Scapegoating immigrants does not fix Canada’s housing crisis, its labour shortages, or its strained public services. It never has. What it does fix is blame, and that is a far cheaper and far more dangerous solution.

Trotsky warned that fascism relies on the petty bourgeoisie to seize power and consolidate capital. Drawing parallels to modern North America, the piece argues that neoliberal policies, attacks on public education, and wealth consolidation are signs of creeping fascism. In Canada, despite a Liberal win, rightward shifts persist. Without recognition and resistance, both nations risk repeating history, falling for what Trotsky called “the sugared poison of false hopes.”