04) MR. HARPER’S RACIST SIGNALS

People’s Voice Editorial

             Occasionally a politician will utter a careless phrase without any deeper intent. But a seemingly unintentional racist or sexist comment often reveals an inherent bias, or it may be crafted to signal a candidate’s real intentions in a “deniable” way.

            Stephen Harper’s use of the expression “old-stock Canadians” during the Sept. 17  leaders debate is in the latter category, giving another glimpse into the PM’s racist view of history. Recall Harper’s absurd claim (at a September 2009 G-20 event in Pittsburgh) that “Canada has no history of colonialism” - even though this country was founded on the theft of indigenous territories, through imposed (and usually broken) treaties, or via outright land grabs (almost the entire land mass of British Columbia). His statement sent the clear message that Aboriginal peoples are “second class.”

            This message is also behind Harper’s latest comment, in the context of his claims that health care is only denied for “bogus” refugee claimants, and that “new and existing and old-stock Canadians” would agree with him. This is a lie: health care coverage has also been cut off for claimants from so-called “safe” countries. But the truth is that the criteria for refugee status have become sharply politicized, as more people are defined as “bogus” on arbitrary, stereotyped racist grounds, i.e. coming from “bad” countries.

            The PM’s statement set off other alarm bells. Does  “old stock” hint at plans to deny social programs on the basis on length of residency in Canada, even for citizens? Is this yet another Tory attempt to turn so-called “deserving” recipients (“us”) against others who have not “earned” any rights (“them”)?

            Unfortunately, the corporate media gave Harper another free pass for his so-called “gaffe”. On Oct. 19, the real “us vs. them” has to be the working people of Canada against the big corporations and their political parties, especially the Harper Tories.

(The above article is from the October 1-15, 2015, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)