HEATHER KLEIN: Rewarding the mob: Canada’s dangerous new precedent

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Published Aug 31, 2025 • 4 minute read

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Something is happening in Canada that should concern everyone, regardless of our political, spiritual, or cultural affiliations. Fundamental Canadian beliefs, values that have long formed the bedrock of our national character, are being trampled under the boots of small but noisy special-interest groups.

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The recent denial of permits to evangelical singer and preacher Sean Feucht, including right here in Winnipeg, is a case in point. Now, let me be clear: I haven’t researched all of Feucht’s positions, and I’m quite sure I wouldn’t agree with many of them. But that isn’t the point. The issue is that he has as much right to publicly share his message as anyone else in this country. Canada was built on the principle that people of all faiths, cultures, and opinions can express themselves without government interference, provided they do so peacefully.

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Yet in this case, the City of Winnipeg justified its denial of permits by citing “safety concerns.” That reasoning may sound prudent on the surface but dig one inch deeper and you see the rot. What the city is really saying is that if violent protestors threaten disruption, we’ll reward their aggression by cancelling the event. Think about that: it places the power of veto in the hands of the angriest mob. If you don’t like what someone is saying, all you have to do is cause enough of a scene, and suddenly you’ve silenced them. That’s not safety, that’s surrender.

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The dangerous precedent here is obvious. Special-interest groups have figured out the formula: get loud, get angry, get abusive, and politicians will fold. It’s the worst kind of reinforcement. Instead of encouraging civil debate or peaceful protest, the hallmarks of a healthy democracy, we’re incentivizing mob tactics.

Take the ongoing pro-Palestine demonstrations. Many of these have crossed the line from peaceful assembly into intimidation, with Jewish families being heckled as they walk to synagogue. That is allowed to proceed under the banner of free expression. But heaven forbid you publicly admit you like Donald Trump. For the record, I don’t like Trump at all. But I’d never belittle someone who does. Respecting another person’s right to their view is the only way pluralism works.

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Why does one group get tolerance while another gets silenced? When governments start deciding whose voice gets heard based on popularity or fear of backlash, fairness is dead. And when fairness dies, freedom follows quickly in its wake.

At the heart of this problem is a lack of leadership courage. Politicians at every level of government seem unwilling to stand firm when a loud minority throws a tantrum.

Leadership means making decisions that are right, not just easy. Cancelling an event because protestors threaten trouble is the easy way out. Upholding the principle of free expression while ensuring law and order, that’s the hard path. But it’s the one leaders are elected to walk.

Canada used to pride itself on being a mosaic, a nation where differences weren’t just tolerated but celebrated. But somewhere along the way, we lost sight of that vision. Today, it feels like the new rule is you must agree with me or else. Disagreement isn’t just disagreement anymore: It’s treated as an attack.

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When did we all have to think the same way? Our differences are not a weakness: They’re how things get done. Healthy debate sparks better ideas. Alternative viewpoints challenge lazy thinking. Yet too many Canadians now operate as though anyone with a different perspective is not only wrong but dangerous. That’s not democracy, that’s tribalism.

Here’s the bottom line: The rules must be the same for everyone, or they mean nothing. If pro-Palestine protestors can rally in the streets, then an evangelical singer should be allowed to rent a stage. If environmental activists can block traffic in the name of climate action, then farmers protesting carbon taxes should get the same leeway. If Pride parades are celebrated as an expression of identity, then so too should church gatherings.

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You don’t have to agree with the message to defend the messenger’s right to speak. In fact, it’s most important to defend the speech you disagree with, because that’s the true test of freedom.

Canadians used to believe in fairness, in civility, in live-and-let-live. We believed that even when we disagreed, we’d defend each other’s right to stand on a soapbox and make our case. Those were the values that made Canada admired on the world stage: tolerant, pluralistic, confident enough to let everyone have their say.

However, today we are allowing small, aggressive groups to define the boundaries of what can be spoken. We are letting politicians reward incivility and cowardice. And we are letting fear, not principle, guide public policy.

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That is not who we are, or at least, it shouldn’t be. If we want to preserve the Canada we claim to value, we need to stand up for our principles. We need to reject double standards. We need to demand that leaders uphold fairness and free expression for all, not just for those who shout the loudest.

Because if we don’t, we’ll soon discover that none of us is safe from being silenced. And by then, it will be too late.

— Heather Klein is the Editor of The Graphic Leader.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca.

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HEATHER KLEIN: Rewarding the mob: Canada’s dangerous new precedent

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