I don’t often quote Metroland newspapers but this one, in a recent editorial that was sent to me, caught my eye. It went like this:
“The reaction of some readers to Metroland’s investigative series Hate Rising, is interesting and telling. To paraphrase, it goes something like this: These neo-Nazis and racists are a tiny minority and by giving them so much exposure you are giving them exactly what they want – attention.
“We see the point, but respectfully we disagree. Racists, bigots and white supremacists have always existed and have banded together. But here in this age of social media, and dramatically increasing polarization, the situation is getting exponentially worse and shows no sign of slowing down”.
I reluctantly and sadly agree with that statement. Hate is rising in Canada. I would not label those that are promoting hate here in exactly the same way but, nevertheless, a culture of hate is rising in Canada. Let’s just look at this past week.
In Belleville, Prime Minister Trudeau was mobbed. Protests are a legitimate part of the democratic process but mob scenes and hate speech are not. He was called a pedophile, a criminal, and a pathetic Jew. Are you okay with that?
Some will no doubt say, well that is not acceptable but Trudeau had it coming to him. I am no fan of Justin Trudeau, but I disagree with that sentiment. Either that kind of behavior is unacceptable, or it is not. I believe it is not. It does not matter to whom it is aimed.
I agree with Conservative columnist Brian Lilley who called what happened in Bellville, “ignorant, disgusting and wrong”. I would add to that, it is racist, antisemitic, and homophobic.
In Toronto, this past week, there was another demonstration. This one was aimed at Ontario Premier Doug Ford. It was smaller, more controlled but equally wrong. It featured a fake guillotine and standing on one side of it, a guy with a sign that said, ‘No cuts, but this cut’. On the other side, a woman holding another sign that said, ‘Chop Chop’. It was also reported that an effigy of Doug Ford was beheaded. Are you okay with that?
Yes, again, some will say well that’s not very nice, but Ford is a terrible Premier. Again, I disagree. There are no buts here. There is no excuse for that type of behaviour. It propagates hate and should not be seen as acceptable any more than the incident in Belleville.
Sadly, however, there are a growing number of people who believe this type of hate-mongering is acceptable, or at least they condone it. How many of us have smiled or just shrugged at flags, we see so plentifully now, that scream “FXXK Trudeau”? And how many of us get a kick out of seeing Pierre Poilievre being referred to as “Pee Pee”? Are you really okay with this?
It is easy to blame politicians for fostering this type of behaviour. But, they haven’t changed over the years. Some are good, some are bad, some are likable, and some are not, depending on your particular perspective. It has always been that way.
What has changed, however, is how we deal with these issues when we are unhappy with those who are in power. Metaphorically speaking, we seem to be moving from the ballot to the bullet. Demonstrations that promote violence and hate are not only increasing but they seem to be more acceptable to the general population. I find that disturbing.
In fact, I find it alarming that many people are prepared to believe things that are simply not true and condone things that would not have been tolerated even a generation ago.
For example in the United States, there are millions of people who really believe that Donald Trump won the last federal election there, even though the evidence is massively pointing in the opposite direction. They like Trump so they embrace fiction in place of fact. It is, after all, Donald Trump himself who said in one of his books that if you tell a lie three times people will accept it as truth.
I wonder if we as Canadians are getting like that? Has the dawn of populism made it easier for us to accept behaviour we would not have accepted before? Do we care less than we once did about what is true and what is not? Are we shrugging our shoulders and ducking our heads when we see things happening that we know at our core are wrong? I wonder.
In the Metroland editorial, another statement is worth thinking about and that is, “Hate incidents in Ontario nearly tripled between 2016 and 2021. Nationally the picture is as bad with reported hate crimes increasing 72 per cent between 2019 and 2021. And bear in mind that many more hate crimes go unreported”. The Metroland editorial also says that between 2018 and 2021 there were 4,360 hate incidents reported in Ontario with charges laid only thirty times and 25 of those resulted in no conviction.
While these are the latest formal statistics, there can be little doubt that since 2021, things have gotten even worse. One need only look back to last week to confirm that.
Whatever our problems or challenges are in Canada, they will not be resolved through a growing culture of hate. Nor will they be resolved by burying our heads in the sand. That is why I ask: When are we going to stand up and say enough is enough?
Surely, the time for that has arrived.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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A huge amount of bunk has led to a massive mistake. At what point do we say “Enough?”
https://southmuskoka.doppleronline.ca/district-of-muskoka-approves-new-strategic-plan/#comment-67940
Trudeau did what most reasonable countries did during the pandemic in order to keep people safe, especially those more at risk. I am not a Trudeau voter but nothing he did during the pandemic should have been divisive. And if you want to feel oppressed and divided, that’s on you for aligning yourself with people carrying nazi flags. I am very against most of what Premier Ford does but I would never spend my hard earned money on a useless “F**k Ford” flag because that is not going to change anything at all. Protest anything you want but the mob mentality, slurs, unfounded accusations and all the other ridiculous things this group has resorted to us just a waste of time. People thinking they’re bad-a*ses for these “protests” are pathetic.
I visited the Grandview as a child in the late 1950s. We stayed in a lake front cottage and as I recall the inn was run by a couple of older sisters. The amenities promised were not all there but as a child I loved it. The main lodge was a marvel to me. What happened to the property? If I came to visit what would I find? Thank you for the article. I had been looking at resorts thinking they changed the name and hoping to find it. Sad to hear its demise.
Justin Trudeau chose to deliberately divide Canadians for political gain. He’s the most divisive PM we’ve ever had, by far, and it’s the result of his conscious decision to malign and dismiss everyone who doesn’t agree with him.
Calling people racist and misogynistic because they disagree with you on a public health matter is shameful and disgusting. Dismissing people as “far-right” when they have a difference of opinion on social and cultural matters betrays a small mind, lack of intellect and no real substance.
He is reaping what he has sown. Can it be ugly at times, yes. But he’s lying in a bed of his own making.
The ignorance needle is at an all time high . Failed people wanting to blame their shortcomings on others . Pathetic !