A digital dollar provides politicians, bureaucrats, and bankers with intimate access to our inner lives. Therefore, a CBDC poses a grave threat to Charter rights and freedoms. It’s up to Canadians to make CBDC an issue in the coming election. Voters should urge their MPs and their provincial representatives to pass laws that protect cash and the right to use it.
Governments can use CBDC to restrict when, where, and what people are allowed to buy, leading to a level of control resembling communist China’s notorious “social credit” system. China uses “social credit” to reward citizens who support the Communist Party and its rules and policies. Those who criticize the Party can find themselves unable to board a train, plane, or subway, denied a bank loan, or prevented from enrolling their children in the best schools and universities.