Dr. Carmen Celestini

An ostrich farm in BC is the new flashpoint for many on the right in Canada. Their birds had been infected with Avian flu, and the government has called for a culling of the herd, many from the right who were involved in the Freedom Convoys, have taken the cause of the birds as their new validation of tyranny in Canada. American politicians have also chimed in. Yet, there are those on the far right who seem to be mocking the sudden interest in the plight of the ostriches. Maxime Bernier has weighed in on the topic, but endless memes calling for Poilievre to speak up are met with silence.

I was interviewed by the CBC The National about the Active Club Second Sons. Active clubs are promoted as fraternal organizations for men to be active together, they train in MMA style fighting. Yet, they are not what they seem. They are a conduit for white nationalist organizations to recruit young men into their hateful ideology. Often carrying the Red Ensign, the groups in Canada, promote the white ethnicity of British, French, Scottish, and Irish settlers of Canada and demand remigration of all immigrants to Canada. The Second Sons are led by Jeremy MacKenzie of Diagolon.

In one of the municipalities within the GTA concerns have risen regarding 5g technology. These fears are not new, both specifically 5g and with new technologies historically, nor are the conspiracies that are attached to these emotions. I spoke with David Rider of the Toronto Star about conspiracies and 5g.

I was interviewed by The Tyee about the Christian nationalism spurring on MAGA Preacher Sean Feucht. He is currently on tour in Canada, but most of his shows are being cancelled in the venues due to Canada’s hate speech laws. Feucht uses these cancellations as validation of Christian persecution and evidence of “cancelling” under the “tyranny” of Canada. Given the political landscape in America, Canadians should not only focus on the salaciousness of Feucht but also need to understand that Christian nationalism is also found here in our nation.

Researchers in Ottawa have discovered that those under the age of 35 are slightly more prone to believe conspiracy theories. I spoke with CBC Ottawa about why this could be occurring and the potential political implications.

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Associated Press about the religious rhetoric in America under the Trump administration, and the differences here in Canada. While Canada is not as overtly religious in our politics, we must note that there is a strong Christian nationalist movement here in Canada, that we cannot dismiss. If we do, it could be at our own peril.

This morning I was interviewed on CBC Radio in Winnipeg to discuss Christian persecution narratives in Canada. The conversation was instigated by a tour of an American MAGA associated Christian performer across Canada, who has had his shows cancelled due to hate speech harms. The performer claims that the cancellations are due to persecution of Christian faith in “tyrannical” Canada, but in reality the anti-LGBTQ2SA commentary of the performer is in opposition to Canada’s hate speech laws.

Scholar Lisa Gasson-Gardner from Mount Royal University wrote for The Conversation about the far-right in Canada. In the informative piece my work with The Tyee was quoted. A great piece if you are interested in the topic.

The Waterloo District School Board responded to accusations based on slides from a training program in 2024. An anonymous member submitted to June News, formerly True North, a slide they argue states that using the word “family” is racist. This discussion stems from the anti-CRT moral panic, and is reminiscent of how Chris Rufo began the moral panic. I spoke to CBC in Kitchener Waterloo about this topic and the implications.

On June 10th I was a member of a panel for The Agenda with Steve Paikin on TVO, to discuss populism in Canada after the “Freedom Convoys.” It was a great discussion with scholars about the last federal election, populism, and politics in the nation. Scholars from political science, and myself bringing in conspiracy theories did not always agree, but it was lively!