Opinion: In Government We Should Not Trust

The American motto, IN GOD WE TRUST, holds a certain amount of weight and also somewhat of a surrender to a higher power, not man.

Despite the United States’ plurality of religious views, and ethnic and cultural diversity, 90% of Americans are in favour of the national motto.

What most are unaware of, is the fact that this distinguished phrase was first used officially in Canada. It was inscribed on the Coat of Arms of the city of New West Minister, BC in 1860. During the American Civil War, the Union Army assumed the motto.

It wasn’t until 1873 that the US Congress passed the Coinage Act granting the Secretary of the Treasury the right to inscribe gold and silver coins with the banner phrase.

Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, there is something undeniably solid and hopeful about those four words on the banknotes and coins of the nation’s legal tender.

Here in Canada, our currency is marked with historical monuments, Canadian symbolism, former leaders and the Queen. Make what you will about the comparison, but I have a strong sense that in Canada, we are far too eager to put our trust in government, way more than we should. The level of compliance and obedience without questions to government orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic have affirmed this theory.

As Canadians, I believe we are generally a very trusting people. We willingly forgive, we overlook past wrongs, and sometimes, to our detriment, we ignore the signs of injustice and overreach in order to maintain “peace” and to avoid confrontation.

From the beginning, we have seen evidence of those in power attempt to use this pandemic to avoid accountability and gain more control. The Liberals almost got away with unlimited taxing and spending powers until 2022 had the Conservatives not put a stop to it. My question is, would Canadians have even cared?

The Liberal government shut down Parliament and replaced it with a special committee where opposition members were stripped of most of their powers and abilities to hold the government to account, but again I ask, do Canadians care?

How many lockdowns, mandates, limitations on our fundamental freedoms without proper justifications or evidence to support them will we tolerate?

Have we become too trusting, too reliant, too complicit, too complacent and too obedient to a government, a group of politicians whose ultimate goal is to maintain power and shape the country according to their values system?

Here’s the thing: government works for you. You elect your representatives and they are to echo your voice in Parliament. The government cannot run without your tax dollars, and it must be held accountable for them.

Canadians may be trusting, but we are not dumb. We care about justice and we value freedom.

Regardless of whether the government of the day is Liberal, Conservative or NDP, we must demand more. We must exercise our voices and express our concern, or outrage, when we see injustice, authoritarian policies, restrictions on freedoms without justification or excessive governmental control.

In a democracy, the government can only take so much, without the use of force, as the people are willing to cede to it. This is our country and we must stand up, engage, take ownership and use our voices to speak the truth and demand accountability from those we elected to govern.

We live in a liberal democracy, not an autocracy. We the people have to choose where we put our trust, and I would suggest that it not be placed in the government.

(Photo credit: New York Times)