://amnesty.ca/news/ottawa-protests-statement-11-feb-2022/ https://cantruck.ca/canadian-trucking-alliance-statement-to-those-engaged-in-road-border-protests/ https://ottawa.citynews.ca/local-news/canadian-trucking-alliance-president-responds-to-trucking-convoy-5007801 https://thewire.in/world/with-canadas-truckers-standoff-a-global-journey-of-freedom-populism-has-just-begun https://www.wsj.com/articles/freedom-convoy-assails-canada-covid-restriction-trudeau-vaccine-mandate-cross-border-province-essential-worker-trucker-11643819664 Being Mad Doesn't Make You Right https://www.adultingishard.org/post/being-mad-doesn-t-make-you-right https://youtu.be/mBlW3--zcSo Dietrich Bonhoeffer argued that stupid people are more dangerous than evil ones. This is because while we can protest against or fight evil people, against stupid ones we are defenseless — reason fall on deaf ears. https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc History has shown us that when the democrats play nice while those who would overturn democracy act like bullies and break all the rules, democracy loses. https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/emergencies-act-necessary-to-dislodge-bullies-in-giant-vehicles/ Education, Not Income, Predicted Who Would Vote For Trump. https://conspiranon.blogspot.com/2021/09/education-not-income-predicted-who.html What Does Oppositional Defiant Disorder Look Like in Adults? https://www.sasktoday.ca/south/local-news/freedom-convoy-arrives-in-ottawa-rally-underway-on-parliament-hill-5008090 https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22926134/canada-trucker-freedom-convoy-protest-ottawa OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER An adult with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) may feel mad at the world, and lose his temper regularly — even daily. This may manifest as road rage or verbal abuse. It may cause tension with authority figures, and trouble at work. It may tear apart relationships. Here is what you need to know about oppositional defiant disorder and its overlap with ADHD. By Janice Rodden Verified Medically reviewed by William Dodson, M.D., LF-APA Updated on February 7, 2021 OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER IN ADULTS Adults with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) display a pattern of negative, hostile, and defiant behavior that lasts at least six months and includes four (or more) of the following symptoms: Often loses temper Often argues with family and coworkers Actively defies or refuses to comply with rules and laws Deliberately annoys people Blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior Easily annoyed by others Angry and resentful Spiteful or vindictive Adults with ODD are more than just aggressive and irritating from time to time. They feel mad at the world every day, and lose their temper regularly. This may manifest as verbal abuse or road rage. Adults with ODD defend themselves relentlessly when someone says they’ve done something wrong. They feel misunderstood and disliked, hemmed in, and pushed around. Constant opposition to authority figures makes it difficult for adults with ODD to keep jobs and to maintain relationships and marriages. They are particularly quick to anger, they are impatient, and they have a low tolerance for frustration. They see themselves as mistreated, misunderstood, and unappreciated. They see themselves as the victim rather than the cause of the pain in the family system. [Take This Self-Test: Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults] CAUSES OF OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER IN ADULTS ODD has a strongly genetic component. It runs in families and several people in the same family may be affected. It often begins in childhood with patterns of rebellion against adults and their rules. Some children with ODD outgrow the condition by age eight or nine. But about half of them continue to experience symptoms of ODD through adulthood. People with ODD report feeling angry all of the time, and about 40 percent of them become progressively worse and develop antisocial personality disorder. Understanding ODD can help provide a neurological explanation for gut-wrenching feelings, and is an important first step to finding treatment. [Click to Read: Why Am I So Angry All the Time?] SYMPTOMS OF OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER IN ADULTS AT HOME Your spouse seems overly argumentative. Your roommate is unnecessarily hostile. These and other common manifestations of ODD may be apparent at home: Always needs to win the argument with a parent or spouse Continues to fight against ‘the man’ — authority figures and society Leaves socks on the floor just because he knows it annoys his roommate Cited for disorderly conduct by police Involved in bar brawls or physical altercations in public Has a hair-trigger temper — the littlest thing can set her off Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Adults at Work These or similar manifestations of ODD may be apparent at work: Near constant arguments with a boss or coworkers Commonly feeling oppressed by office rules Purposely engaging in behaviors that irritate coworkers, like eating smelly foods for lunch Sanctioned by human resources for violating company policies Fired for being physically aggressive with coworkers in heated moments Has meltdowns during meetings or annual reviews after receiving constructive criticism OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER https://www.additudemag.com/oppositional-defiant-disorder-in-adults/ https://www.aacap.org/aacap/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Oppositional_Defiant_Disorder_Resource_Center/FAQ.aspx https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/odd-kids-and-behavior-5-things-you-need-to-know-as-a-parent/ https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ottawa-street-jacuzzi-becomes-latest-site-vaccine-mandate-protest-2022-02-18/ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEGALOMANIA AND NARCISSISM? Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding. Is megalomania the same as narcissism? Narcissism is an exaggerated sense of self love while megalomania is an exaggerated sense of self worth based on fantasies of power, attractiveness and other physical or psychological attributes and, therefore, all megalomaniacs are narcissists, but not all narcissists are megalomaniacs. Is megalomaniac a mental disorder? Megalomania is a mental illness. People with megalomania have delusional fantasies that they are more relevant (important) or powerful than they truly are. They have inflated self esteem and overestimate their powers and beliefs. People with megalomania more than often showcase disposition towards humbleness. https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/8976/what-is-the-difference-between-megalomania-and-narcissism