The Uniter
April 3, 2025
“The United States is a cultural powerhouse,” Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, says. “The old saying goes ‘when the United States sneezes, Canada catches a cold.’”
This is no different today than it was when the phrase was first coined. Balgord described the Canada-United States border as ideologically porous, allowing ideas and values to spread quickly between the two countries. With the US being such a cultural Goliath, many more of their ideas seep into our cultural mosaic than ours into theirs.
“We can see far-right propaganda and talking points get picked off by Canadians and get picked up in our politics,” Balgord says.
“And it’s not just that we are ideologically porous, but when far-right organizations here in Canada or far-right operatives see things working in the United States, it’s a proof of concept. Far-right groups and movements here see what is working ... and use the same talking points, because they are ideologically aligned, and they want to win.”
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