Democracy is Fragile, and We Must Defend It Now

Democracy does not die in a single moment. It does not collapse with the sudden boom of war or the stroke of a dictator’s pen. It is chipped away, piece by piece, through complacency, through manipulation, through the slow erosion of trust. It is not taken from us—we give it away, distracted by anger, by fear, by the belief that our side is righteous and the other is corrupt. And when we finally notice it’s gone, it’s too late to take it back.

We are at a moment in history where the world is shifting, where old certainties are cracking, and where the forces of authoritarianism are creeping through the fractures. Some people refuse to believe it, saying “It can’t happen here.” But history tells us it always happens somewhere—and it happens to those who don’t believe it can.

Look at how Hitler used economic force before his armies even crossed a border. He did not begin his conquest with tanks. He began by cutting off trade, freezing assets, and punishing smaller nations that refused to align with him. He used financial ruin as a weapon just as effectively as the Blitzkrieg. Austria, Czechoslovakia—these countries didn’t fall in a day. They were economically suffocated until surrender seemed like the only option. And by the time the world realized what was happening, it was too late to stop him without a war.

Russia has perfected a different strategy: using chaos as a tool to dismantle democracy from within. Every crisis, every moment of instability, is another excuse for the powerful to tighten their grip. Look at how Putin came to power—after years of economic disaster and political corruption under Yeltsin, Russians were desperate for stability. They didn’t vote for dictatorship; they voted for someone who promised order. And then, one by one, their freedoms vanished. The media became the enemy. Opposition leaders were murdered or imprisoned. Elections became meaningless. And by the time the Russian people realized what had happened, they were trapped in a system they could no longer fight.

And now, look at what is happening in the United States. Donald Trump openly tests the boundaries of power like no leader before him. He does not hide his contempt for the courts; he attacks judges who rule against him. He goes after his former rivals. He pushes his party to see who will challenge him, who will stand up—and when no one does, he pushes further. That is how democracy is lost: not by the force of one man, but by the silence of many.

And do not think for one second that Canada is immune. Yes, we have strong institutions, we have checks and balances, but so did other democracies before they fell. There are powers in this country—constitutional loopholes, emergency measures, executive privileges—that have never been used. Not because they can’t be, but because no one has dared. But what happens when the wrong prime minister, with the wrong agenda, decides that those unwritten rules no longer matter?

What happens when a leader decides that their political enemies are the real enemies? What happens when media becomes state-controlled, when police forces become politicized, when votes become "managed" in the name of security?

And yet, the threats are not just from within. The United States—our supposed ally—has already begun economic warfare against us. Donald Trump has made it clear: he sees Canada as his to take. Whether through trade policies that cripple our industries, tariffs that force our economy to kneel, or outright statements that we should be America’s 51st state, he does not see us as an equal partner—he sees us as a prize. If we do not protect our sovereignty now, we may not get another chance.

We are at a crossroads. The world is facing a rise in far-right extremism, and it is not because people are evil or ignorant. It is because they are brainwashed. They do not realize it is happening. They believe they are fighting for freedom, for justice, for their families. They do not see that the leaders they follow do not care about them at all. They are being manipulated, fed misinformation, and radicalized by those who want power at any cost.

This is why we cannot meet division with more division. We cannot afford to let ourselves be torn apart. No matter our political views, no matter our disagreements, we must stand together. We must protect our institutions, call out misinformation, demand accountability from those in power. We must not fall for the lies, the fear-mongering, the attempts to turn us against one another. Because once democracy is gone, it does not come back.

History is not some distant thing we read about in books. It is now. It is happening around us. And if we do not learn from it, we will repeat it.

Photo by Marek Pospíšil on Unsplash