How Canadian Media Manipulated the Minds of a Nation: Trump, America, and the 7 Types of Power

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

If there is one truth that emerged over the past decade, it’s this: the Canadian media is no longer in the business of informing. It is in the business of controlling. And never has this been more obvious than in their campaign to vilify President Donald Trump and the United States of America—our closest ally, trading partner, and security partner.

To understand the full scale of this manipulation, we need to examine it through the lens of the Seven Types of Power—a framework that explains how individuals and institutions exert influence over others. These power dynamics have been weaponized not only during COVID-19 but also in shaping how Canadians see Trump and, by extension, America itself.

1. Informational Power: The Foundation of Modern Propaganda

Informational Power is the ability to control what people know—and more importantly, what they don’t. During COVID-19, this was the most abused form of power in Canada, and it remains the tool most responsible for manufacturing our population’s hatred of President Trump.

The media achieved this by selectively filtering stories. When Trump negotiated peace agreements in the Middle East or deregulated to grow American jobs, Canadians heard nothing. But when he tweeted something brash or made a controversial statement? Wall-to-wall coverage. Context was abandoned in favor of emotional reaction. The goal was not to inform—it was to enrage.

This manipulation extended to how Canadians perceived the U.S. during COVID. American protestors defending liberty were painted as extremists. Yet, when Canadian protestors—like the Freedom Convoy—stood up for the same freedoms, we were called terrorists. The media’s selective coverage manufactured an emotional bias against anything that resembled Trumpian values: freedom, strength, national pride, and individual rights.

2. Coercive Power: Enforced Through Fear and Division

Fear is a powerful motivator. Coercive Power uses it to shape behavior through the threat of punishment or social exclusion.

The Canadian media used this tactic to shame anyone who dared speak well of President Trump or the United States. During the pandemic, Canadians were threatened with job loss, public shaming, and social isolation for questioning the lockdowns or mandates. But the conditioning didn't stop there—it extended to political allegiances.

If you said you supported Trump, you weren’t just expressing an opinion. You were now a “white supremacist,” “far-right extremist,” or “American sympathizer.” In a country where we are taught to see ourselves as morally superior to our southern neighbors, this was the kiss of death.

This isn’t journalism—it’s ideological coercion.

3. Legitimate Power: Trusting the Wrong Authorities

Legitimate Power is derived from roles of authority: elected officials, judges, bureaucrats, and yes—journalists. Canadians are taught from childhood to respect the CBC, believe the Globe and Mail, and follow the guidance of “experts.”

But what happens when those institutions become corrupted?

During the pandemic, Chief Medical Officers contradicted themselves week after week, and journalists parroted the narrative without question. Legitimate Power was transformed into blind obedience.

When the CBC says Trump is dangerous, Canadians believe it—not because of the evidence, but because it comes from a source they trust. When Trudeau labels the Freedom Convoy as “fringe,” the media reinforces the lie. The legitimacy is assumed, not earned.

Meanwhile, American media—at least the parts not bought and paid for—exposed corruption, debated policy, and pushed back. In Canada? Not a whisper of dissent was allowed on mainstream platforms.

4. Expert Power: Used to Silence, Not Inform

Expert Power is supposed to come from knowledge, training, and experience. But in Canada, expert power has become a blunt instrument used to destroy those who disagree.

When doctors like Byram Bridle or scientists like Paul Alexander challenged the mandates, they weren’t debated—they were smeared. Their credentials couldn’t be questioned, so their sanity was.

Meanwhile, so-called “experts” who aligned with government narratives were given nightly airtime to echo government propaganda. The science was no longer about evidence—it was about obedience. The same tactic was used to discredit American experts who supported Trump or criticized Fauci. Canadians were never given both sides. They were given one side, and told everything else was dangerous.

The suppression of dissenting voices was never about public safety—it was about control.

5. Referent Power: Hijacking Role Models

Referent Power is the ability to influence others because they admire or relate to you. Celebrities, influencers, and political figures fall into this category. And here, the Canadian media played a particularly dirty game.

Trump was portrayed as the villain—not because of his policies, but because of his persona. He was painted as crass, racist, and dangerous. Never mind that he brokered peace deals, reduced illegal immigration, and stood up to China. The media focused on his tweets, not his actions.

Meanwhile, Canadian “role models” like Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh, and Bonnie Henry were lionized despite violating their own mandates, lying to the public, and invoking emergency powers against peaceful citizens.

Those who supported freedom—people like Tamara Lich or even American doctors—were treated like criminals. Meanwhile, the real criminals in government and media were given awards, airtime, and praise.

6. Reward Power: The Illusion of Freedom as a Prize

Reward Power offers compliance in exchange for benefits. During COVID, that meant vaccine passports, reopening privileges, and even money. In the context of media propaganda, it meant the reward of being “on the right side of history.”

Say what we tell you to say, and you’ll be praised as a moral, ethical Canadian. Challenge us, and you’ll be vilified.

Support Trump? You’re an extremist. Mock Trump? You’re a hero. The reward wasn’t material—it was social validation. And in today’s digital age, that’s a currency more powerful than money.

7. Connection Power: Controlled by Elites

Connection Power comes from who you know. Trudeau's government is deeply embedded in a network of globalist organizations, foreign influencers, and international media connections. This allowed for coordinated messaging that aligned Canadian media with global anti-Trump rhetoric.

While Trump was trying to dismantle China’s grip on North America, Canadian politicians and media defended Chinese influence in our country. From Huawei contracts to fentanyl routes, Canada served as a backdoor into the U.S.—and Trump was the only one calling it out.

Instead of siding with our closest ally, our media became a megaphone for our enemies.

Conclusion: Canada Is Under Informational Siege

What Canadians must understand is this: we are not immune to propaganda. We are, in fact, highly vulnerable because we believe ourselves to be morally superior and better informed.

The manipulation by our media was not accidental. It was coordinated, strategic, and devastatingly effective. President Trump was not their real target—we were. Our ability to think critically, to make informed decisions, and to chart our own future was under attack.

We were taught to fear what Trump represented—freedom, self-reliance, and patriotism—because those values stand in direct opposition to the bureaucratic globalism that now controls our nation.

If we want to reclaim our sovereignty, we must first reclaim our minds. We must reject the power structures used to control us and begin building our own.

Because make no mistake: the greatest power of all is the power of the informed citizen.