Protests and their effects on Ottawa

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not saying you're doing this yourself but one can't pretend there is a huge amount of US influence on a specific group (ie this gang spread out across the right side of the spectrum) to the point where they're characterized as pseudo deplorable Americans on Canadian soil, and then deny that that same influence from south of the border doesn't unfurl on people with different political views

Maybe that is true generally, but I think that kind of glosses over what is being referenced here. We've heard here that American actors are directly involved in this protest, both in terms of funding and organization and potentially in terms of US citizens coming north to join in (though admittedly there doesn't seem to be much evidence of that yet). It's certainly been a major topic for US social media commentators and on Fox News. And I've seen more American flags in Ottawa this week than any time since Sept 11.

Yes, American politicians have an influence on other Canadian movements, but I don't think that for the most part there is much evidence of direct influence of this nature. I see the two situations as being pretty different. That said, I do find that the BLM protests are a bit of an exception, in that they feel to me like a movement that was imported wholesale that hasn't been tailored to the Canadian reality.

Personally I bristle at American influence in our political discussions, regardless of the cause. The last thing we need here is to jump wholesale into the polarized political environment that exists there.