Image: The B.C. Legislature in Victoria. / File / Stan Jones, Dreamstime

By Kyle Wierks, lifelong resident of Chilliwack, former federal Parliament staffer, and current Fellow at Cardus NextGEN Fellowship

OPINION

YOUR PERSPECTIVE: Stop the Cycle of Political Violence Before It Ignites

Sep 21, 2025 | 1:37 PM

Two weeks ago, Charlie Kirk, a controversial American conservative speaker, was murdered – assassinated – in public for promoting controversial and polarizing political views.

Unfortunately, this isn’t even an isolated event but the latest in a series of political violence against figures from different political views. And Canada – the Fraser Valley, even – is not immune. Violence has no place in a democracy. We can argue. We can disagree. We can yell, shout, scream, cry, or debate. But violence is not a justifiable method of conflict resolution inside a democracy.

Violence is a symptom of the decline of democracy. When we resort to violence rather than dialogue, we are claiming that democracy, for all its promise, doesn’t actually work. Because if democracy worked, if engaging in civic dialogue to resolve communal problems actually worked, then disagreements would be solved with discourse and a respect for the democratic process.

Political violence is the absolute breakdown of democracy. Violence begets violence. This is not a cycle that will stop on its own. We need to do better.

An act of violence like this is a symptom of a larger social malaise, one that is not unique to America but is bubbling up inside Canada as well: a social pivot away from unity towards a fractured community. Canadians like to look at America and say, “That could never happen here,” but that is absolutely not the case.

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The same undercurrents of violence are sparking within our own social structures. Canada has seen violence increase.

According to Statistics Canada, between 2022 and 2023, antisemitic hate crimes increased by 71%, Islamophobic hate crimes increased by 94%, and hate crimes against individuals based on their sexual orientation increased by 69%.

Political parties are waging war on each other. And Canadians are sparring with strangers on social media rather than sitting down with their neighbours for thoughtful discussions. Violence is bubbling beneath the surface, whether we see it or not.

The signs are there, and we saw this month what our future could hold for us if we do not find an alternative to increased polarization and increased hate. I grieve for the state of democracy. I grieve for the loss of a life to political violence. I grieve for the wife and children who have lost a husband and a father. I grieve for humanity that we have come to this. And yet, I have hope.

Hope that we can see the edge of the precipice and turn back before it is too late. What comes next is everything. How we respond is everything. Violence begets violence. But peace begets peace, too. Let’s put down our culture war and pick up the pieces of our democracy. Don’t give in to the temptation to answer violence with violence.

Violence is easy. Violence feels good. But a violent cycle is not an easy thing to break. So let’s do the hard thing and re-engage, promote respectful discourse, and never ever take the stability of our democracy for granted.

Political violence is a symptom of the decline of democracy. Dehumanizing your political opponent is tyrannical, anyway you look at it. The problem is, just like with school shootings, your response to political violence can’t be “thoughts and prayers” if you actually want to fix anything. We need a different approach to democracy if we want to stop this slide into violence.

Action looks different in different places, but the root of it is changing the way we interact, the words we use. “Culture war” is violent. If you want a war, you are getting a war. Supporting violence against a neighbour or a stranger or even a human being on the other side of a planet is supporting the violent destruction of our democratic ideals.

Commit to finding common ground. Commit to respectful and authentic debate (the kind that seeks peace, not conflict). Commit to putting life before death.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of Fraser Valley Today or Pattison Media.