Conservative Member of Parliament Maxime Bernier (Beauce, Quebec) dared to challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s oxymoron “Canada is strong not in spite of differences, but because of them.” Is he suggesting the Emperor is wearing no clothes?
In six consecutive tweets on August 12, 2018, Bernier warned of the danger of “more diversity” to the foundations that unite Canadians in a Western democratic secular state. Bernier wrote:
1. Trudeau keeps pushing his “diversity is our strength” slogan. Yes, Canada is a huge and diverse country. This diversity is part of us and should be celebrated. But where do we draw the line?
2. Ethnic, religious, linguistic, sexual and other minorities were unjustly repressed in the past. We’ve done a lot to redress those injustices and give everyone equal rights. Canada is today one of the countries where people have the most freedom to express their identity.
3. But why should we promote ever more diversity? If anything and everything is Canadian, does being Canadian mean something? Shouldn’t we emphasize our cultural traditions, what we have built and have in common, what makes us different from other cultures and societies?
4. Having people live among us who reject basic Western values such as freedom, equality, tolerance and openness doesn’t make us strong. People who refuse to integrate into our society and want to live apart in their ghetto don’t make our society strong.
5. Trudeau’s extreme multiculturalism and cult of diversity will divide us into little tribes that have less and less in common, apart from their dependence on government in Ottawa. These tribes become political clienteles to be bought with taxpayers $ and special privileges.
6. Cultural balkanisation brings distrust, social conflict, and potentially violence, as we are seeing everywhere. It’s time we reverse this trend before the situation gets worse. More diversity will not be our strength, it will destroy what has made us such a great country.
Facing criticism from Liberals and Conservatives alike Bernier stated on August 14, 2018:
“All those who are surprised by my recent tweets on diversity and multiculturalism have not been paying attention. I said the same thing a year and a half ago. It was part of my leadership platform. Read it here.
Here are relevant excerpts from Bernier’s leadership platform:
“Our immigration policy should not aim to forcibly change the cultural character and social fabric of Canada, as radical proponents of multiculturalism want. The vast majority of Canadians rightly expect immigrants to learn about our history and culture, master one of our official languages, and adopt widely shared Canadian values such as equality of men and woman, tolerance for diversity and respect for Canadian law.
“Immigrants are expected to integrate in our society, not to live in ghettos and try to replicate the way of life of their country of origin in Canada.
“Of course, Canadian society is also transformed by immigration, as it has for centuries. But this has to be done organically and gradually. When it happens too fast, it creates social tensions and conflicts, and provokes a political backlash, as we can see today in several countries.
“This is why I am opposed to increasing the annual intake of immigrants from 250,000 to 300,000, as the Liberal government has announced.”
Responding to the mounting opposition in his own party, Bernier clarified his position on identity politics:
1. Doing identity politics means trying to drum up support by appealing to specific groups on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, language, sexuality or other characteristics, instead of speaking to them as Canadians interested in the wellbeing of our country as a whole.
2. Identity politics has become pervasive and is being practiced by all political parties trying to buy votes. Political debate has degenerated into a contest between different ways of pandering to specific groups instead of appealing to our common interests.
3. I have repeatedly stated that I believe identity politics is reductive, divisive and destructive of our social cohesion. I am doing THE OPPOSITE of identity politics by focusing on policy solutions that concern ALL Canadians. And I will continue to do so.
Is Maxime Bernier’s warning based on facts?
Sheikh Said Rageah, a leading Imam in Canada and the founder of Sakinah Islamic Community Centre in Scarborough, Ontario, revealed his own understanding of the meaning of diversity and integration in Canadian society. In a Friday sermon at Abu Hurairah Centre in Toronto on February 6, 2009, Rageah said the following (originally in English excepts a few words in Arabic):
With four, five [hundred] thousand Muslims you can create the most powerful lobby in Canada… with that number of Muslims you can create one of the strongest Muslim business in Toronto…
If you just put our resources, if we put our resources together, if we can work together as an Ummah [Muslim nation] we can change a lot…
As Muslims, we are scattered all over the city. You have people living in Brampton, you have people living in Mississauga, you have people living in Whitby, you have people living in Richmond Hill. Imagine if we all get together in one area.
In the City of Edmonton, the Sikhs, Sikhs, they live in one neighbourhood and nothing can be changed or done without their approval. We here we may as well benefit from the system that they have here.
What can you do with unity? A lot. You can change a lot. You can change the foreign policy of this country. You can change how the Muslims think. You can even when need help, when you need help you call Muslim for your need you will help the Muslim community…
Brothers in the masjid [Mosque] right now, they are coming up with the magazine or newspaper called Ummah Times. What Ummah Times is that? Ummah Times is advertising all your businesses all the Muslim businesses [are] Ummah.
All you need to do – I will never advertise with a kafir [unbeliever, infidel], there you go.
I hear some advertisements giving to 680 News $5,000. Before your Muslim brothers $50 and $80 or $100 we think twice before we do it.
Unless we work together, the day we need a truck driver we know where to find truck drivers.
The day that I need a cab I should have a number of a Muslim cab it’s ok, pick me up. When I want to see a doctor, only Muslim doctor. When I want to hire someone only Muslim worker.
Then we can strengthen ourselves. This is the way and this is the only way we can exist in the society, living according to Islam.
When the Sharia [Islamic Law], when the government of Toronto, Ontario gave us a break and said: deal your internal affairs based on your Sharia [Islamic Law] we did not go and say: Those few people are Ismailis and Ahmadis, they are not even Muslims. Why would they speak on behalf of Muslims. But, we say no, we keep quiet and see and watch what happens, and then the result was that they said… we will never allow you to rule yourselves, your internal affairs based on the Shariah…
My brothers in faith, anything that happens in your Muslim community, in the City of Toronto, anything that can be done, five hundred thousand Muslims that is a great number, large number, you can do a lot, work together. Let’s be an Ummah [nation]…
Take your children to Islamic schools. Take your vehicle to Muslim owned business. If you buy a vehicle make sure there is a Muslim business or car dealer that sells cars. If you want to do anything just ask if that individual is a Muslim or not. If he is not, then look for a Muslim, because I’m sure you’ll find a Muslim. I’m sure you’ll find a Muslim in that field…
O Allah, Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate the disbelievers and the polytheists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”
