Every Nation Has the Government It Deserves

By Tom Marazzo, Captain (Ret’d) Canadian Army

Joseph de Maistre famously said, “Every nation has the government it deserves.” This sentiment reflects the uncomfortable truth that the quality of governance mirrors the collective will, apathy, and behavior of its citizens.

Apathy rewards tyranny. Complicity sustains corruption.

Yet, voters endlessly lament their plight while clinging to the status quo. In Canada, this painful irony plays out every election cycle.

Nothing in Canada will change unless something fundamental shifts in the mindset of Canadian voters.

A great friend of mine, who served as a campaign chair in a provincial election, put it bluntly: voters lie.

They say they want change, claim to value integrity, and demand accountability. Yet when it comes time to vote, they reward the very politicians who perpetuate the dysfunction they despise.

This contradiction has become the hallmark of Canadian politics. Voters cry for reform but recoil from those who embody it. They reward their abusers—politicians who exploit, manipulate, and betray them—while scorning those who fight for their rights.

This paradox was painfully clear during the last federal election.

I want to clarify that this article is not an endorsement of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). That is not my place. While I voted for the PPC because they stood against the unconstitutional COVID-19 mandates, my intent was to reward their courage and integrity. Since then, I’ve forwarded my humble suggestions to the PPC for what I believe could be a unifying strategy, but ultimately, this article is not about them.

Today, Canadians despise Justin Trudeau so deeply that their primary goal is to remove him at any cost. Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader, inspires similar disdain. But this hatred blinds Canadians. They’re not voting based on principles or ethics. They’re voting out of emotion. And emotion-based voting is a recipe for tyranny.

Worse still, Canadian voters are unwilling to even get involved and change the nature of the party they support. We’re too lazy, as a country, to end our “Power of Attorney” relationship with politics. Rather than actively engaging to hold leaders accountable or reshape the platforms of the parties we vote for, we prefer to abdicate our responsibility to people who prey on our apathy. This passivity sustains the very dysfunction we claim to despise.

In the provincial election following the Freedom Convoy, I decided to run for office. My reasoning was simple: if my voice would be silenced outside the legislature, I would ensure it could not be ignored within it. Doug Ford, Ontario’s premier, had already proven himself to be a domestic abuser of Ontarians' rights. During COVID-19, he bragged about imposing some of the harshest restrictions in North America, only to be caught breaking his own rules while profiting from his company, Deco Labels. Yet, instead of rejecting Ford’s hypocrisy, voters rewarded him with an even larger majority.

What about principled politicians? Rick Nicholls, a long-serving MPP, stood for informed consent and medical privacy, only to be expelled from Ford’s caucus. His reward? Voters in his riding abandoned him and elected a Ford loyalist.

The same pattern played out in Saskatchewan. Premier Scott Moe, who initially promised not to implement vaccine passports, reversed course and berated unvaccinated citizens. When MLA Nadine Wilson stood up for her rights and the law, Moe ousted her from caucus. She helped form SaskUnited, a party built on principles and reform, but in the 2024 election, Saskatchewan voters ignored this principled alternative and handed Moe another victory.

This isn’t a failure of the system—it’s a failure of the electorate. Canadians cry for change while steadfastly refusing to change themselves. They’ve proven more interested in self-inflicted political injury than in making Canada great again. Their primary effort to bring about change is posting garbage on social media, which only reinforces their inertia.

The fractured state of the Canadian Right makes this situation even worse. While the Liberals have remained steadfast as a unified Left, Canada has cycled through eight federal versions of “Conservative” parties, each torn apart by infighting and an inability to cooperate. The Right is its own worst enemy, splintering into factions that viciously attack each other instead of uniting for common goals.

Both CPC and PPC supporters accuse the other of being more vulgar and aggressive, with each side eager to paint the other as the source of division. The reality is more nuanced. Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) supporters are driven by a singular goal: to get rid of Trudeau. They see the PPC as an interference in that effort. On the other hand, PPC supporters want the Canadian political system to do what is right for Canada. They view the CPC as an obstacle to achieving the meaningful change everyone claims to want.

Just look at the hostility online between these two groups. Instead of collaborating to address Canada’s issues, they direct their anger at one another. This viciousness only serves to divide the Right further and strengthen the status quo.

Let’s be clear: Justin Trudeau is Pierre Poilievre’s greatest asset. The Conservative Party thrives on Trudeau-hatred. They position themselves as the "only" alternative, betting that voters’ animosity toward Trudeau will outweigh their apathy or principles. It’s a calculated strategy that works—not because the Conservatives offer compelling solutions, but because Canadians vote out of emotion.

The voters hold the power to break this cycle. But that requires more than social media outrage or empty calls for change. It demands a willingness to vote on principles, not emotions. It means rejecting politicians who abuse their trust, regardless of party. Until Canadians embrace this shift, nothing will change. The tyranny they decry on Facebook and X will remain the tyranny they endorse at the ballot box.

It’s tempting to believe Canada could have a government built on courage, integrity, and principles. But the reality is, Canadians don’t deserve this unless they’re willing to fight for it. Tragically, they’re not. Apathy reigns. Courage is rare. And integrity is punished rather than rewarded.

This dynamic has deterred me from running for office again. Why fight for a population that isn’t willing to fight for itself?

Canadians have demonstrated they would rather maintain the status quo than embrace meaningful change. As long as this mindset persists, the government will continue to reflect the collective apathy and contradictions of the electorate.

Joseph de Maistre’s words remain as relevant today as ever. Every nation has the government it deserves. And until Canadians take responsibility for their choices, nothing will change.