And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” – Matthew 12: 49, 50
Today, during a public demonstration, I gave the Roman Salute to a cenotaph in the center of my town. This gesture seems to have (unsurprisingly) “ruffled some feathers” and today we are taking the opportunity to clarify and perhaps expand on the message being sent with the ‘Roman Salute’. I do not believe this gesture was done dishonourably or against the sacrifices of those who perished in the conflicts to which the memorial pays tribute. I did this because I believe our country needs political change now more than ever before, and if the recent 43rd Federal Election is any indication, this change will not likely come democratically.


While saluting, I was also instructed to “hold”.
I asked those who were in attendance to notify me immediately if what I was doing was a dishonourable act. The individuals nearest to myself did not claim that this was dishonourable. None of the 3 persons other than myself who were in attendance came forward during the demonstration to object or notify that this gesture was dishonourable.

I can understand how some may be confused or even offended at such a gesture. I would urge our fellow citizens to understand that such a gesture carries only those connotations that are ascribed to it – and for us, it is one of honour, strength, and justice. I would also ask them to consider how we should be expected to respond given that during and leading up to the recent 43rd Federal Election we were not been permitted access to the public commons in a meaningful way in order to promote our policies and compete democratically. Finally, I would implore Canadians to consider how unaccountable our federal government has become and how this is negatively affecting the lives of Canadians.
We are grateful to those who are of understanding and patience.
In no way has it ever been our intention to cause undue harm or disrepute to anyone.

We have since filed a civil lawsuit alleging a constitutional violation – yet, this litigation is not allowed to proceed due to the current state of emergency. This is a violation of the most fundamental principles of any democracy.
The democratic channel that the Government of Canada is compelled to provide to us, is for all intents and purposes, unavailable to us.
It is now obvious that voting ourselves into prosperity is a fool’s errand. If we are waiting on a democratic reform of our country we might as well take it to our deathbed. There is simply no reason at this point to put any amount of faith in our existing, illusory “democracy”. Liberation is not on the ballot.
Instead, we are sending the signal that we must embrace an anti-democratic political narrative, and this is where the ‘Roman Salute’ comes in.
We welcome those into our political constituency who would also embrace the Roman Salute.