The Politics of Polarization

A new report looks at the circumstances that led to the convoy's arrival in Ottawa (and other places across Canada) in early 2022, and finds that it stems from a series of events that began in 2015. It took years before efforts at forming a convoy and rolling to Ottawa actually came together—and there were several failed tries along the way.

So what changed during the pandemic? How were far right Canadians able to band together long enough to organize the event, and why were so many more relatively moderate citizens drawn to their cause? Was this an example of lightning in a bottle, or the new face of extremism in Canada?

GUEST: Stephanie Carvin, national security expert, author of Polarization and Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism in Canada since 2015

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