Reclaim Canada

Canada is in trouble. And pretending otherwise is no longer an option.

In Reclaim Canada, we are going to look honestly at the state of our country, how we got here, and what must be done to turn it around.

For generations, Canadians inherited one of the most prosperous, peaceful and stable countries on Earth. We inherited affordable communities, safe streets, functioning institutions, extraordinary natural resources and something even more valuable: the expectation that if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could build a better life for yourself and your children.

That promise is breaking down.

Canada allowed immigration to accelerate far beyond the country's capacity to successfully absorb newcomers. Housing construction failed to keep pace while rents and home prices became increasingly unaffordable. Our justice system has struggled with violent and repeat offenders. Governments and institutions increasingly divide Canadians according to race in the name of equity. Meanwhile, an enormous and increasingly expensive state too often seems incapable of delivering the basic competence Canadians should expect in return.

Canadians are repeatedly told that these problems are complicated, that nothing can change quickly, and that we should lower our expectations.

I reject that.

Canada is not destined for decline. We remain one of the most geographically fortunate and resource-rich countries on Earth. We have energy, minerals, farmland, technology, educated citizens, democratic institutions and enormous human potential. What we have lacked is the willingness to confront our problems honestly and put the interests of Canadian citizens back at the centre of Canadian government.

It is time to reclaim Canada.

Reclaim Canada lays out a different vision for the country: an immigration system based upon Canada's actual economic and social capacity; a justice system that protects innocent people while preserving due process; an end to government-sponsored racial politics in favour of equal citizenship; a massive expansion of housing, infrastructure, energy and productive capacity; and a government measured not by how much money it announces, but by what it actually accomplishes.

But this book is about something larger than individual policies.

It is about restoring the covenant between the citizen and the country.

Canada owes its citizens something: security, liberty, equal justice, competent government and the conditions necessary to build a prosperous life.

Canadians owe something to Canada too: responsibility, contribution, stewardship and a determination to leave the country stronger than we found it.

This is not an argument for returning to the past.

It is a blueprint for building Canada's future.

A country that builds.

A government that governs.

A justice system that protects the innocent.

An immigration system that serves the national interest.

A citizenship that means something.

And a Canada our children will be proud to inherit.

The problems facing this country are serious. They are not irreversible.

Canada can be prosperous again. It can be affordable again. It can be safe, confident, productive and united again.

But that future will not arrive on its own.

It has to be reclaimed.