Canada is 70% white. Suppressing the 30% is going to involve suppressing the majority too. Whats the point?
You are simultaneously right and wrong about suppressing the majority.
On the one hand, any socially or emotionally informed individual realizes that suppressing a minority often means at least mildly suppressing the majority, or vice versa.
The problem is that the average Canadian is neither of those things. In their typical, centrist-liberal myopia, the general population see gun-control as
freeing the majority from the tyranny of the minority. Not to mention a good step towards the eradication of "American culture" in Canada.
I discussed this very briefly with Grutch:
That's the price paid for inviting throwback Muslims into your country. I have zero doubt diversifying Sweden with a bunch of people with 2nd century thinking is a net negative for everyone around including the "refugees".
Funny, I'm sure plenty Canadians will say the exact same thing about American immigrants who have come to Canada if mass shootings become more of a problem here.
I was born in Canada, and I've seen fringe lunatics call for my deportation. I'm too "American" apparently, just because I own a few guns. I can only imagine what the Canadian spouses of American immigrants would be called. Treasonous I suppose.
The point is Canadians see Americans as the boogeyman.
In the past 10 years, I've watched Canadian's opinions about change rapidly. In 2013 it was "our cousins to the south", then in 2015 it was "our neighbors to the south". In 2016 it became "our questionable neighbors to the south". After the 2020 Nova Scotia shooting, the situation rapidly devolved. Now I read "those violent people to the south" (note the dropping of the word neighbour) if they are being polite, and "those violent savages to the south" if they are not.
Basically it's a case of seeing Americans as "estranged violent family members" at best, and "vile pseudo-humans" at worst. Especially amongst the anti-gun or hard core gun-control crowds. But with the rise in nationalism and anti-americanism, it's only a matter of time until these ludicrous opinions infect the general population like a virus.
Basically, the crimes of Americans, be they real of imagined, are irrelevant. Americans are being seen as criminal scum by default. An Americans innocence doesn't matter (much like Muslims apparently), what they are is enough to be ostracized.
Mark my words, unless there is a big change soon, the phrase "this is what happens when we let Americans in to the country" is going to be on TV and radio. I already read the "Americans bring their vile culture" and "I want less American culture here" (whatever that means) with the comments from regular people.
Just because of mass shootings in the US, have Canadians started developing these opinions, never mind the gang shootings in our own country. 2018 and 2020 didn't help.
Canadians are mentally fragile people in this day and age, and care most of all about appearances. The damage has been done.
TLDR: Americans see all Muslims as guilty and dangerous by default, regardless of innocence. Canadians see all Americans as guilty and dangerous by default, regardless of innocence.
I've also discussed this with you on this very thread:
Hey there!
So things heav heated up in parliament to the point that Bill C21 (the bills that's causing all this mess) has been tabled until next year. Pretty much everyone in the mainstream parties (with the exception of the Liberals and Bloc) is showing concern over this thing's new amendment (the thing I mentioned earlier that bans guns like the SKS).
Will this make a difference?
No, but it's still nice to see some decent.
So do you think its that ban list where they specifically named certain firearms that they snuck in late that is causing the issue?
I agree with tabling it. This stuff has to be done slowly and with compromise. It seems this was being pushed through as quickly as possible before too many questions could be answered.
1. Yes. Especially guns like the SKS, which are used by indigenous subsistence hunters, being on the list.
2. *Shrugs* Sure, but you have to remember something important. Canadians (especially urbanites) don't care about the facts and logic of the issue. They only care about the "image" of guns (more specifically the negatives) and their impact on the "nice", "wholesome", "sweet culture" of Canada.
By getting rid of firearms (and therefore firearms owners) Canada is made more pure and "not American" (and less indigenous friendly, and thus more white centric). I have had this conversation so many times that I have noticed the above pattern. "We're not Americans, couldn't be more different" is the rallying call of the gun control advocates here and ultimately what the argument boils down to for the average Canadian.
You guys are used as the boogeyman up here, as the arch nemesis of "civilized" society. The enemy of "politeness", "decency" and "human dignity". We (or at least I) was bombarded with this propaganda since birth, it's inescapable and total. You are denigrated and mocked in our media, seen as less than. This bill would not have gone anywhere if that weren't the case. It's what it's built on. Owning a gun, defending gun owners, or even suggesting that gun owners be treated with the same respect as other Canadians will get you disbelieving scorn at best and accusations of being a foreign agent (that is American) at worst.
I'm the enemy here (regardless of my mostly leftist opinions), all gun owners are. No matter their origins, political beliefs, faith or lack there of. Make no mistake, the longer America continues not having it's act together on gun violence, the more we (that is gun owners) up here will be suppressed. Because remember, we're Americans in sheep's clothing, I have actually seen calls for us to be deported (somehow) to the US.
Anyway, sorry for the rant. But yes, it's good it's been temporarily tabled until next year, but it's getting forced through regardless.
In short, more gun-control = "more Canadian". Even if the majority is suppressed, it's seen as worth it.
On the other hand you have the government's perspective which is...
Money.
Many of those minorities are indigenous, and their reservations and ancestral graves rest upon prime real-estate or potential commercial land. Many more rest upon sweet and tasty recourses, or are simply in the way. Money talks but especially in Canada, and especially in politics. The more you have to do with an economic project, the more prestige and validity you get as a politician. That's all you really need to be successful in Canadian politics. Actual policy is irrelevant.
It's similar in the US, just different in it's poisonous effects.
Let's also not forget about this conversation we had:
But to be clear, American can't have universal healthcare of any sort yet. Your population is to unhealthy, and to maintain universal healthcare a country must maintain a relatively healthy population. Just that simple.
FINALLY. Someone actually agrees with me on the health of Americans.
@Captain
'Ah but that's the problem AG! Canada is the Belgium of North America. We are anything but united and quite frankly the country could break apart and cease to exist in the 15-20 years. Furthermore Quebec hates anyone who isn't white, French speaking & catholic. Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan just hate anyone who isn't white. BC doesn't have it’s act together, the North is to remote and the East is on fire.
While this discussion should be taken seriously, keep in mind this his whole conversation may become moot very soon.'
This is what I see as well unfortunately.
I am missing something here what are you guys referring to?
To the first point. Yes it's impossible to have effective universal healthcare at this point in the US. That being said you gotta do something soon. Your current healthcare (if you can call it that) is insufficient and economically draining on American pockets. You guys gotta whip yourselves in to shape, and while some of the proposals suggested here might help, only drastic and perhaps heavy handed measures, will solve the problem.
It's not for me to say what those are though.
As to the second point, it ultimately comes down to the insular nature of the provinces and their big cities.
In Ontario for example, if you live outside of the southern peninsula (and thus outside Ottawa or the GTA) you might as well not exist. The abandonment issue has become so strong that the northern regions of the Province (my region included) have parties trying to break away and form their own new Province.
Quebec has been battling to become an independent country for over 50 years and been narrowly talked down from the ledge on several occasions. This has resulted in a hyper-nationalist society which actively suppresses ethnic and especially religious minorities. To the point of supporting violence against these people in some cases (especially against indigenous people, mixed race people such as the Metis).
The prairie provinces (Aberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) are the economic whipping boys of the government. Much of our resource related wealth comes from these provinces. As such they are worked to the bone and receive little praise and support. Matter of fact they are often referred to as "The Colonies", mere economic chaff to be exploited. Unsurprisingly this has resulted in mass resentment in the west, and with the gun control issue coming to ahead, the urban-rural divide has become even greater. With some extremists suggesting that the west should succeed as a whole and found their own agrarian nation state. What doesn't help the issue is the the fact that westerners feel that they counqured the land with their blood, sweat and tears. As such it's indigenous inhabitants would get the short end of the stick, or no tick at all being the counqured people. Meaning that their survival in an independent prairie states would be dubious.
British Columbia is the second biggest economic performer in Canada, but it's politics are incoherent at the best of times, since the most popular party in BC is the politically divided NDP. The Conservatives and Liberals have done little better of course.
The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon and primarily indigenous based cultures, and NT and NU have completely different government structures than the rest of Canada. Essentially tribal based concensus democracy. Their remote frontier nature means they have little in common with the rest of the country.
Speaking of separate and entirely different cultures, you have the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) to the south east. As well as the unique and relatively independent Newfoundland and Labrador to the north east. These regions have more in common with States like Massachusetts and Maine, then the rest of Canada. Here celtic languages are still spoken (heck, Nova Scotia means "New Scotland" for crying out loud) as is French as many Acadians makes these provinces their homes.
All of these factions, hate eachother's guts for the most part. It's fair to say, that "Canada" isn't even really a country. Nothing ever happens and nothing ever changes because of this, as the distinct regions of Canada bicker back and fourth, the ever present boogeyman that is the threat of violence.
Yet despite all that, these people who are always at lagerheads, pull together when the needs arise. Not only is this remarkable, it's truly one of the few things Canadians have to be proud of. It's kinda wild.
In such a divided country, it's almost impossible for rational thought to break through.
TLDR: Gun-control is seen as a win/win by both the general public and government, with no downsides. Even if it means suppressing the majority.
