Think what happened in Washington couldn't happen here? Think again, say expat, Winnipeg prof

An American now living in Winnipeg and a professor who studies American history say Canadians who think events like Wednesday's in Washington could never happen here need a reality check.

The same divisions and spread of disinformation seen in the U.S. are rampant in Canada as well, they say.

Daniel Leonard, who grew up in Pennsylvania but lives now in Winnipeg, said Wednesday's storming of the U.S. Capitol by protestors was an obvious conclusion to four years of stoking mistrust over the elections and the government in general.

"I think it's a mix of disappointment. It's infuriating, but it's also just not surprising at all," he said. 

On Wednesday afternoon, throngs of supporters of President Donald Trump pushed past barricades and forced their way inside the U.S. Capitol, disrupting the U.S. Congress's formal approval of president-elect Joe Biden's win in the general election.

The riot happened hours after a rally near the White House, where Trump vowed he would "never concede" and urged the massive crowd that had assembled to march to the Capitol, where hundreds had already gathered under tight security.

Four people died, including one woman who was shot by U.S. Capitol Police, and three others who died in "medical emergencies."

Leonard said the certification of votes is usually a formality and not something he watches, but he says he knew something was wrong when he started receiving a flurry of text messages.

The images of hundreds of people storming the Capitol were dystopian, he said.

For Canadians watching the events in the U.S., Leonard said it's important to recognize that the proliferation of false information and stoking of populism are things that happen here too.

"So I think there's a really important need to recognize these things can happen here as well, so we need to be mindful of that and ensure that our dialogue and discourse remains above all that sort of populist fearmongering," he said in a Thursday interview with CBC's Information Radio. 

'Unprecedented' breach

Paul Lawrie, an associate professor at the University of Winnipeg who studies American history, pointed out that what happened Wednesday was the most significant breach of the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812, when British forces attacked Washington and set fire to the White House and parts of the Capitol.

"As historians, we try to avoid using terms such as unprecedented or the like, but in this case it really was," he told Information Radio. 

Even during the American Civil War, Confederate forces were turned back by the Union during an attempted invasion, "which made it all the more remarkable to see protestors, rioters roaming the halls of the Capitol — I should say with Confederate flags —  in this citadel of American government," said Lawrie.

What happened Wednesday was the result of deep-seated issues of social, economic and racial inequality in the U.S., coupled with conflicting realities stoked by disinformation spread on social media, says Lawrie.

"The violence we saw yesterday was nothing less than domestic terrorism, rooted in falsehoods, rooted in lies."

Like Leonard, Lawrie said those who think it could never happen in Canada need to realize the same divisions and prominence of disinformation exist in this country, too.

"What we saw yesterday was what happens when these delusions meet reality," he said, adding that he has no doubt the people who stormed the building truly believe the presidential election was fraudulent. 

"They do believe that there is a cabal of elites that are out to suppress their freedom," he said. 

"We need to take that quite seriously."

Former ambassador 'shocked' by lack of security

Like many, former Manitoba premier Gary Doer was horrified to witness the insurrection in Washington Wednesday — and shocked by the lack of security surrounding the Capitol.

Doer served as the Canadian ambassador in the U.S. from 2009 to 2016. He would visit the Capitol almost daily to meet various senators or members of congress during his time as ambassador, and "the security is quite refined," he said.

"I was shocked to see no perimeter security around that building, particularly in light of the fact that President Trump had hinted that he wanted to confront the Capitol and the decision-makers there, as they were confirming the people's choice of Joe Biden to be president of the United States."

Doer pointed to the shooting on Parliament Hill in 2014, which resulted in the death of a 24-year-old reservist who was standing at his post at the National War Memorial. The shooter was later shot dead at the Parliament's Centre Block.

After that attack, each assembly reviewed their security requirements, he said. Doer imagines Canadian officials are reviewing security perimeter standards again after the events in Washington.

Doer said he cannot think of any Canadian politician who has incited people to riot and disrupt the democratic process with violence.

"President Trump clearly incited this and I'm hoping that there will be criminal investigations on his role in what happened yesterday — even though everybody who participated in it is accountable criminally and ethically to the American public," he said.