A teenager in 1967, Canada’s Centenary, could look at their country with both hope for the future and pride in the past. Hosting Expo 67 at the time of Canada’s centenary, the future of Canada as a middle power looked bright; socially, economically, in the Arts, on the fields of sports, and even in showcasing its military with a coast to-coast Military Tattoo. 1 Canada had truly come of age and the world took note.
A teenager in 2024, now looks at Canada’s future much differently that their grandparents did, at the same age, in 1967. They look at a future full of fear; fear they can never own their own home, fear they cannot make ends meet at the end of each month, fear that taxes alone will continue to rise faster than any possible income increases, the fear that servicing our national debt will cause economic instability like in the 1990’s, more inflation, and collapse of our social safety nets including health care, fear of being cancelled due to a misspoken word or post, fear of violence in the streets where they live, fear of just living.
Canadian teenagers are told not to be proud of their country, which seems strange as many people of the world still want desperately to become Canadian. The current government relishes apologizing for actions from long ago, by people in completely different circumstances, and in a much different international context. Universities seem entranced by an agenda that destroys democratic values, rights, and freedoms. Diaspora march routinely in the streets of our cities, supporting illegal terrorist organizations, demanding the death of both citizens here and abroad. Our police and courts take no action, or, in fact, support these illegal acts. Teenagers rightly question who will be next to be called out, shamed, or attacked.
Our current federal government, many of our provincial/territorial governments, and our municipal governments stand silently by, or in some cases support the destruction of our values, laws, and national interests. Confidence has been turned into fear and shame. Canada has become irrelevant on the world stage.
The ultimate question is, “What do Canadians want Canada to be?
Read the complete paper on PDF with embedded links: FC-PS243-E_Canada2024_MR1524_F1-1 (20 pages)
Download printable PDF with endnotes: FC-PS243_Canada2024_MR1424_F1 (20 pages)
David Redman had a distinguished military career before becoming the head of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency in 2004 and led the provincial response to the devastating floods of June 2005. He also led the team in the development of the 2005 Provincial Pandemic Influenza Plan. He retired in 2013.
Watch: Frontier Live on X – Fearful Fractured Canada? – Col. David Redman (63 minutes), March 21, 2023.
Read: The Redman Plan, April 15, 2023.
