The Democratic Party has done little to save face with this quick shift in the presidential slate. Kamala Harris will surely prove a more than worthy debate foe to Donald Trump than Joe Biden, but her nomination, as symbolically important as it is, will still have to grapple with a vast divide in the Democratic Party base.

In light of the trucker protests, the resurgence of aggressively displayed Canadian nationalism echoes American examples, notably those surrounding the events of January 6, 2021. It also demonstrates the alignment of such forces with dangerous right wing forms of populist authoritarianism that represents a fundamental danger to pluralist democracy everywhere.