Combatting a Trust Deficit: Restoring Trust is Our Collective Job

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Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. I wish you a terrific 2025 filled with love, hope, good health, and prosperity.

Many thanks again for your support.

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The collapse of support for the government of Justin Trudeau is a reminder of how fragile power is. The extent to which power also rests on trust, I have been thinking about trust and its erosion in the last 10 years since 2015.

The Trudeau government has not received much support from Canadians since 2019. It is a minority government living under the projected pretense that it had broad support to pursue a highly ideological agenda detached from the life of average Canadians. Support for the pretense eroded with the Truckers’ protest and has declined since, despite so many media peddling the fantasy narrative. It finally collapsed in mid-December 2024 among Liberal Party insiders interested in Justin Trudeau saving their jobs. Their fear of him disappeared after they lost their second finance minister.

Since then, some of them slowly showed the courage of whispering calls for his resignation from the shadows of anonymity. Some even voiced their calls in the open. No one but a handful of Koolaid drinkers believes today that the PM can win the next election.

Cabinet members can finally say what they have known for over a year: they no longer trust the PM to save them from the big, bad opposition. They can openly accept Justin Trudeau is a political liability. Without that trust the PM’s power has vanished. He may remain in office for several days or a few weeks, but he is now powerless.

And that is the curious thing about power and authority. They are relational realities, which is as true between people as between people and institutions. The power of institutions, too, rests on people’s trust and acceptance of their authority.

This is why trust in public institutions is essential. Public trust is the cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy, fostering social cohesion and ensuring the effective operation of institutions. In Canada, this trust has traditionally been placed in formal institutions—such as government bodies, the judiciary, and law enforcement—and informal institutions—including political parties, media and professional sectors like academics and medical professionals. However, recent trends indicate a wide erosion of this trust, posing challenges to the country's democratic fabric.

The demise of Justin Trudeau, regardless of who succeeds him, will not suddenly reverse the drop in trust in public and social institutions. His policies and the actions of his supporters and officials have contributed to the erosion of support for key institutions that his departure cannot restore. Trudeau’s policies have contributed to the demise of support for the authority of police forces, courts, the medical establishment, and centres of learning and scientific advancement, among many others.

Take, for example, the pushing of a radical agenda on the environment designed to promote fear and anxiety with the goal of drumming support for their distributive economic policies. It includes the idea that higher taxes can immediately impact climate patterns. The same can be said for deliberate misinformation regarding COVID-19, transgendering surgeries and the promotion of the belief that nature is subject to the ideological whims of human beings. Let us not forget about the outright lies promoted by federal officials and institutions regarding mass graves and genocide in Canada.

And then there are the fiscal fantasies that only bankers should worry about the economy, that massive money printing makes no difference when “interest rates are at historic lows,” that economies are grown out of inner human organs, that the government can borrow massively so that people do not have to, that the government leader need not think about monetary policy, and that budgets balance themselves.

When politicians of any affiliation tell blatant lies, often with the support of government and social institutions, the issue goes beyond just the government. The effects of these falsehoods affect more than just public trust in politicians. This is a significant reason Canadians’ trust in their institutions has sharply declined.

Declining Trust in Government and Institutions

A survey in 2023 found that 52% of respondents worldwide believe corruption is widespread in business and government. A 2023 survey by Ipsos found that approximately 54% of Canadians believe their government is corrupt to some degree.

A recent report, Trust in Canada (2024), by researchers from the University of Waterloo, indicates that trust in parliamentary institutions in Canada has been low and has seen further decline in recent years.

The diminishing confidence in the Federal Parliament further exemplifies this waning trust. In 2013, only 38% of Canadians expressed confidence in this institution. By 2023, this figure had not significantly improved, with only 32% reporting high confidence. A survey by Léger (2023) found that only 45% of respondents trusted the House of Commons' Speaker, 44% trusted the House of Commons, and 37% trusted the Senate. Additionally, trust in the Prime Minister's Office was at 37%. ​

These findings reflect a broader trend of low trust in political leaders and institutions, with many Canadians feeling disempowered and skeptical about the ability of their leaders to address the country's challenges effectively. ​

Erosion of Trust in the Media

The media, once considered a vital pillar of democracy responsible for informing the public and holding power to account, has also experienced a decline in trust. In 2013, confidence in the media was at 40%. By 2023, it had decreased to 31%, indicating a persistent skepticism among Canadians regarding media reliability (Trust in Canada, 2024).

This decline is concerning, as trustworthy media are essential for an informed citizenry. The proliferation of misinformation and the perception of bias have contributed to this erosion, making it imperative for media outlets to strive for greater transparency and accuracy in their reporting.

News media need to get back to the basics of journalism if they are to retrieve any portion of the trust in them that the public has lost.

Trust in the Justice System and Courts

Confidence in the justice system and courts has also seen a sharp decline. In 2013, 57% of Canadians expressed confidence in these institutions. By 2023, this figure had decreased to 46%, reflecting growing concerns about the effectiveness and fairness of the judicial system (Trust in Canada, 2024). Less than half of Canadians respect the legal system, courts, and judges. Many who have observed the courts deal with the Convoy protesters are under the impression that the legal system has become an extension of those in power.

This erosion of trust is alarming. It can have profound implications, potentially undermining the rule of law and the perceived legitimacy of legal institutions. Addressing these concerns is crucial to maintaining public confidence in the justice system.

Trust in the Medical Establishment

Trust in healthcare institutions dropped by 10% between 2020 and 2023, with only 55% of people expressing confidence.

The numbers for medical science are starkly worse. The COVID-19 pandemic has further influenced public trust in health institutions. A study by the Pew Research Center in 2021 found that trust in medical scientists in the United States decreased from 43% in April 2020 to 29% in February 2021. This drop was attributed to mixed messages and the perceived politicization of health advice during the pandemic. Trust in health institutions is also affected by the dissemination of misinformation. The Edelman Trust Barometer 2021 highlighted that 59% of people globally were concerned about false information being used as a weapon. This has led to increased skepticism towards health institutions.

While specific recent data on trust in Canada's healthcare system is limited, global trends suggest a decline in confidence in medical institutions. Factors contributing to this erosion include perceived inefficiencies, concerns about accessibility, and debates over public health policies. Anecdotal experiences abundantly show a medical profession politicized, devoid of courage, subject to government whim, and incapable of living up to their oath not to harm.

Maintaining healthcare trust is vital, as it directly impacts public health outcomes and the effectiveness of medical interventions. Decoupling medicine from state delivery must be a start to a less politicized, more responsive and more ethical medical establishment.

Diminishing Trust in Universities and Academic Institutions

Universities have traditionally been bastions of knowledge and critical thinking, enjoying substantial public trust. Not anymore. Recent developments suggest a growing perception that ideological advocacy has replaced the objective pursuit of knowledge. Such knowledge is a public benefit if people can communicate it freely, but Canadians cannot take that freedom for granted.

A 2020 Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms report revealed that many Canadian universities have betrayed their mandates and raison d’etre. They prioritize "diversity" and "inclusion" over free expression, with only 21% expressing a commitment to upholding free expression and open inquiry (JCCF, 2020).

On the contrary, universities have become bastions of authoritarian imposition of ideological flavours, suppressing social and physical reality, free inquiry, and the independence of spirit they ought to foster.

Furthermore, a 2022 survey highlighted that 44% of right-leaning professors are concerned about facing negative consequences if their political opinions become known, leading to self-censorship among 57% of these individuals (Macdonald-Laurier Institute).

Implications of Eroding Trust

The decline in trust across these institutions has profound social and political implications. When public confidence wanes, compliance with sound laws and public measures diminishes, social cohesion weakens, and the effectiveness of governance becomes compromised. In such scenarios, authorities might more often than not have to resort to coercive measures to maintain order, leading to a dangerous cycle that further erodes trust.

The threats to legislate in favour of persecuting political dissent and opinions contrary to political orthodoxy show that coercion and, at times, violence (see the invocation of the Emergencies Act) are already favoured tools to suppress freedom of thought. No free society can thrive without freedom of expression and dissent from state policy and laws.

Pathways to Restoring Trust

Restoring public trust is a complex and long-term endeavour that requires the efforts of free citizens across all sectors of society. Chiefly, it requires vigilance and political participation from the public. As the Leader of the Opposition recently said to Jordan Peterson in an interview, restoring Canada’s promise will require substantial political support. “Politics is a participatory and not a spectator sport,” Poilievre said. In other words, politicians alone will not restore the country’s limping institutions, especially given the massive corrections needed.

There are no political messiahs. Canadians will need to step up.

Key strategies will need to include:

1. Transparency and Accountability: Institutions must operate openly, clearly communicating decisions and acknowledging mistakes when security is not compromised. This approach fosters a culture of accountability and can rebuild public confidence. To succeed, a new government must try to stay on this path and ignore the hyper-drama of “cancel culture.”

2. Engagement and Participation: Encouraging public participation in decision-making ensures that many voices are heard. The institutions captured by woke bureaucrats cannot be left to their own devices. More popular involvement will make such institutions more responsive and reflective of societal needs. Courageous Canadians must recapture school boards, library councils, trade unions, professional associations, constituency associations, municipal councils, and legislatures, not just the federal parliament.

3. Education and Media Literacy: Canadians must take back their schools and universities. Most universities are public institutions in Canada. Demand that provincial governments appoint boards that will enforce common sense and the original mandate of universities. Erase all federal grants to universities. Regarding media, stop state subsidies to media outlets to make them more responsive to the market and push them away from the woke trends. Enhancing the public's ability to assess information critically can mitigate misinformation's impact and help rebuild trust in credible sources.

4. Ethical Leadership: Honour must be brought back to our public institutions. Leaders across all sectors must exemplify integrity and ethical behaviour, setting a standard that promotes trustworthiness within their institutions. Mostly, Canadians of courage need to come forward and actively participate in public life, not just as elected officials but as business and community leaders.

Conclusion

The erosion of public trust in Canada's formal and informal institutions is a pressing issue threatening the country's democratic principles and social cohesion. In that sense, it is an existential threat that deserves prompt attention. Addressing this challenge requires emphasizing transparency, public engagement, education (not indoctrination), and ethical leadership.

While restoring trust to healthy levels is undoubtedly a long road, a committed and collective effort led from the ground up can pave the way toward a more resilient and cohesive society. The severe trust deficit will not balance itself. Canadians need to take up the challenge. The time has come to liberate Canada from the obnoxious ideology and the oppressive culture that the last decade has implanted in our institutions.