A WARNING TO CANADA
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, there’s a good chance the specimen in question is, in fact, a duck. If one offers up the Nazi salute, brandishes a swastika flag and chants “blood and soil,” there’s a sporting good likelihood the young man — as they invariably seem to be — is a neo-Nazi. That U.S. President Donald Trump struggled to immediately and clearly acknowledge this is nothing short of shameful.
But, the issue is larger than simply condemning the U.S. president for his initially ambiguous and vague reaction to horrifying events. This is also about where such violence will happen next, how to tamp things down and whether Canada is vulnerable to such thuggishness, which is already percolating here.
The weekend events in Charlottesville, Virginia, were precipitated by a proposal to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. (Proposals to remove offensive statues have been made in Canada, too.) The plan sparked protests from far-right marchers, who showed up from all over decked out in khakis and white shirts and brandishing torches. A dreadful sight.
The weekend of violent clashes — those who disagreed with the alt-right rabble showed up to protest their presence — culminated in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, when a Dodge Challenger plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters, injuring 20.
This matters to Canada, not just because we’re watching our neighbour appear to tear itself apart but because we’re smug about such things ever happening here. Yet, sometimes, we’re merely a bit behind the United States. Already, we’ve seen some politicians and activists pick up the language and style of Trump.
Canada has its own ugly history of racism and of marginalizing minorities. Though we pride ourselves on our tolerance and diversity — and politicians continually celebrate these qualities — we’re capable of extremism. One recent national survey showed nearly 20 per cent of Canadians would support ending all immigration, and another found that 30 per cent of Canadians felt the number of refugees being admitted was too high. This may be because of fear and misunderstanding, or it may be bigotry that can be fanned by neo-Nazis.
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland outlined our priorities in the coming NAFTA negotiations. Our agenda includes environmental protection, labour standards and Indigenous and gender rights.
It’s progressive stuff and designed to put forth a view of Canada as very different from the U.S. Maybe we are. But, if so, only intellectual vigilance and civilized debate will keep us that way.