Dangerous for anti-semitic Canadian Nationalist Party to have access to voters list
IT INCLUDES ISLAMPOPHOBIA
Special to National Post 3/6/2021
© Provided by National Post Travis Patron, Canadian Nationalist Party leader, making a court appearance on two allegations of assault in 2019.
The appearance of an officially registered anti-Semitic political party in Canada is the type of nostalgia we can do without.
Travis Patron, the leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP) has recently been charged with one count of wilful promotion of hate against Jews. He already faces two serious charges of aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and a breach of probation. While these charges have not yet been proven in court, there can be little question that the CNP’s status as a registered political party is alarming.
Sadly, Canada has some history with anti-Semitism in the political arena.
On July 24, 1943, Norman Jaques, the Social Credit member of parliament for Wetaskiwin, Alberta read portions of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion into Hansard during a discussion on war-time appropriations. Despite objections from other MPs, including one who derided the inclusion of “fraudulent or forged Jew-baiting documents,” Jaques was permitted to proceed.
Jaques was a hard-core anti-Semite even by the standards of Social Credit. He believed in an international Jewish financial conspiracy, Jewish control of the media, blamed Jews for communism and opposed the entry of Jewish refugees into Canada. It took many years for the party to repudiate such vile opinions.
Today, we have a new anti-Semitic party in Canada, one whose Jew-hatred forms a central plank of its platform. In 2019, the Canadian Nationalist Party satisfied the requirements set out by the Elections Act to be formally registered as a political party. This means that people who wish to financially support these anti-Semites can now receive a tax credit. It also means that racists have received a listing of all federal voters in Canada, with names and addresses.
Patron is quite clear in his beliefs. In a video charmingly titled Beware the Parasitic Tribe, Patron regurgitates well-known, vicious tropes that have been used over the centuries to vilify Jews.
We won’t provide free advertising for Patron’s views, but the video is easily found online. In case anyone doubts that Patron is talking about Jews, he clears up that misconception by helpfully posting scripture from Revelations directly beneath the video posted on the CNP website: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.”
So, we have a potentially violent anti-Semite who spouts the most ancient and toxic libels about Jews, who has registered a political party which calls for the creation of a white-only ethnostate which will be achieved by the removal of the parasitic tribe — meaning Jews — “once-and-for all.” It’s not difficult to see that as a call for genocide.
The CNP also provides a modern version of the Protocols in the form of a “Wake-Up Call” that reprises many of the arguments found in that foundational conspiracy text: an unseen cabal that moves behind the scenes to corrupt youth, control international banking and the media, to create a world economy, a world judiciary, a world army and a new world order.
The language used throughout the website is not accidental: the projected fears, hostility and dreams of Blood, Folk and Land have echoed through white nationalist organizations for decades.
And the CNP can be supported with tax-receipted donations. And using a list provided by Elections Canada, they can deliver their messaging right to your door.
But it’s more than that. A complete electoral list giving the personal information of every Canadian voter puts anti-racists, human and civil rights workers, politicians, journalists and many others in potential jeopardy. Those who might wish to do harm now have access to what they need.
We think that’s a problem, but our concerns are not shared by the government of Canada. A recent statement issued by the office of Minister Dominic Leblanc said, in part: “Accordingly, we have no plans to amend the (law) to require the chief electoral officer to deregister a party on the basis of its views.” So far, Canada’s opposition parties also remain silent.
We get the problem. We understand that democracy requires that space be made for unpopular opinions. But we also understand that the inclusion of ideologies rooted in a history of hatred, violence and genocide erodes confidence in our institutions and faith in our democracy.
With memories of Quebec mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette, the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings, the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and the events of Washington, D.C. still fresh in our minds, we expect our government leaders to act. To do otherwise is a failure.
Bernie M. Farber is the chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Len Rudner is a human rights consultant and a member of the advisory committee of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network
The appearance of an officially registered anti-Semitic political party in Canada is the type of nostalgia we can do without.
Travis Patron, the leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP) has recently been charged with one count of wilful promotion of hate against Jews. He already faces two serious charges of aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and a breach of probation. While these charges have not yet been proven in court, there can be little question that the CNP’s status as a registered political party is alarming.
Sadly, Canada has some history with anti-Semitism in the political arena.
On July 24, 1943, Norman Jaques, the Social Credit member of parliament for Wetaskiwin, Alberta read portions of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion into Hansard during a discussion on war-time appropriations. Despite objections from other MPs, including one who derided the inclusion of “fraudulent or forged Jew-baiting documents,” Jaques was permitted to proceed.
Jaques was a hard-core anti-Semite even by the standards of Social Credit. He believed in an international Jewish financial conspiracy, Jewish control of the media, blamed Jews for communism and opposed the entry of Jewish refugees into Canada. It took many years for the party to repudiate such vile opinions.
Today, we have a new anti-Semitic party in Canada, one whose Jew-hatred forms a central plank of its platform. In 2019, the Canadian Nationalist Party satisfied the requirements set out by the Elections Act to be formally registered as a political party. This means that people who wish to financially support these anti-Semites can now receive a tax credit. It also means that racists have received a listing of all federal voters in Canada, with names and addresses.
Patron is quite clear in his beliefs. In a video charmingly titled Beware the Parasitic Tribe, Patron regurgitates well-known, vicious tropes that have been used over the centuries to vilify Jews.
We won’t provide free advertising for Patron’s views, but the video is easily found online. In case anyone doubts that Patron is talking about Jews, he clears up that misconception by helpfully posting scripture from Revelations directly beneath the video posted on the CNP website: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.”
So, we have a potentially violent anti-Semite who spouts the most ancient and toxic libels about Jews, who has registered a political party which calls for the creation of a white-only ethnostate which will be achieved by the removal of the parasitic tribe — meaning Jews — “once-and-for all.” It’s not difficult to see that as a call for genocide.
The CNP also provides a modern version of the Protocols in the form of a “Wake-Up Call” that reprises many of the arguments found in that foundational conspiracy text: an unseen cabal that moves behind the scenes to corrupt youth, control international banking and the media, to create a world economy, a world judiciary, a world army and a new world order.
The language used throughout the website is not accidental: the projected fears, hostility and dreams of Blood, Folk and Land have echoed through white nationalist organizations for decades.
And the CNP can be supported with tax-receipted donations. And using a list provided by Elections Canada, they can deliver their messaging right to your door.
But it’s more than that. A complete electoral list giving the personal information of every Canadian voter puts anti-racists, human and civil rights workers, politicians, journalists and many others in potential jeopardy. Those who might wish to do harm now have access to what they need.
We think that’s a problem, but our concerns are not shared by the government of Canada. A recent statement issued by the office of Minister Dominic Leblanc said, in part: “Accordingly, we have no plans to amend the (law) to require the chief electoral officer to deregister a party on the basis of its views.” So far, Canada’s opposition parties also remain silent.
We get the problem. We understand that democracy requires that space be made for unpopular opinions. But we also understand that the inclusion of ideologies rooted in a history of hatred, violence and genocide erodes confidence in our institutions and faith in our democracy.
With memories of Quebec mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette, the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings, the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and the events of Washington, D.C. still fresh in our minds, we expect our government leaders to act. To do otherwise is a failure.
Bernie M. Farber is the chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Len Rudner is a human rights consultant and a member of the advisory committee of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network
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