Several signs prominently displayed during the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests included curses for the prime minister, leading to speculation Canada’s political scene has become starkly polarized. Speaking to The Hill Times, political philosophy professor Dr. Omid Payrow Shabani offered his thoughts on the situation. 

Shabani described Canadian politics as civil and “empty of any kind of violent thing” and said that “the whole trope of ‘bleeping’ Trudeau (… is) an import” from American politics. 

A professor in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts, Shabani’s research interests include social and political philosophy, and ethics and theories of democracy and justice.