A rchive Date
[ 06-11-2020 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeau-shamed-into-supporting-france-freedom-of-expression
Trudeau shamed into supporting France, freedom of expression
Brian Lilley Nov 06, 2020
It’s not the type of thing that should take three or four tries, especially not for a prime minister who leads a party that wraps itself in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms a PM whose own father enshrined the Charter in the constitution.
Yet it has taken Justin Trudeau more than a week and multiple attempts to say he supports freedom of expression without caveats.
Yet on Thursday, the PM had to arrange a call with French President Emmanuel Macron to assure him and Canadians that he does indeed support this vital fundamental freedom.
It’s a sad statement when leaders from around the world stand with France but Canada doesn’t.
When Macron thanks leaders from around the world for their support, calls them even calling Quebec Premier Francois Legaultbut declined to call Trudeau earlier this week.
The problem started last week when Trudeau was asked multiple times about the debate raging in Europeand here in Canada mostly in Quebec regarding freedom of expression.
The central question is whether it is ever acceptable to insult religious figures, specifically by showing images of Mohammed.
Islam forbids showing images of Mohammed, but I’m not a Muslim and shouldn’t have to live by that rule any more than their rule against eating bacon
The debate has been driven by a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe two in France and one in Austria that started after a school teacher in France showed images of Mohammed in a class on free speech.
France takes the issue seriously, regarding itself a secular state with no stance on religion.
The result was the teacher was beheaded in the first of three attacks.
Trudeau didn’t immediately express solidarity with France after that attack, and then when pressed on his support for freedom of expression balked at doing the right thing.
What he should have said is that while he may find the cartoons of Mohammed offensive and understands why Muslims do, it is a fundamental freedom to show them, publish them or discuss them.
He didn’t.
“We will always defend freedom of speech,” Trudeau said before going on to explain why he doesn’t really believe in freedom of speech or freedom of expression.
“Freedom of expression is not unlimited. For example, it is not allowed to yell ‘fire’ in a packed theatre,” Trudeau said.
“Everyone must act respectfully towards others and not try to needlessly or arbitrarily hurt someone we share this planet and society with.”
Telling us that we “must” act respectfully when you are prime minister carries the odour of a government decree.
Comparing being nice, being respectful of your neighbour to the old line that you can’t yell fire in a packed theatre is ridiculous.
I won’t publish the cartoons in question anymore that I would publish the cartoons from Charlie Hebdo on the Catholic church.
It’s not the type of material we print here.
That doesn’t mean there is some sort of restriction on them.
On Tuesday, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole stood in the House of Commons and quoted the late Pierre Trudeau.
“Mr. Speaker, ‘certain political rights are inseparable from the very essence of democracy: freedom of thought, speech, expression…, assembly and association.’ Can the Prime Minister tell us whose quote that is?” O’Toole asked.
Of course, Trudeau didn’t answer the question or acknowledge that it was his own father’s quote, but at least spoke of defending rights without caveats.
“We will always defend political rights, Canadians’ rights, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedom of expression, freedom of religion,” Trudeau said.
It shouldn’t be hard to say.
It shouldn’t come with caveats, it should be second nature for Justin Trudeau.
That he had to be shamed by Macron and schooled by O’Toole shows how far he has strayed from traditional Liberal roots.
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 World Fact Book (CIA]
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