Peaceful protest is a right that was exercised by some (not all!) of the demonstrators at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia on Wednesday afternoon, July 15 — the location where Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was speaking to the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce about his government’s economic plans.
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Complaints ranged from local library closures to Mi’kmaq treaty rights and marijuana sales to environmental concerns around potential fracking and (uranium) mining.
Unfortunately, Nova Scotia is a “have not,” or poor province, which means the provincial government is hard pressed to adequately fund many of the programs and services we like to receive. The province also has an overburdened health care system, in part attributed to staffing numbers insufficient to meet public demand.
A solution, easier said than done, is to become a “have” province. While imperfections may persist under this scenario, things should nevertheless improve. The provincial government will have more money to keep things up and running thanks to more people being lucratively employed, more business investment, a broader tax base, and less strain on the social welfare system. Public libraries and the health care system are but two of the services that should benefit.
Indeed, the Houston government is certainly saying all the right things when it comes to economically beneficial resource development, a possible solution to increase living standards. We can only hope they follow through.
An potential option to boost the economy is hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is happening in Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. The Houston government appears to be giving it serious consideration, and it might be an idea whose time has come for Nova Scotia, a province rich in natural gas reserves. For too long, governments of all stripes have caved to the environmental lobby by keeping this resource in the ground, thereby helping to condemn Nova Scotia to perpetual dependence on federal transfer monies and “have not” status.
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Natural gas from fracking is cleaner and will give us cheaper energy because it won’t have the transportation costs associated with imported foreign oil or natural gas. Much of it can also be exported to Great Britain and Europe, where there are markets. This industry should provide lucrative employment for many and, for good measure, gift the broader economy with its economic spinoff.
Nevertheless, a free and civilized society grants all of us the right to peacefully protest and to peacefully and publicly disagree. Unfortunately, some of the protesters in Wolfville went well above and beyond. A protester had no right to climb on top of the premier’s SUV as he and his entourage attempted to drive away at the conclusion of the meeting. Nor did the protesters have the right to block the vehicle and smash the windshield. Thankfully, police intervened, the premier was escorted away in a police vehicle, and nobody was physically harmed.
These protesters are violent thugs who are a danger to society. If Canada’s so-called justice system can tyrannize Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and other members of the Freedom Convoy for peacefully protesting, they can certainly throw violent protesters in jail. Let them cool their heels in jail cells for a bit.
In summing up, Nova Scotians and Canadians more broadly must do some serious thinking. Do we wish to remain a civilized and free society, or do we want the civilizational collapse that is all but guaranteed if we grant “hecklers’ vetoes” to violent radicals?
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Image via Pixabay.