To the editor,
Your editorial on June 30 (“Canadian flags a symbol of genuine freedom, not anarchy”) wonders why Canadians are angry.
Well, let’s start with the government of identity politics and the division that comes with it, and a Prime Minister who says things like, “Should we tolerate them?” or calls people who disagree with him some horrible names like “racist” or “misogynist.” You talked about veterans – some veterans were involved in the “Freedom” protests, such as veteran James Topp, who walked from British Columbia to Ottawa to talk to politicians. Of course, the government of let them eat cake refused to hear him out.
Now the government wants to use our money to hand out a booklet – Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools – to kids that refers to the Red Ensign (you know, the flag many Canadians died under) as a hate symbol or to be wary of anyone speaking of freedom. What’s next, a government slogan of Orwell’s “freedom is slavery”?
We now have some in the education system pushing their far-left ideology of identity politics on kids and their version of Mao’s cultural revolution, and a reason why the book 1984 should be mandatory in schools.
We have a media, which a majority of refuse to hold Trudeau accountable while media around the world call him authoritarian over his mandates and/or handling of the protest in Ottawa. This is one of the reasons one poll – Reuters Institute’s 2022 Digital News Report – shows most Canadians no longer trust the media.
You mentioned people walking into places without masks, yet most of the anger I’ve seen were people angry because people chose not to wear one. You also mentioned violence – the only violence I’ve seen was by police in Ottawa. Their take on how to stop a blockade was to put up a blockade is laughable. It is sad to watch some of my fellow Canadians laugh that their fellow Canadians lost their jobs over a medical choice, some of whom were nurses in a health-care system that has struggled for years while politicians at all levels did nothing.
Canadians better wake up. This federal Liberal government of division is not liberal and the real threat to democracy.
Sharon Gourlay
Listowel
Editor’s note: The booklet “Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools” does suggest that the Red Ensign could be a hate-promoting symbol, however the booklet cautions, “Context should always be considered.” The Red Ensign is still flown by some Legions, military veterans and others without a hateful agenda. The booklet further states, “However, a teenager with a Red Ensign profile picture (on social media) merits a second look because of its prevalence in young white supremacist groups.”
