Canada used to be a country that got things done

Canada used to be a country that got things done By Dale Jodoin Canada used to be a country that got things done. We built highways through rock, railways across frozen land, towns from nothing. We didn’t stop because someone might be afraid of noise or dust. We worked, we built, we grew. Now, it feels like we’ve traded courage for comfort and backbone for bubble wrap. Everywhere you look, someone’s afraid of something. The left tells us to tremble at every tweet from Donald J. Trump, the current president of the United States. They say his name will terrify Canadians into silence, making them fear their ammo. And if you don’t side with the left? You’re labelled fascist, racist, or worse. The center is under attack from both sides while the country slowly fractures. Look around. We’re scared of words, jokes, fireworks, even history. People demand that everyone else stop doing what makes them happy just because someone might be uncomfortable. Life doesn’t come with a comfort guarantee. Take fireworks. Every July, a few voices demand their cancellation—because they rattle dogs, unsettle veterans, or trigger anxiety. Those are valid concerns. But the solution is not to cancel joy for everyone. If fireworks bother you, stay home. Don’t take something meaningful away from thousands of others. That’s the deeper problem: we’ve become a nation afraid to offend. You can’t build anything that way. You can’t have free speech if everyone is terrified of it. When did we forget how to disagree without crying for someone to be silenced? On university campuses, the culture’s even worse. Students are screened for “triggering” words. Professors are censured for jokes that used to spark debate. We’re training a generation more worried about being offended than about being resilient. What happens when life gives them something truly hard, without trigger warnings or safe spaces? Here’s the truth: fear has become a shield. It’s easier to say, “I’m terrified,” than to take responsibility. If someone says something you don’t like, talk, debate, or walk away. Don’t demand the world rewrites everything just so you’ll never feel uneasy. Canada was built by people who faced fear, not by people who hid from it. Immigration, once a symbol of hope, is being twisted into a tool of division. Immigrants came to build something together with us to enrich the country. Now politicians use immigration stories to pit one group against another. They whisper victimhood to some, blame to others. That’s not unity. That’s manipulation. It’s quietly ripping the country apart. We used to be one people, proud and united. Now we fracture into isolated groups, each one afraid someone else will speak. The loudest voices are treated like everyone’s voice. The rest of us are just trying to keep the lights on, raise kids, and live in peace. It’s almost absurd. We live in one of the safest countries on Earth, yet act like we’re on constant alert. Our grandparents survived wars, hunger, freezing winters. We stress over tweets. If we keep living by everyone else’s fear, Canada won’t survive not in spirit. Fear shrinks people, kills joy, stops progress. The only cure is courage. And a little humour along the way doesn’t hurt. So here’s the deal: if you’re scared of something, fine. But don’t ask the rest of us to silence our joy because of it. If you don’t like what someone says, let it pass. If fireworks bother you, stay away. If politics makes you anxious, switch off the news. Canada can be strong again. We just need to remember who we are: people with courage, hard work, and the freedom to speak our minds. We’re not here to babysit fear. We’re here to build a country. And if that offends someone well, maybe they should try being offended elsewhere. Written by Dale Jodoin newspaper writer and journalists