Canada has the tools it needs to fight hate. We should use them
The first and most important globalist and universalist I knew was my late father, Joel Scheininger. He witnessed and endured the state-sanctioned racism which Jews faced daily in Eastern Europe. In the summer of 1941, as the German army was approaching, my father gathered family members together and with them, my parents and older brother, who was 3 at the time, escaped to Russia and found themselves in Uzbekistan.
My father was immediately torn from his family and taken to a labour camp in Siberia. He toiled, as did so many others, in indescribable conditions. He never had the loving pleasure of seeing and holding his daughter, who was born shortly after he was taken away and who did not survive through infancy. For four unbearable years, my parents did not know whether the other was alive.
When the war ended, Jews began searching for their loved ones, and with the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Service (yes — HIAS — the agency targeted by the accused mass murderer, Robert Bowers), my father was
among the fortunate ones reunited with their families. HIAS facilitated housing in a displaced persons’ camp in Steyr, Austria, where I was born. It was again HIAS, together with the Canadian Jewish Congress, that enabled us to begin new lives in freedom, hope and peace in Canada, in October 1948.
In spite of this most difficult life experience, my father maintained, articulated and imparted to my brother and me a fundamental philosophy that Jews should be able to live in liberty and safety anywhere on this planet, and not be restricted — as they had been for centuries — by discriminatory state decree, despots and bigots to ghettos or outlying communities.
To him and many others, who have endured adversity and hatred in many areas of the world, Canada and the United States represented the ideal of what they desired for their families and descendants. The stated principles of liberty, equality and opportunity were the reasons that brought them here. But above all, Canada and the U.S. supposedly offered the hope for peace and safety from hatred, which historically manifested itself in violence, pogroms and murder.
My father, had he lived, would have been astonished to witness the events of the last week even considering what he endured during his lifetime. He would have thought the world had changed.
Indeed it is not what it was 75 years ago, but we again live in dangerous times.
There are those who would argue that Canada is not the United States and we are different. However, we view the same internet content, watch the same television pseudo-experts and subscribe to the same blogs. We are exposed to the same vile messages of the neo-nationalists, misogynists, bigots and fascists, who would promote hatred among us and incite, with glee, the vulnerable to commit acts of violence and killings.
We in Canada witnessed the product of their evil on Jan. 29, 2017, when six Muslim worshippers were killed and 19 were wounded in a mosque in Quebec City. On April 23 of this year, 10 innocent people, eight of whom were women, were killed and another 16 were injured along Yonge St. in Toronto by an individual who appears to have posted his violent intentions, citing his admiration for a misogynistic mass murderer.
There are, however, important distinctions in the principles, approach and history of dealing with hatred and racism against identifiable groups based upon race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual preferences and sexual self-identification in Canada as opposed to the United States.
In the days since the tragic killings that occurred Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh, we have witnessed a worldwide outpouring of sympathy, empathy and expressions of solidarity with the Jewish people.
There have been sincere public denouncements of religious and ethnic hatred and the evils of neo-nationalism. The deaths of the victims have been mourned and their lives have been memorialized. Massive rallies and vigils have taken place. As well, there have been loud demonstrations and expressions of anger directed at those who people hold responsible for creating or enabling the hateful environment that resulted in this tragedy and others. This all is comforting and appreciated.
As well, as expected, the commentators, scholars and experts have weighed in with their critical analyses, recounting the history of anti-Semitism and expressing the need for more education, sensitization, unity and dialogue. These are all positive and predictable.
Equally predictable, but clearly misguided and dangerous, is the call by some for vigilante action, such as for all off-duty police officers to attend services at their places of worship armed; more training for our youth in martial arts; and the need for armed guards to patrol religious and community institutions.
Words matter, but so does action. We can analyze, commiserate, educate and talk to each other, but individuals and communities cannot deal with the problems alone.
We know that that there is no panacea. There will always be, among us, a segment of society that harbours hatred against others who they view to be different. We in Canada, however, have the ability to counter their influence and intentions to incite others. Our leaders have, in the past, effectively used our laws against the purveyors of hate, and it is time to re-energize these efforts. In this regard, Canada is different from the U.S. We have the laws and experience. We now need effective, strong political leadership and the will to move beyond words to deliver the message that hatemongering will no longer be tolerated.
It does start with words, and words have power. Words are essential to our civilization and, accordingly our laws protect our ability to freely use words to express ourselves. Constitutionally, through the charter of rights, we have rights to “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” The same section of the charter also grants us “freedom of conscience and religion,” “freedom of peaceful assembly” and “freedom of as- sociation.”
The sad irony is that, although these fundamental rights exist to protect members of society from oppression, authoritarian rule and arbitrary punishment, they are being falsely invoked to masquerade the true agenda of hatemongers, neo-Nazis, neo-nationalists and racists.
The dissemination of hate propaganda against identifiable groups is not a protected right in Canada, however one would want to clothe it under the veil of freedom of speech. This was made clear almost a half-century ago when Pierre Trudeau’s government passed amendments to the Criminal Code creating the offences of advocating genocide; publicly inciting hatred in a way likely to lead to a breach of the peace; and willfully promoting hatred. The provisions use the terms “identifiable group” and “hate propaganda.” There are, today, a number of examples of individuals, some of whom have even sought public office, who likely have breached these Criminal Code provisions and should face the scrutiny of our judicial system.
Firstly, now, more than ever, we require pressure from our communal leaders to call for prosecutions and for our political leaders to direct our law enforcement officers to investigate, lay appropriate charges against and prosecute those charged with the required consent of the provincial attorney general. The message will then be clear that those who break these fundamental laws will be subject to serious punishment.
Such prosecutions are now overdue, and the political leadership that was demonstrated in the past is required today. The present dangers are so much greater than in the past. In years before, those charged with these offences were viewed as fringe personalities having little influence on most of us, but causing sufficient concern that they not be viewed as role models, so they were charged criminally. Today, these types of individuals are prominent through social media, are running for office and in some cases being elected internationally. They project a veneer of respectability in mainstream society. In days past, we also did not witness the manifestations of hatred resulting in the violence and mass murders we see today. Crimi- nal charges and effective prosecutions are required.
Secondly, attention must be given to the political and government arenas and those who have influence within. It is often forgotten that our elected leaders have real responsibilities, not only to develop policies and pass legislation, but to be role models demonstrating values and principles. It is amazing to observe how many people think it important enough to actually make the effort to come out and vote for their members of the federal and provincial governments in Canada. They do hold their elected representatives in esteem, contrary to popular opinion, and observe them as they serve the public. It is, therefore, of serious significance that these elected officials ensure that their colleagues in the ranks, their aides and their visible supporters are not there behind a curtain of legitimacy to further their own hateful and nefarious agendas with the luxury of having a visible public platform.
We have recently witnessed too many examples of individuals who have sought public office or positions of influence who hold views that are anathema to most of us, irrespective of party or policy preference. In fairness, it should be noted that during the last election the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario would not allow an individual, who publicly expressed views denounced as racist and homophobic, to run under its banner.
Appropriate accountability of individuals within the operation of government is warranted, just as potential judges are vetted to ensure they are of good character and professionals serving the public are subject to strict codes of conduct. It is now necessary for political parties to develop effective processes to ensure individuals who seek to be nominated and elected as representatives of a party and receive its endorsement truly believe in the party’s policies, values and philosophy, and promote them rather than merely using the respectability of the party endorsement as a ploy. Our political parties should view such processes as in their own interests, and necessary.
Thirdly, Canada would be in a unique position with its values, history and experience to provide global leadership to combat expressions of bigotry and racism, assuming the further appropriate steps, as noted, are also taken. It is clear that the scourge of neo-nationalistic hatred is an international problem requiring co-ordination and co-operation among countries.
We no longer have borders, let alone walls, when it comes to communications. The challenges are great, but Canada has now established its credentials of being ahead of the pack on a number of new, progressive and creative movements and initiatives. This is a natural area for Canada to be in the forefront in providing effective leadership in dealing with this monumental, universal problem.
There is much to be done, but my father would expect that his Canada would do no less. Les Scheininger is a lawyer and past national president of the Canadian Jewish Congress.