In your editorial of Nov 18, “Claiming the moral high ground”
The editor may think it “wishful thinking” that “Canadians have a defined set of values”. He thinks we cannot have shared values, attributing this to the “variables of geography, party, creed, gender or race”. He is incorrect, and in fact, none of those variable even matter.
Canadians have shared values; moreover, they share them with many others around the world. These shared values have survived differences in geography, et cetera – in fact, those differences are immaterial. I am referring, of course, to our legacy as a colony of the British Empire.
These values, shared in our fair Dominion, in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, the UK,
India, Trinidad, Jamaica, and other countries, include:
. representative democracy;
. equality under the law;
. freedom of speech;
. freedom to worship;
. the presumption of innocence, and the right to remain silent;
. solving civil disputes under the basis of common law (precedent);
and many more.
There is a danger to assuming everyone in the world accepts these values. They do not. Even some European countries do not use the common law. Other parts of the world share none of these values. Try to publish a picture of Mohammed in Pakistan.
And yet, they are some of our strongest, most basic, values, in Canada. They predate and transcend the other “values” that our politicians pay homage to: multiculturalism, that divides us; the universal health care, that each year falls behind our needs; and the myriad of government programs that quickly become entitlements to some favoured group or other.
I cannot speak for her, but I believe Conservative leadership candidate, MP Kellie Leitch of Simcoe-Grey, is trying to find a solution to the scourge of Islamic radicalization. For that is the elephant in the room – the radicalization that seems to result once a large enough group exists within a country, that takes its learnings from Islam. See France, Belgium, and Indonesia as examples.
Without getting into why Islam? Why is it the religion these radicals pay homage to? Why now? It suffices to say “it exists”. And we need a response. Atrocities are being carried out in the name of Islam, and they have come to Canada. They are already close to home.
Is Strathroy close enough? A planned terrorist bomber was stopped there this summer. Or Ottawa? – it was attacked directly, two years ago. Did you forget the plot to destroy a moving Via train? Or to behead the Prime Minister? The carnage in Orlando?
When the Kitchener school trips to France, to Vimy Ridge, were almost cancelled, after atrocities all across France & Belgium – do you not wonder, why is this? After Remembrance Day, what sad news, to hear the security experts warning of the danger of a school trip, to a country that 100 years ago Canadians were dying to defend?
Or, from this past week alone, the stabbings at Ohio State University. The list is long and painful.
You and MP Michael Chong may claim MP Leitch’s approach is discriminatory – but I say,
this is our country, we have our own, long-standing traditions and values, and it seems imminently reasonable, as a precondition to coming here, for newcomers to show they are willing to live under these values. We will not give them up; change them at your peril.
Sincerely,
Chris Retterath
Chris Retterath