Larry Maher: Weak Leadership and Lax Immigration Policy is Tearing the Fabric of Canadian Society
Canada is experiencing a quiet but profound erosion of national cohesion, authority, and cultural confidence, according to commentator Larry Maher. In a recent analysis, Maher contends that at every level of government, political leadership has increasingly substituted ideological appeasement for the basic responsibilities of maintaining social order, enforcing the law, and protecting the integrity of Canadian citizenship.
The Shift in Immigration Philosophy
For much of the 20th century, Canada's immigration model was focused on bringing in skilled workers and families who wanted to come to build a better life. Newcomers were expected to join a shared national project, not to import unresolved conflicts or establish parallel political identities. Yet over the last decade, that balance has shifted dramatically.
To be clear, this is not an argument against immigration, Maher emphasizes. It is an argument against the abandonment of assimilation as a governing principle and the current system, which places a greater emphasis on refugees and asylum seekers than skilled workers.
The result, he warns, is not diversity within a cohesive nation, but fragmentation within a weakening one. Meanwhile, Canadian taxpayers shoulder rising costs for housing, health care, education, and social programs that were never designed for limitless demand.
The Hollowing Out of Citizenship
The recent passage of Bill C-3 illustrates a deeper problem, according to Maher. This legislation now means that if a Canadian citizen moves abroad, starts a family, and has generations of children born outside of Canada, they could all be automatically granted Canadian citizenship.
Citizenship, once rooted in lived connection and civic participation, is being transformed into a perpetual, hereditary entitlement. Over time, this risks hollowing out the meaning of citizenship itself, while expanding long-term fiscal and legal obligations to individuals with no meaningful connection to the country.
Maher draws a parallel to the United Nations' unique treatment of UNRWA refugee status, which is inter-generational and permanent. In both cases, a status meant to be exceptional has evolved into an inherited right, which comes with enduring economic and political consequences.
Erosion of Shared Values and Social Order
Rather than encouraging newcomers to adopt Canadian values, Maher argues that institutions increasingly validate imported political and religious demands, even when they conflict with liberal democratic norms. Public spaces, universities, and cultural institutions now host protests and campaigns rooted in foreign ideological struggles, while dissenters are labelled as intolerant, colonialist, or oppressive.
Weakening political leadership has led to selective enforcement and politicians who continually attempt to appease loud, activist minorities. Police, courts, and other public officials operate under ideological pressure, hesitant to apply the law evenly for fear of political backlash.
The result is declining public confidence, Maher concludes, as all levels of government pass the buck and wash their hands of responsibility, along with rising disorder—not because laws are inadequate, but because will is absent.
This analysis presents a stark warning about the current trajectory of Canadian society, suggesting that without a return to strong leadership and principled immigration policies, the nation's social fabric may continue to unravel.
