Is Canada Losing Its Common Sense?

Something is happening in Canada today that many people feel, but few want to say out loud. The country is losing its balance. The common sense that once shaped our behaviour, our institutions, and our daily life is slowly fading.

You can see it on the roads.

Driving has become a battlefield. A simple mistake or misunderstanding can escalate into shouting, aggressive gestures, or even dangerous moves. People lose control over the smallest things. Patience has vanished, and respect is treated as an outdated concept.

You see it in public spaces.

Rules are ignored. Fraud is rising. Scams are everywhere. People often take advantage of one another with little shame. There is more anger, more frustration, and less trust. The sense of responsibility we used to share as a society is eroding.

There are clear reasons behind this shift.

One reason is economic pressure. Families are struggling with the cost of living. Housing is out of reach for many. Savings disappear faster than they grow. When the future looks uncertain, people become tense and defensive. A stressed society is more likely to lose common sense.

Another reason is the growing fragmentation of our communities. Canada is a multicultural country, and this is one of its strengths. But today, different groups live beside each other without a strong shared identity to bring them together. Without a common national direction, mistrust grows. People tend to prioritize protecting their own group over building a future together.

Our immigration system is also under pressure. Immigration is essential to the country, but policies in recent years have been unclear and inconsistent. Newcomers are left struggling to integrate, while Canadians feel overwhelmed by the lack of planning in housing, services, and employment. Confusion creates tension on all sides.

Another serious problem is our political culture. The political parties appear to be more focused on fighting each other than on serving the country. Their main goal is winning the next election, not building the next decade. Canada becomes the casualty of their conflicts. The purpose of political leadership — to protect the country and support the people — gets lost in the noise.

Furthermore, there is a significant discrepancy between the roles of different levels of government.

Federal, provincial, and municipal leaders increasingly step into each other’s areas:

• Municipal politicians comment on foreign conflicts while local crime and homelessness grow.

• Provinces take positions that sound like national foreign policy, far outside their responsibilities.

• The federal government moves deeply into matters that should be handled locally.

When everyone talks about everything, no one is accountable for anything.

This confuses the public and weakens confidence in all institutions.

All of these pressures — economic, social, political, and cultural — are pulling Canada away from its common sense. The signs are everywhere: more anger, more division, less respect, unclear leadership, growing crime, and a general feeling that the country is drifting without a clear destination.

This article is not an attack on any group or party. It is a warning.

If we continue on this path, Canada will not remain the stable, respectful, and balanced country it once was. To protect our future, we must rediscover the values that made us strong: responsibility, respect, and a sense of common purpose.

Canada must wake up before the damage becomes permanent.