Politicians never take away your rights and freedoms without offering a pretext. Throughout history, tyrants have always justified their human rights abuses by appealing to the “public interest,” the “common good,” or some grand goal or vision.

Goals used by tyrants include national security, building a workers’ paradise, fighting communism, fighting fascism, fighting a virus, fighting terrorism, or restoring a nation’s honour, dignity, and rightful place among competing nations.

As just one example, Prime Minister Trudeau justified his illegal use of force against peaceful protesters in Ottawa in 2022 by falsely claiming there was a national emergency. He also asserted that the victims of his government’s violence were dangerous, violent, racist, white-supremacist criminals who wanted to overthrow the federal government.

We should remember “the tyrant’s pretext” when considering a secret RCMP report that warns the federal government about potential civil unrest coming to Canada when Canadians realize just how bleak their future economic situations are.