In Germany in the 1930s it was the Jews who were the government scapegoats. They were portrayed as being responsible for all the ills of society. Get rid of them and Germany would be a paradise.
History tells us what happened. Jews in Germany saw their rights being abridged by the state. Politicians, starting at the top, demonized them.
Given the government propaganda, very few had the courage to speak out and say “this is wrong.” Jews were denied education, lost their jobs, were restricted as to what they could do in public places, had their property seized. All perectly legally. By the time the government changed, something that required a world war, six million people had been killed by the state because they were Jewish.
It is the nature of governments to blame others for their own shortcomings. With a global pandemic now in its third year, politicians are looking for someone to blame for the predictions of a quick end not panning out.
In Canada in 2022 the scapegoats are the “unvaccinated.” The Prime Minister has said people are frustrated and angry with them. He hasn’t yet suggested taking away their rights – but his health minister has. Yet Canada’s shortage of hospital beds is not due to the pandemic but rather that successive governments have chosen not to invest in health care.
Canada has 2.5 beds per 1,000 people. France has 5.9. Germany has eight. If Canada, which already has a huge backlog for elective surgery – as anyone waiting for a hip or knee replacement can tell you – can’t handle an influx of new patients in the pandemic, it is easier to blame the unvaccinated than for politcians to accept responsibility for years of neglect to the health care system.
The governmnet has now identified its scapegoat. How far will it go? Will anyone speak out for the unvaccinated?
Can our political leaders at least scale down their rhetoric? How easy will it be to move from anger to violence against those who have chosen not to be vaccinated againt COVID-19?
Of course, this is Canada. Such things would never happen here.
I’ll bet they would have said the same thing in Germany in 1932.
random thoughts from lorne 
Unfortunately the previous Ontario Tory government, under Mike Harris, did severe damage to health care, education, and social services. We are reaping the rewards of all that “fiscal responsibility” for which the Tories are so famous. If you need a scapegoat, just look at the Tory governments.
Subsequent governments didn’t do anything to reverse it. They all share responsibility.