As useful as labels might be to describe something, they are deficient to depict the reality, especially politics. When I personally speak of dictatorship, I immediately think of the terrorist regime of Enver Hoxha in Albania, when the government controlled everything, courts of law, law enforcement institutions, jobs, education, media, land, economy, natural resources, and the ideological and spiritual aspects of the citizens.
The dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, which was installed by the British Empire, had all the characteristics of a terrorist regime. The country resembled a internment camp. People were punished not based on crimes and a transparent law, but based on political and ideological reasons. Houses had no privacy. Family was merely a unit of control, not a building block of society, where people form the unbreakable bonds. The secret police officers had the right to enter any house without knocking on the door, much did they need a warranty to do so. People were arrested and locked up in prisons, similar to the American infamous prison of Guantanamo, and never see their families again. Any social or familial solidarity with the oppressed one would be considered a treason, and the consequences were fatal.
Canada, on the other hand, apparently is not that type of dictatorship. We don’t see secret police officers knocking on our doors. Apparently, people are allowed to worship God and practice their religions. The economic prosperity is incomparably better than Albania of 1980s. However, if we look closely at the Canadian political system, we will see a much different reality. Again, let’s put aside the political labels and look at the reality carefully.
In this regard, the political control that the government has in Canada is much more sophisticated and advanced than in a classical dictatorship. The Government enjoys an unprecedented level of control. It controls jobs and the economy. The hiring departments are controlled by the intelligence service. Universities and the propaganda machine, such as media and other ideological venues, are controlled by the government.
In addition, Canada has a theatrical judicial system. Judges are not a third party who settle the disputes between the state and its citizens or among citizens themselves. They are under the control of the government and they enjoy unwarranted and unlimited power. It is a corrupt and theatrical legal system.
The reason why Canada does not demonstrate brutal forms of dictatorship is due to the advanced forms of control. It has passed that traditional stage when people genuinely express their political ideas. People are controlled financially and ideologically and legally. How can they dare speak up against injustice when their jobs, food, family ties, the legal system and everything needed to survive is controlled by the Government? Canada is a true dictatorship, but with a beautiful façade.
Sabri Lushi
