Critical Thinking

I often write about how voters must use critical thinking to see beyond the words and theatrics of populist candidates on the right and on the left.

Critical thinking has been defined by Edward M. Glazer as the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement by the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluation.

In short, the ability to look beyond illusion and a reality.

For example, according to the Canadian Department of Justice, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects several rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression and the right to equality. It forms part of our Constitution – the highest law in all of Canada – and is one of our country’s greatest accomplishments.

Lately, the concept of “equality” has eroded Canada’s social fabric to the point where I believe that Canadian society has no national identity.

Traditional Canadian values based on the founding fathers’ Judeo-Christian precepts have been diminished by waves of immigrants encouraged by the government of the day to maintain their cultural identity and as seen recently, pursue their former homelands’ national agendas rather than integrate fully into Canadian society.

Rather than strengthen a sense of Canadian identity, this has fostered in many ethnic groups a sense that Canadian values are irrelevant, and that Canadian society must change to reflect their own national or religious aspirations.

An example of this is how the federal and municipal governments have allowed pro-Hamas and pro-Islamist groups to take over the streets of major Canadian cities, block access to roads, bridges, and buildings, attack individuals and businesses not to their liking, and inspire feelings of antisemitic hatred on university campuses.

This is occurring as I write, with municipal governments doing nothing to stop these egregious actions and using the Charter of Rights to defend their lack of action and contribute to these attacks on Canadian values. They use the Charter as a berm behind which to they avoid putting country ahead of parochial political interests.

Critical thinking is absent in their calculations, replaced by fear and greed – fear of the power of ethnic voters and greed to retain power by attracting the ethnic vote.

The Canadian left is a valuable ally of these protestors, as well as the philosophical bases that the current federal government is using to promote its policies.

The recent budget, highly influenced by the Liberal government’s New Democratic Party, outlines the government’s objective of creating Halal mortgages (mortgages adhering to Islamic principles) – thus creating two classes of Canadians.

Is this a step towards recognizing the rights of Muslims, or a step towards implementing the goal of radical Islamists to slowly implement Sharia into Canadian society.

Equality must be accompanied by respect for basic Canadian values. Some may argue that Canada is a cultural mosaic and not a unitary culture.

I agree.

But a mosaic must be cemented to a wall, and, in this case, the wall must be a set of Canadian values with which all must agree.

Successive Canadian governments have sought to gain electoral advantage by catering to ethnic groups across Canada. However, this has also encouraged many to pursue ghetto politics in which ethnic identity is more important than fundamental Canadian values and identity.

And what are the values I mention?

I believe that basic Canadian values rest on a consensus that we respect the fundamental right of everyone to have equality before the law and respect for their beliefs.

Along with rights, however, come responsibilities.

The responsibility of immigrants to respect fundamental Canadian values of respect for the other and to not import their own traditional conflicts and prejudices.

The responsibility of governments at all levels to ensure that the criteria for choosing immigrants include consideration of the willingness, ability and probability of the candidate to adapt to Canadian society and to contribute to Canada’s social fabric rather than to seek to replicate their home society and impose their own parochial values in Canada.

Freedom without responsibility is libertinism.

Canadian political parties have adopted libertine excesses in their quest for power, playing off one ethnic group against another.

This is wrong in my view.

Readers may accuse my words of conveying a sense of racism or discrimination.

I would disagree.

Canada should offer a home for all its citizens who respect the law and integrate into Canadian society, bringing their talents and abilities to enrich our cultural mosaic albeit on a solid wall of fundamental Canadian values.

Is this anti-immigrant?

My parents came to Canada and embraced Canadian values, and raised three children who consider themselves Canadian. Indeed, I had the honour of serving Canada as a diplomat for thirty-seven years.

Sadly, I have never seen Canada so divided by cultural and ethnic politics. More disappointing is seeing governments and law enforcement seemingly paralysed because they focus more on catering to these extremes and using these political strategies to further their own interests.

Canadian political parties should focus on strengthening Canadian identity and values in deed and not only in word.

The main glue that holds the fabric of society together is not economics or geography but, rather, the values shared or aspired to by all. Leaders must take note of what is happening and should focus on thinking critically about policy and policy responses in a way that consistently reflects broadly shared values rather than personal or political interests.

Unfortunately, this is not happening in today’s Canada.