CBC’s Carol Off wants to hijack the word 'freedom'

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Former CBC host Carol Off is on a mission to reclaim the word "freedom" from those she labels the "far right." In an interview on CBC's As It Happens, Off outlined her perspective, pushing back against what she sees as the misuse of words. She was on her former show to promote her new book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in the Age of Rage.

Off told host, Nil Köksal, "We need to reclaim this word … from those who were giving out this message of anger and rage, and saying, 'We don't have to care about others anymore. We don't need to wear a mask. We don't need to do things for others,' and then wrapping that in a flag, a Canadian flag, and calling it patriotism," she said.

Off appears shocked that ordinary Canadians—like the truckers and farmers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy—dare to use “freedom” to describe their fight against government overreach. She dismisses these Canadians as angry and selfish, “doing whatever they want” while invoking patriotism. Off’s real issue is with anyone challenging the government narrative.

While praising Kamala Harris for her use of “freedom” during her U.S. presidential campaign, Off conveniently ignores that real freedom is about the people’s rights, not elite-approved slogans. Of Harris, Off said, "the first thing out of her [Harris's] mouth, practically, was freedom," Off told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "I thought, 'I can't believe this. This is exactly what I, in my dreams, was hoping might happen.'"

She accuses others of weaponizing words, yet fails to see how the CBC and its establishment allies have long manipulated language to serve their agenda.

Off's idea of a "shared language" is one where only her views are heard, and any dissent is silenced. "Freedom" doesn't belong to the CBC or its former hosts—it belongs to Canadians, and no amount of rebranding will change that.