Let me wind the clock back twenty three years ago. We all know the horrific events that happened on that fateful day in September, and how four planes with criminals on board destroyed the lives of many people. GW Bush was the President of USA, and Chretien was PM of Canada. Chretien was a Liberal, and Bush a Republican.
Those of you who are too young to remember the times are lucky. We lived through a time where our faith was maligned every day, where charlatans like Tarek Fatah took advantage to ridicule the Islamic faith for money, and where sellouts were prevalent, helping foster a climate of Islamophobia, racism and extreme hatred. Laws would come out every other day targeting Muslims, and the very existence of Islam in North America was a question.
We survived. It wasn't easy. I remember the times USA started to discriminate against Canadians entering USA who were Muslim. It was Chretien who stood up to the Americans and gave them a stern warning. I remember the NDP leader in parliament saying Osama, Omar were all Canadian names as well. The Conservatives were conspicuous by their absence. In fact, Stephen Harper relished the environment.
As the drumbeats for the war in Iraq started to intensify, it took all the diplomatic skills and integrity of Chretien to say 'No'. Britain couldn't do it, and Tony Blair became Bush's poodle. France said No, and were roundly punished by USA diplomatically. Canada said No, but somehow maneuvered around the diplomatic fallout by committing more troops in Afghanistan. We escaped Iraq, but I cannot forget Stephen Harper. He was the Leader of the Opposition, and was so angry we were not in Iraq that he took out an ad in Wall Street Journal, writing against Canada's decision.
Times changed, and soon Stephen Harper became the PM. He did not change, however. In a famous interview with CBC, he said the greatest danger to Canada was "Islamicism". He scapegoated Muslims, and I have written about his Islamophobia here in an article - The Racism of Stephen Harper Conservatives.
Harper led the country economically very well, particularly through the 2007-2009 crisis. However, when he finally got his majority, his true self came out. Who can forget the Niqab ban, the Second Class Citizenship rule, the Barbaric Practices phone line. Canadians had enough.
The election of Justin Trudeau in 2015 wasn't only a remedy to Harper, it was badly needed. Canada was slipping truly into a horrible place, and Trudeau and his sunny ways managed to course correct - a lot.
There was a very uneasy alliance between the political left in Canada (and USA), and the Muslim community. For the majority of Muslims are actually conservative (small c) in their values, but do not vote for the right because of Islamophobia and racism. It is still true in the USA, even though a third of Muslims there voted for Trump in 2020. This is an uneasy alliance because the main values that the left supports - LGBTQ, reduced role of marriage, gay marriage, trans sexuality, legalization of drugs, assisted suicide, extreme feminism, political correctness, cancel culture, ridiculous government benefits and large government programs, high taxes - these all run counter to Muslims and their values. Yet Muslims keep voting for the left in large numbers due to the main reason - Racism and Islamophobia by the right. It's an existential crisis versus a crisis of values.
Trudeau understood it well. On the election night of 2015, as he gave his winning speech, he spoke of the Muslim girl whose mother had asked him about Hijab (now we know the child was actually a boy). On becoming the Prime Minister, he did all the right things. He set the right tone, especially after the horrific Quebec massacre. He promoted diversity and spoke against racism and hatred. "Sunny ways", as he said, was dominating Canada.
Yet, somewhere, those other uneasy alliances also started to creep up. For so long, Liberals had carefully walked the centre (which is why they are the West's most successful political party). Under Trudeau, the Liberals took a hard turn to the left.
Weed has been legalized all over Canada. It is now hard to walk in any major park in a city and not come across the foul smell of marijuana. It is everywhere, along with an opioid and drug crisis that seems to wreck urban centres, such as Vancouver.
Crime is out of control, especially post pandemic. Car thefts, random stabbings, house break ins, armed robbery all seem to be on the rise, along with gang violence. Many blame the Liberal's soft on crime approach, and especially their reformed bail laws, which let many violent criminals out of jail soon - only to re-offend. The right traditionally favours a tough on crime attitude (indeed many say Harper became PM because of the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto in 2005).
LGBTQ propaganda is not just everywhere , it is in our schools and shoved down the throats of our impressionable children. It is no longer just OK to be tolerant and accept different values; we now have to renounce our own opinions and feelings about the issue. Trudeau passed the horrible Bill C16 which has led to teachers in Oakville who were born male wear giant prosthetic breasts, dress as a female and teach children, with the school board unable to intervene. Teachers are teaching rainbow coalitions to children as young as Grade 4, and in Ontario the Premier Wynne was booted after she tried to teach masturbation to kids as young as 6 years old. In British Columbia, a father has been prevented by the court from interfering with his twelve year old child's decision to undertake surgery to change gender. Puberty blocking drags and castration (called gender change surgery) are now prevalent. Trudeau even made a guest appearance on a drag queen show on TV.
Hard core extreme feminism is pushed everywhere, not least in the cabinet. You cannot write against it for fear of employment, as even licensing bodies are threatening your freedom of speech. And if you get past that, it is the government's bill C11 which is going to censure you. We should have gotten a glimpse when Trudeau forbid anyone from his own party from having any beliefs of abortion that ran counter to the main feminist view. That was an early sign which we all ignored.
It is no longer possible to have a single income family in Canada. Previously, a husband could work and earn and provide for his family while the mother took care of raising the children. This was the traditional model in Canada for a long time. Under Trudeau, his policies along with rising inflation has killed that ideal. Right now, you HAVE to work, and your spouse HAS to work, because simply there is no other option.
Trudeau is bringing millions of new immigrants to Canada without any plan. There is already lots of pressure on housing, on health care, on schools and on jobs. How can we accommodate the millions of new people while the ones here are already suffering?
As a Muslim, you may have been saved from racism by the Liberals, but they are attacking every aspect of your way of life. Your morals, the value of marriage, the reliability of good old traditional social values that made society work, the value of hard work, the value of your dollar - everything is under threat by Trudeau and his minions.
So, the question is, can we still vote for the Liberals?
I will be voting for a man who has turned a blind eye to his own ministers giving their friends lucrative government contracts - in effect stealing from the public purse. He himself blew $30,000 on a luxury hotel in London for 5 nights. I will be voting for a man who comes after my children, my values, my religion, my speech, my worship and my wallet - every chance he gets. How can I justify voting for him?
It will all depend on the Opposition. If the Conservatives can get their act together, and show us that they have learned from 2015, and they do not intend to resurrect the racism and xenophobia, they may have a chance. After all, most of their values closely align with not only Muslims, but many immigrants.
The ball is in your court, Pierre Poilievre.
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