Did Canada just declare war on Russia?

Start your free trial

Access exclusive members only RebelNews+ shows, event footage, and documentaries

Subscribe

Tonight on the Ezra Levant Show, Ezra highlights how the Canadian government has declared its goal to be “regime change” in Russia, according to Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.

Joly emphasized that the goal is “definitely” regime change, while Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced a ban on Russian imports of steel and aluminum.

Although the ban may not make much of an economic impact, it is clearly symbolic. The Canadian government’s declaration of its goal is a serious matter and it is not clear how it will be received by Russia or by the international community.

The statement by Joly was not widely reported, and instead attention was focused on an exchange between Joly and Michael Cooper, a Conservative MP, which went viral. Cooper had laughed at the prospect of Canada staring down Russian President Vladimir Putin and Joly’s response was seen as "evidence" of Conservative sexism.

However, the real news was Joly’s declaration of regime change as Canada’s goal.

It is unclear what Canada hopes to achieve with this goal, or how it will go about achieving it. It is also unclear how the international community will react and whether it will support or oppose this position.

Canada’s decision to ban Russian imports of steel and aluminum may be seen as a move to undermine Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. However, the ban is unlikely to have a significant economic impact, and may be more symbolic than anything else. Canada’s decision to send one solitary tank to help defend Ukraine is also unlikely to make much of a military impact.

It is not clear what Canada’s strategy is with regard to Russia, or how it plans to achieve its goal of regime change. The decision to declare regime change as a goal is a serious one, and could have far-reaching consequences.

One thing is for sure, Canada’s declaration of regime change as a goal and the banal headlines of Conservative sexism are a useful distraction from the Chinese corruption scandal that is engulfing Trudeau right now.

GUEST: Tracey Wilson, of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights on Alberta's new Firearms act, pushing back against Ottawa.