First Impressions of Elevate Community.
Yesterday, April 22, I attended a meeting: COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR ELEVATE COMMUNITY LEADERS EVENT: Ontario Leadership Group. It took place in Sharon, Ontario.
Freedom groups unite.
Representatives from dozens of Ontario “freedom groups” met for the first time yesterday. It was organized by Travis McDonald and a group of volunteers operating under the name Elevate Community.
The four-hour formal session was attended by about 100 representatives and “influencers” associated with an estimated 65 different Ontario freedom groups. It was followed by an informal gathering for socializing and networking. The entire event was a positive, enthusiastic meshing of like-minded citizens who share a common purpose.
Without knowing the history of “freedom groups”, it is my impression that they are a relatively recent social phenomenon that has grown out of concerns about government overreach and unchecked corporate malfeasance. These concerns grew and festered as those uninvited influences crept with stealth into virtually every area of modern life.
All of the event attendees came with their own personal concerns and stories. They assembled in the belief that building local, sustainable communities based on self-sufficiency and voluntary exchange is the best way to live. They have all suffered, in one way or another, under the growing regimes of top-down central planning perpetrated by so-called “democratic” governments and also by their dependency on commercial products made by global corporations that they no longer trust to be “safe and nutritious” or “safe and effective”. Of course, I referring to the examples of food manufacturers and pharmaceutical giants whose corporate leaders and shareholders have been willing to burn their ‘public trust’ capital’ in order to amass enormous profits.
While I have always been a Capitalist as defined by the Austrian ‘school’ of Economics and great thinkers like Dr. Hans-Herman Hoppe, I am strongly opposed to Crony-Capitalism and its siblings Crony-Socialism (aka “democratic socialism”) and Crony-Statism (aka historic version of “fascism” enacted in 1930s Italy under Benito Mussolini).
Praise for the Ontario Leaders Group meeting.
This Ontario leaders meeting was well organized and intelligently planned to bring people together under common cause while acknowledging differences in areas of interest, priority and experience. Travis is a good leader and has surrounded himself with a competent and motivated team.
All presenters were likewise professional and informative. They engaged the audience effectively with their succinct messages.
Upon entry into the meeting room at noon, we were individually directed to assigned rows of tables according to one of eight geographic zones (see image) where we each live. During the meeting, planned activities helped zone members to initiate social interaction to foster teamwork. This worked well. Zone leaders and two assistants were nominated as zone coordinators for future communications between Elevate Community leaders and zone members.
The Road Ahead.
The challenges that face the Elevate Community are daunting if the leaders’ visions of voluntarism and localism are to be achieved on a significant scale. Travis rightly stated that it must grow very large in order to attract the talent, resources and political influence needed to protect and nurture the vision over time. The past success of the Work Economic Forum reminds me that Travis’ lofty visions can be achieved if the moment in history is right (I believe it is!)
I reference the WEF because its rise to global significance has been nothing short of spectacular. Dr. Klaus Schwab founded the WEF in 1981 with a long-term vision to shepherd evolving computer and communications technologies to serve humanity in positive ways.
Now, 42 years later, Schwab’s vision, and the influence wielded by the WEF community and some of the world’s richest and more powerful people, has inspired the very concerns and outright fears shared by most ‘freedom group’ members across Ontario, and Canada.
Yesterday's attendees were the leaders of many of this province’s freedom groups. They represent thousands of average Ontario residents who simply want to live, work, socialize and raise families in healthy ways within cooperative communities. These “average people” are gathering to do above-average things. They are prepared to take action to protect their preferred way of life - to live as freely as possible from the ubiquitous sources of power and money that are gradually invading our personal spaces to impose their collectivist, Crony-Capitalist notion of “a better world”.
If the WEF could succeed, there is no reason that the Elevate Community can’t also rise to the occasion and achieve its vision for a decentralized civil society.
Speaking of Civil Society…
I often advocate for the Four Principles of a Civil Society introduced by my favourite Libertarian-Conservative national leader, Maxime Bernier. I ran as a PPC candidate in the 2019 federal election solely on my respect for Max, his ideas, his commitment and his proven ability to lead.
Those Four Principles are: Individual Freedom, Personal Responsibility, mutual Respect and Fairness. I elaborated on these values, and how they can apply to societies based on the Libertarian principle of Freedom of Informed Choice, in my ebook ‘What to do about Climate Change - A Libertarian Proposal’. I hope many Elevate Community participants will read it for the many ideas that it resonate strongly with the goals and philosophy of the Elevate Community.
Back to the meeting…
Several people were invited to speak on a range of topics and initiatives including education, food scarcity, shop local & Canadian (the emphasis is on small businesses, not corporate chain stores), health and medical care, community networking and events, social welfare within communities, fostering new businesses and business networking, and more.
Elections Preparation was a topic on the list of their initiatives which interests me but was not featured in this meeting. I spoke briefly about an idea I introduced two months ago at the Woodville Freedom Group. I proposed that we launch a “citizen led referendum” to inspire the creation of an Ontario Sovereignty Act. Alberta and Saskatchewan have already passed provincial legislation to re-established the boundaries between federal and provincial jurisdictions of authority which were guaranteed in the Canadian Constitution.
Re-visit the Canadian Constitution.
Canada’s original constitution was created over 150 years ago under very different circumstances.
For a constitution to “live”, it must be revisited, updated and integrated into our diverse and changing communities to reflect modern circumstances and to remind us all - citizens and government officials - of the aspects of citizenship that we value most.
The Trudeau government has shown Canadians that it does not respect the individual rights and freedoms of average Canadians. Justin, and his political cronies, will always interpret our out-dated Constitution to serve their own power and money interests at the expense of our prosperity and civil liberties.
While an Ontario Soveignty Act is not a perfect solution to protect Elevate Community objectives at the grassroots level, it can certainly become an instrument of legislated authority that can be wielded legally to deter Ottawa from inflicting any more harm and aggression on Ontario residents than it already has.
If government overreach is a topic of interest to you, please read my recently published “citizen white paper” ‘Direct Digital Democracy, a Libertarian Antidote to Digital Communism’ available as a Kindle ebook (only 36 tablet-size pages) on Amazon. In it, I offer a technology-based way to enforce our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If implemented, it will create the conditions needed to enable all citizens to live according to the Freedom of Informed Choice and the Four Principles of a Civil Society.
As the newly designated Zone 8 coordinator, I am anticipating an interesting and challenging voyage ahead on the “big ship Elevate Community” To all of its members and participants, I offer best wishes for “fair winds and calm waters”.
