In my home province, Premier Francois Legault is leading an assault on minority rights. There was a time, Martin Regg Cohn writes, when the Premier of Ontario would stand up firmly for the rights of minorities. But Doug Ford is now the Premier of Ontario:
While Quebec’s Premier François Legault stoops to a new low, Ontario’s Doug Ford has lost the moral high ground. When Legault proclaims his use of the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter of Rights, Ford dares not second-guess him — because Ontario’s premier tried it first.
The problem with Ford’s false claims to lead “Ontario’s First Government for the People,” or Legault’s false pride as the most popular premier in Canada, is that relying on majority power to vote down minority rights or demonize the downtrodden is the pathway of a false prophet.
Ford seems unable to resist whipping up prejudices, rather than protecting people in need. Last summer, he lashed out at asylum claimants crossing into Canada from the U.S., falsely labelling them “illegal border crossers” despite their protections under international refugee law.
His next target was minority language rights in this province, cutting funding for a francophone university and dismantling the office of Ontario’s French-language services commissioner. Amid an outcry in Quebec, Legault visited Queen’s Park last November to request that Ford restore francophone rights, to no avail.
“I don’t think it sends a good message to francophones. But it’s not my decision, it’s his,” a disappointed Legault said after their meeting.
Despite Legault second-guessing Ford, don’t expect Ontario’s premier to reciprocate by questioning Quebec’s lamentable attacks on the rights of its religious minorities. In a misguided quest for “laïcité” — a conception of religious neutrality, and the separation of church and state, that evolved in France — Quebecers have proclaimed allegiance to high principle while foreswearing the personal hardships and practical realities that arise.
This is secularism without humanism.
We're putting our faith in false prophets these days. And that's why things are falling apart.
Image: The Metal Archives
8 comments:
Robert Heinlein wrote of an "Era of Wonderful Nonsense". I feel we are living in it.
I agree, William. We've gone down the rabbit hole.
I used to enjoy teaching dystopian novels, Owen, but I never thought I would be living one.
In my school, Lorne, 1984 and Politics and the English Laanguage were on the Grade 13 curriculum. We taught Orwell to encourage critical thinking. I never imagined that fiction would become conventional behaviour.
I think the "salad bowl" was always as much a hopeful myth as the "melting pot". It was always something more than it should have been to Canadian politicians. It was a baby they adopted in its infancy and raised as a spoiled brat. It didn't start with official multi-culturalism, but that's when the final adoption papers were signed. Nobody ever asked what the neighbours’ kids might have to say because it was none of their business. Now that they’re all grown up Max and a lot of others have told them that it is.
I agree that Canada The Peaceable Kingdom is a myth, John. But, these days, our leaders are hell bent on going to war. That's not been part of our DNA.
I read an article a few days ago, possibly in the Washington Post, contending that rightwing populism will be a catalyst for a rebirth of progressive, liberal democracy.
Rightwing populism is, after all, a reaction to the excesses and failures of the neoliberal order. People are fearful, angry and feel unheard and helpless. Along comes a snake oil salesman and - voila - he's their man.
Populism, like nationalism, comes in two flavours - right and left, good and bad, positive and negative. Negative or rightwing nationalism is driven by xenophobia, paranoia and bigotry. It is a struggle of "us" versus "them." It's very defensive and constantly scanning the horizon for imagined threats. Positive nationalism is internal. It is a celebration of what we are together, what we have built. The best example that comes to mind is how Canadians celebrated the centennial in 1967 in a way that utterly transcended political partisanship.
Negative, rightwing populism is the stuff of Trump and Ford, Farage and Orban. Positive, leftwing populism carries a progressive mantle. It is about the betterment of individual and the society by harnessing government and the private sector to the welfare of the public. Lincoln called it "government of the people, by the people, for the people."
The problem with these negative rightwing movements is that they do tend to lead to conflict, both foreign and domestic. That seems to happen when the leadership can no longer pretend it is delivering on its promises to the masses and a distraction is needed. Eventually, however, many of them fail and there's an opportunity for a restoration of progressive democracy. Not always, to be sure, but sometimes.
I guess my own history gets in the way, Mound. I grew up in Montreal and was there for the World's Fair in 1967. It was an exhilerating experience. Rather than looking at the world and seeing enemies, we saw other countries coming to celebrate with us. They weren't dangers and threats. They were neighbours.
Today our neigbours are seen, first and foremost, as adversaries.
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