The far right in the United States could get a boost in the medium term. What does that mean for Canada? – Whole country

Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections could see more far-right candidates fill federal and state offices, increasing their influence over the country’s politics. Experts say this will affect Canada.

Elections for the U.S. Congress and various gubernatorial elections take place amid the most polarized and overheated political climate in decades, with officials warning of rising risks of violence and possible attempts to undermine the electoral system. I am warning you.

Political watchers say the rise of far-right nationalists within the Republican Party is largely due to many being influenced and promoted by former President Donald Trump.

“Yes, there’s some heavy rhetoric from both[Democrats and Republicans]but Republicans are 95% of the problem,” said Matthew Lebo, a professor of political science at Western University in London, Ontario. I’m here.

“There is only one political party with members and candidates who advocate violence and question elections. Not a democrat.”

Concerns about rising extremism and violence intensified on Friday when an intruder broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home.

Authorities on Monday planned to target the home, call out “Nancy” while she was inside, kidnap and assault her, and show other members of Congress that there were “consequences of their actions.” The attack was called “politically motivated” by the San Francisco district attorney, but the suspect’s political motives were never explicitly stated.

But on the same day of the attack, a new domestic intelligence agency assessment from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies warned of a “growing threat” of extremist violence during the midterm elections, citing “lone criminals.” fueled by the greatest danger posed by the electoral fraud.

Trump continues to deny losing to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, as his supporters seek to consolidate their power over future elections. Several Republican candidates for secretary of state, who oversee the election if they win, have promised to tighten voting restrictions and even allow lawmakers to overturn the results.

A Washington Post analysis found that the majority of Republican candidates in this November’s poll — 291 total, spread across nearly every state — reflected Trump’s false allegations of election fraud. , 171 of whom have a good chance of winning seats, and another 48 have a chance in a more contested race.

Some of these candidates not only questioned Trump’s defeat, but also refused to accept the possibility of their own defeat.

For example, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake last month refused to tell CNN whether she would accept the results of the election if she lost, repeatedly saying she was confident “and I would accept the results.” rice field.

Revo said the expansion of far-right caucuses in the House and Senate would lead to “hard-line constitutional measures” in Congress, extreme tactics like trying to impeach Biden and members of his cabinet while blocking legislation. will pressure Republican leadership to support

It could also set the stage for the 2024 presidential election, in which the Republican-controlled Congress refuses to certify results, and if a candidate like Lake wins control of battleground states, the results could be outright. It could be destroyed, creating a full-blown constitutional crisis.

“None of the scientists who study American politics have any idea how this is going to end,” Revo said.

“All we know is that the country is in very serious trouble.”

Meanwhile, experts worry that the rise of far-right forces in the United States could affect Canadian politics as well.

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“(This kind of extremism) is not something that needs to be imported into Canada, but it is certain that some of the same arguments from far-right media and campaigns and others are taking root here.” Education facilitator.

North of the border, she points to protests against gender-inclusive classrooms and youth drug events. There is no evidence to support these claims, causing panic among the right wing in the United States about so-called “groomers” indoctrinating children.

According to Statistics Canada, hate crimes against LGBTQ2 people are on the rise, with a dramatic increase in police-reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender between 2020 and 2021.

Recently, more anti-transgender candidates ran for school board office than usual in local elections in several states, including Ontario and British Columbia.

But it was the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests that took over downtown Ottawa and blocked border crossings in several provinces, demonstrating the extent of the links between Canada and the far right in the United States and the extent to which Canada raises ongoing questions about what it means for

Fox News and other right-wing media outlets in the United States cheered on the protests, called on Republican politicians like Ted Cruz to voice their support for the organizers, and urged viewers to donate to their causes. did.

Leaked donor data reveals millions of dollars donated to the online “Freedom Convoy” campaign came from American sources before the funds were frozen.

Livestreamers covering the motorcade regularly rebroadcast Tucker Carlson’s full Fox News show. The host called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “dictator” when he invoked the emergency law to help police lift the lockdown.

Since then, Trudeau has been a target of the far right in the United States.

his infowars On the show, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones hailed “the new Canadian leader set to defeat Trudeau” as an example of the rise of far-right “anti-globalist” politicians. .

“You’re looking at the world, we’re on our feet now” Jones told his millions of followers last month.

about 10 percent infowarsThe audience is based in Canada, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb.

At the “Great Awakening” Christian Nationalist Conference in Mannheim, Pennsylvania, in October, Trudeau included Among the faces of many politicians and media personalities whose speakers have declared that the “angel of death” will visit them and brand them as rebels.

“There really are no borders when it comes to online conspiracies like QAnon that are driving many of these numbers,” said Woodrow.

“Justin Trudeau’s politics are very different from Donald Trump’s…[his]supporters will not follow suit. It means looking up.”

Canadians appear to be more aware of the threat posed by Trump, who remains the de facto leader of the Republican Party and is reportedly eyeing re-election in 2024, experts say. It says.

A September poll by Léger found that 72% of Canadians believed Trump was responsible for the attack on the United States Capitol in protest of his January 6, 2021 presidential election loss. Only 54% of American respondents

But Woodrow says Canadian politicians need to do more to denounce the far right. This is especially true of Mr. Polivre, who seems to be most likely to profit politically from the rise of far-right sentiment.

“We are in a very critical situation right now, so there is always a lot of work for each of us to do,” she said.

A Léger poll found that only 28% of Conservative respondents want Trump to run again. His NPR/PBS poll conducted around the same time suggested that his two-thirds of Republicans would support his re-election.

If Trump loses again, it could set the stage for an even uglier backlash from his supporters than last year’s attack on the Capitol. An Ipsos survey in July found that nearly 12% of respondents said violence was at least “somewhat justified” if it meant that Trump would return to office.

A September CBS poll suggests that 64% of the country expects political violence to increase in the next few years, up from 51% in January 2021.

Lebo said he has similar concerns about both Tuesday’s election and the upcoming election.

“I’m terrified about 2024,” he said.