Ontario’s War on Amish Farmers: The New Kulaks of Modern Canada

Vladimir Lenin, the first premier of the communist Soviet Union, had a chilling expression—almost like a campaign slogan:

“Kill the Kulaks.”

Under Lenin, the term “Kulak” referred to any wealthy peasant or farmer with a successful, larger farm. Under Stalin, “Kulak” evolved into a pejorative label for anyone who resisted the government’s collectivization policies.

The punishment for being labeled a Kulak fell into three categories:

1. Expropriation: Confiscation of property from those deemed Kulaks.
2. Exile: Deportation to Siberia, the North, the Urals, or Kazakhstan, often involving forced labor camps.
3. Execution: Reserved for those considered particularly harmful or actively resistant to Soviet power.

The farmers of Ukraine were killed en masse through forced starvation, leading to the deaths of millions. This genocide, known as the Holodomor, is not widely taught in our schools.

Video evidence and details of this massive tragedy can be found in the film The Soviet Story.

In Ontario, Canada, the process of eroding private property rights, particularly for private farms, is more subtle.

The government has introduced a special tax on those now labeled “overhoused” to redistribute space to those considered “under-housed.” The vacant home tax is one example of a government initiative aimed at penalizing those who possess “too much private property,” according to Ontario’s definition of what is necessary for an individual.

From the Toronto Vacant Home Tax website:

“The Toronto vacant home tax places the burden on property owners to declare if a home is vacant each year, and the city will investigate properties suspected of being vacant. Toronto’s vacant home tax has numerous mechanisms to address homeowners who fail to declare their vacant homes. Beyond being subject to the tax, non-declaring owners may face various penalties and fines. In 2024, Toronto’s tax is set at 3%, a significant increase from the previous rate of 1%, and will be levied on all Toronto residences that are declared, deemed, or determined to be vacant for more than six months during the previous year. As of October 2023, the city has collected $54 million in vacant home tax revenue, with projections for 2024 nearly doubling to $105-110 million according to Toronto City Council estimates.”

Now, the Canadian government appears to be punishing the Amish community for not using the scandal-ridden, money-laundering ArriveCAN app, which Canadians were quasi-forced to use for travel during the COVID years.

This is despite the fact that the Amish do not have cell phones or even landlines, making it impossible for them to use any app, and they likely do not even know what one is.

As a result, a lien has been placed on their property due to their failure to respond to initial demands—demands they were completely unaware of, as they have no means of communication with the outside world aside from mail.

Ezra Levant of Rebel News has released a detailed report explaining how the Ontario government is attempting to destroy the future of the Amish by taking away their ability to inherit, buy, sell, or trade cattle and property—actions that seem aimed at seizing it all for the state.

Ezra highlights the central issue: the government’s targeting of the Amish for failing to use the ArriveCAN app when crossing the border.

Canadian Auditor General Karen Hogan discusses what appears to be a staggering amount of corruption and malfeasance in the creation and application of the ArriveCAN app. This includes a lack of financial oversight, missing records on how funds were spent, and no documentation on who made contracting decisions.

Developing this app costs Canadian taxpayers $59.5 million CAD or approximately $44.03 million USD at the current exchange rate.

RAIR Foundation has previously reported on the effects of Trudeau’s carbon tax on farmers. The tax is so punitive that it effectively doubles farmers’ energy costs, which can be substantial, especially during the harsh winters on the Canadian prairies.

The Trudeau government has also opened another front in the war on farmers by declaring yet another element to be a danger to the Earth: nitrogen, a key component of fertilizer, essential for modern industrial farming to feed Canada’s growing population, driven by the Century Initiative, and the world at large.

There used to be a popular saying when analyzing situations like these:

“Never assume malice when incompetence can explain it.”

Perhaps that was true at one time. But when all apparent incompetence leads to the loss of public freedom, increased government power, and encroachment into more areas of our lives, maybe it’s time for a new expression:

“When the government claims incompetence, look for results that indicate malice.”