One of things that stuck with me from my Carleton University masters of journalism was a teacher saying \u201cjournalism doesn\u2019t tell us what to think – but it tells us what to think about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s called framing and it\u2019s a key tool powerful groups use to sideline \u201cundesirable\u201d topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most powerful forms of framing is the \u201ccommon enemy\u201d method which involves rallying people to fight a common enemy, while sidelining almost every other issue while doing so. For example, Black people were drafted to fight for \u201cfreedom\u201d in international conflicts like World Wars I and II or the Vietnam War, and asked to put their concerns about the racism they faced at home aside \u201cfor the greater good\u201d. This is also very common in popular culture, especially apocalyptic TVs shows and movies, where people are united in fighting off threats like zombies and no one raises uncomfortable topics like racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re seeing this now as the Government of Canada rallies Canadians to fight the attacks by US President Donald Trump, resulting in the government adopting the following priorities, which are an example of framing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recently attended a meeting hosted by the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities<\/a> focussed on the Government of Canada\u2019s 2025 budget. The aim was to discuss doing a joint submission to the government citing the priorities of Canada\u2019s Black communities. We were asked to provide feedback that aligned with the government\u2019s stated priorities, however, the feedback we provided challenged those priorities. Primarily, we challenged the absence of any mention of human rights or closing corporate tax loopholes. We challenged the frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Human rights aren\u2019t optional. They\u2019re legally protected at every level, giving Canada legal obligations to fulfill them. So, for example, adding Black Canadians as a distinct group under the federal Employment Equity Act, as the Trudeau Liberals committed to doing<\/a> in December 2023, isn\u2019t just a nice thing to do. It supports Canada\u2019s legal obligation under the Canadian Human Rights Act<\/a> to prevent race-based discrimination in employment. Similarly, implementing Canada\u2019s Black Justice Strategy<\/a> supports Canada\u2019s international and national legal human rights obligations in areas such as immigration, housing and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lack of any mention of closing corporate tax loopholes among the government\u2019s priorities is a decades old example of framing. Pro-business interests have successfully managed to steer the debate about government finances in one primary direction: reducing government spending while minimizing any mention of closing corporate tax loopholes or raising corporate taxes. This is despite the fact that, according to the Centre for Policy Alternatives\u2019 2019 pamphlet Fair and Progressive Taxation<\/a>, \u201cCanada\u2019s tax system is\u2026riddled with expensive loopholes that worsen inequalities. We lose an estimated $47 billion annually to tax evasion, while Canadian companies have nearly $300 billion hiding in known tax havens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canadians for Tax Fairness\u2019 2021 Corporations pay your fair share!<\/a> states, \u201cThe PBO [Parliamentary Budget Office] estimates that every percentage increase in the general corporate tax rate increases [government] revenues by $1.6 billion, so restoring Canada\u2019s federal rate from 15% to 20% would generate about $8 billion annually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But instead of raising taxes on corporations and wealthy Canadians, Prime Minister Mark Carey is doing the opposite. In March 2025, Carney announced he would cancel a proposed capital gains tax increase. According to a March 2025 CBC article<\/a>, \u201cThe decision to axe the increase follows former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to defer it until New Year’s Day 2026. The increase to the share of taxable capital gains was first announced in the 2024 federal budget. A capital gain is the difference between the cost of an asset \u2014 such as an investment property, a stock or a mutual fund \u2014 and its sale price. Right now, only half of capital gains are taxable. Those capital gains are added to a person’s income and are taxed at their marginal income tax rate. Had the changes gone through, individuals with annual capital gains over $250,000 would have had two-thirds of those gains taxed. Two-thirds of all capital gains earned by corporations and trusts would also have been taxed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This should be an important topic of discussion but it\u2019s not because it\u2019s been framed out of the debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n