Dear editor,
There were a number of code words used by Pierre Poilievre in the Record’s recent interview with him, so I’ll try to decode them.
The most disturbing statement in the interview was: “We’re going to end the woke culture and we’re going to bring back a warrior culture.”
A definition of woke is “Informed, educated on, and aware of social and racial injustices.” Florida’s “Stop Woke Act” and “Don’t Say Gay Act” prohibit teaching about social and racial injustices in schools. Is that what the Conservatives want for Canada? Will we be banning books that might have something in them that could be offensive to the “unwoke?” No more teaching about residential schools?
He says “We will celebrate our history.”
Whose history is he referring to here? First Nations history? The history of immigrants who have arrived here from many different countries and cultures?
I suspect he is saying that Canada will put more emphasis on the contributions to Canada by European settlers – Stephen Harper’s “old-stock Canadians” perhaps?
He says a Conservative government “will restore freedom of speech.”
The only speech that is currently prohibited in Canada is discriminatory speech and hate speech. Do the Conservatives plan to get rid of the laws that prohibit that kind of speech in order to “restore freedom of speech?”
He says “We will honour our traditions.”
Which traditions do the Conservatives think are not being honoured? We already celebrate Christian holidays nationally, as well as many others. Or does he mean a Conservative government will restore statues that were removed because they honoured people who participated in the oppression of First Nations and others in Canada?
Like I said, lots of code words.
Perhaps if your reporters get another chance to interview Mr. Poilievre you could ask him to clarify some of these statements.
Ellen Rainwalker,
Courtenay