11 Mar, 2015
Leading politician says Canada treats Muslims today as it did Jews in the ’30s and ’40s – The Washington Post
In a dramatic speech Tuesday evening, the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party Justin Trudeau criticized the Canadian government for its rhetoric over the threat of Islamist-related terrorism – and compared the country’s treatment of its Muslims minorities with the restrictive policies against Jews prior to and during World War II.
Speaking in Toronto to alumni of McGill University, Trudeau, who will compete with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an election later this year, discussed Canada’s idea of liberty. At one point, he listed a number of historical moments when his country had failed in that ideal, including the Chinese head tax (a fixed fee given to every Chinese immigrant) and the internment of Ukrainian, Japanese and Italian Canadians during the world wars.
“When I talk to young people today about these episodes, they can hardly believe they happened. It doesn’t sound possible, not in Canada,” Trudeau told his audience. “So we should all shudder to hear the same rhetoric that led to a ‘none is too many’ immigration policy toward Jews in the 30s and 40s, being used to raise fears against Muslims today.”
Read the rest: Leading politician says Canada treats Muslims today as it did Jews in the ’30s and ’40s – The Washington Post
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