How can I not be proud to be Canadian? We live in a country that promotes inclusivity. We value tolerance, and accommodation for all. We are a country that proudly welcomes immigrants and refugees from all over the world. Our PM is so serious about this that he signed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. We are proud of the fact that we have promoted multiculturalism for a long time. This value goes back to Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre, often referred to as PET-Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Canada will not tolerate racism of any kind. PM, Justin Trudeau, has reminded us of our need to respect our Indigenous peoples. He’s called us out for anti-black behaviour, as he should. He has exhorted us to refrain from Islamophobia with his all-important Motion 103. Our PM has stood up for the LGBTQ2 community, and rightly so. And he is a proud feminist.
Yet, it seems that it is perfectly acceptable in this country for a Member of Parliament, Charlie Angus, from the New Democratic Party, which like the Liberals, prides itself in promoting the equality of all, to refer to the duly elected Premier of Ontario, as #whitetrashpremier. If one calls the Premier #whitetrash, what does that say about the people who voted for him? Are they #whitetrash?
When did trashing white people become acceptable in multicultural Canada? More to the point, what difference does the colour of the Premier make regarding his decisions, which appears to be the reason for the #whitetrashpremier hashtag. If the Premier had been black would he have been trashed, too? Or of her were gay, would Angus have done #gaytrashpremier? What if the Premier were a woman?
When did we fall so low that a Member of Parliament would think nothing of calling a white premier #whitetrash”? And where is the backlash? The calls for Angus’s resignation? His need for sensitivity training? Here is the response he made to a suggestion that the hashtag #whitetrashpremier might not be appropriate.
Hmm… I think its more problematic to have a premier hitting on the cops to buy him a camper van. Maybe if they throw in two large lazy boys with drink holders and a 72″ TV.
Where is his mea culpa?
And if he does not apologize, does that mean he is prepared to defend others who follow his “leadership” and share hashtags like #blacktrash, #Muslimtrash # Jewishtrash #indigenoustrash or Sikhtrash?
This hashtag is proof that we have not just slipped down a slope,we are going full bore into the abyss of divisiveness in the name of diversity. This #whitetrashpremier is the result of forgetting the very foundation of Canada’s Constitution, firmly rooted in the Judeo/Christian ethic, brought into world consciousness 3500 years ago; an ethic that was revolutionary at that time and remains so in many parts of the world today. That ethic declares that all people are born with equal intrinsic value; that all life is sacred. That ethic includes white people who have as much right to respect as any other group. And if we turn a blind eye to that, if we treat “white” people with a different standard, then then we have truly lost our way and our right to be proud to be all-inclusive, tolerant accommodating Canadians.
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.”
