Less than a week ago, when the Rogers and Shaw telecom companies went off line, it highlighted so many problems that we have as Canadians. It demonstrated how fragile the systems that we depend on actually are. 

There is one core issue though, which may not have been given enough thought, and this shutdown has put an exclamation point on it. Autonomy. 

Having autonomy means freedom from unnecessary oversight and control. Personal and economic freedom. The Bank of Canada is working on a stable, secure digital currency (CBDC) which will have some benefits over current crypto currencies which fluctuate wildly in value.  

Although it is prudent to ensure all Canadians have access to digital transfers regardless of their situation, we cannot allow the government to use this technology to force us into a being a “cashless society”.   

Living free in a democratic county means having the right to not have your every movement or transaction recorded and trackable. The Canadian government recently proved its ability to invade banking institutions and financially control citizens without due process or even cause. There is and should be significant concern when a government can willfully and without warning freeze a lawful citizen's bank account, instantly rendering them insolvent and unable to pay for food, rent, or necessities.  

In the recent Ottawa Trucker protests hundreds of citizens had their accounts frozen for weeks and even months without due process. For many the "crime" was simply donating to a Go Fund Me initiated for a protest that was completely legal at the time. Many of the protesters in Ottawa were ordered to leave the province but rendered incapable of even buying gas to move their vehicles. The government then made it illegal for citizen sympathizers to donate cash or even gas to help.  

In this single act the Liberal controlled Government of Canada has broken faith with its citizens and lost our trust. It is a clear message to every Canadian that they will now need to have a readily available amount of cash nearby at all times just to pay for necessities if they are unexpectedly victimized by their own government.  

The Maverick Party opposes any government effort to force a cashless model onto its citizens. Most Canadians already have access to as much digital transfer as they want or need. But it must remain a choice. We support autonomy of person and self-sufficiency.  

Your Servant Leader of the Maverick Party,   

Colin Krieger