I was deeply troubled when Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Kellie Leitch came up with a proposal to screen immigrants for “anti-Canadian values”. The initiative by the Conservative leadership candidate is an ugly form of prejudice one doesn’t expect from a highly educated politician.
When her ancestors immigrated to Canada they were not screened for “anti-Canadian values” before they were allowed to enter the country. I don’t think their values as settlers who terrorised the natives were similar to the values of the native Indians. Leitch wouldn’t have had the opportunity to live in this country if her ancestors were put into the same testing that she wants to impose on would-be-immigrants.
This line of questioning is troublesome and carries prejudicial undertones. Before lecturing others on values, the Conservatives themselves need to learn about the human values they have abandoned. They have been dehumanising people who happen to look different from them. Their divisive values have led to animosity and hate, turning citizens against each other.
The only card they use in the game of politics is to spread fear and hate against minorities, especially Muslims. They climb the ladder by dividing people and turning them against those who happen to look and pray different. Even high ranking officials in Leitch’s party, like Conservative strategist Chad Rogers have rejected her initiative and called on Leitch to withdraw her candidacy.
Leitch is outright dangerous to Canada’s multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious mosaic of citizens. She looks like the looming shadow of Donald Trump and in a civilized nation like Canada, she is totally unfit to hold any responsible public office, leave alone becoming the leader of a major Canadian party.
It is interesting to note that while she expressed regret for that position, even becoming visibly emotional during a CBC interview and then she flip-flopped at another interview when she told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that the barbaric cultural practices tip line was a good idea that “we failed to articulate.”
Canada is a multicultural society that has been built by immigrants including the ancestors of Leitch who were not screened for “anti-Canadian values.”
Bigotry and xenophobia, once again is being clothed with chauvinism. We should not underestimate where this kind of bigotry could take us to. This kind of intolerance was what gave birth to leaders like Hitler. It was what led to dark chapters in our history from slavery in the US to injustices done to Japanese and others during World War II.
If Leitch is indeed determined to teach people about values, she should start with her own party first and train the right wing politicians to show respect to people who don’t look like them. They should not forget that they themselves were immigrants at one point in their history.
- The reader is a freelance writer based in Toronto, Canada.
