Enough is enough: Canadians paying the Price for political inaction

Inside Politics wrapped 2025 with a wide-ranging year-end edition — and a blunt warning: Canada’s political class is “doing nothing” while tensions at home keep rising.

Host Kevin Klein was joined by Winnipeg Sun columnists Lawrence Pinsky, KC and Royce Koop, a political science professor at the University of Manitoba. The conversation opened with the Boxing Day takeover of Toronto’s Eaton Centre, where protesters reportedly flooded the mall chanting “intifada” — and, Klein said, no arrests were reported.

Klein argued the protest crossed a line from free expression into disruption on private property. Koop said Canada has been “remarkably tolerant” even as protests have escalated in language and tactics — citing demonstrations near Jewish seniors’ homes and marches through Jewish neighbourhoods that, he argued, appear designed to intimidate. He urged governments to enforce basic order in 2026 so protests don’t harass residents or block daily life, especially during holidays.

Pinsky framed the “globalized intifada” chants as more than rhetoric, saying the West is importing foreign conflicts while political leaders lack the courage to enforce existing laws. Klein broadened the point, calling the Eaton Centre protest an attack on shared civic norms — and warning that when Jewish communities are targeted, wider Western and Christian traditions soon follow.

The panel then pivoted to Manitoba politics, replaying a holiday message from Premier Wab Kinew that celebrated Manitobans helping each other through wildfires and blizzards — but did not say “Merry Christmas.” Koop argued that in a multi-faith country, leaders should be comfortable recognizing Christmas alongside other religious holidays, not avoiding it.

Klein’s pick for the top story of 2025 was stark: government inaction at every level. “How can you hold me accountable if I didn’t do anything?” he asked. Pinsky and Koop agreed the year felt defined by camera-ready messaging and thin results, pointing to ballooning deficits, stalled policy files, and an absence of measurable relief for families.

The discussion returned to immigration and border pressures, including renewed fears of irregular crossings and costly backlogs, and then widened to national unity. The panel warned 2026–27 could bring major constitutional stress, with growing separatist talk — especially in Alberta and Quebec — colliding with economic uncertainty and fragile trade talks with the U.S.

They ended with a call for constructive engagement: less outrage-by-algorithm, more serious participation — and, above all, voting with clear eyes.