The world was watching as Joe Biden was inaugurated as president of the United States last week.

The transfer of presidential power on Jan. 20 was a peaceful, subdued event, but the days and weeks leading up to the inauguration had been fraught with tension. There was no guarantee the inauguration ceremony would run smoothly or peacefully.

Even before the presidential election on Nov. 3, 2020, former U.S. president Donald Trump was making allegations of a rigged election. And after the election, he repeated his baseless claims that he should remain as president. The tension kept building, resulting in rioters breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, contesting the vote results.

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What happened in the United States in the days and weeks leading up to the inauguration is unique to that country. In Canada, our demographics, our political structure and our social issues are not the same as in the United States. What happens in one country will not necessarily happen in another.

And yet the elements which led to the electoral tensions in the United States are present here in Canada as well.

There is a segment of our population angry with the existing government structures we have in place. Some have voiced their visceral hatred of the current government, along with wishes for an overthrow. This alone is cause for concern.

There are organizations and ideologies in Canada which call for the use of force to achieve their goals. While these are small in number at present, their existence is cause for concern. Vigilante and terror groups can disrupt a society.

And there are social issues and inequalities in this country that need to be addressed. If we choose to ignore them, we do so at our peril.

The pieces that came together during the post-election tensions in the United States can be found here. They are crouching at our door, but we must gain mastery over them.

Unless we are willing to face head-on the unpleasant aspects we have in our country, we could face tensions and possibly violence in this country.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ” Black Press

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