The View From Here: November 2019

Monday, November 25, 2019

OP-ED -- Conservative leaders acting like spoiled children

FAREED KHAN
Updated: November 12, 2019

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-conservative-leaders-acting-like-spoiled-children

In the almost three weeks since Liberal MPs were shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan on election night, Conservative politicians in those provinces haven’t stopped complaining long enough to realize that they are behaving like a spoiled child that didn’t get its way.

So here is a message to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on behalf of the millions of Canadians who did not vote Conservative across the country — stop lying to Canadians and pouring gasoline on the embers of western alienation.

The fact is voters in the rest of Canada who didn’t vote Conservative are feeling alienated by your determination to return to Stephen Harper-era policies — policies that were soundly rejected by more than 60 per cent of Canadians in the 2015 election, and more than 63 per cent of Canadians in this recent election.

The fact that not a single Liberal MP was elected in either province is the fault of no one but the voters and Conservative politicians in those provinces who demonized the Liberals. If they had wanted a voice in the government they should have hedged their bets and re-elected the few Liberal MPs who were running.

As for the demands being made by Conservative politicians and voters, Canadians living outside Alberta and Saskatchewan who did not vote Conservative have some demands as well.

The first is for Conservative politicians to stop lying about what equalization actually is. Equalization payments are not some sort of cheque that provincial governments give to the federal government, which is then redistributed to other provinces. Equalization dollars come from federal tax revenues which are set aside to help “have-not” provinces provide the same level of services as richer provinces provide. If the equalization program were cancelled, Alberta and Saskatchewan would not see a single cent returned to their coffers.

The equalization formula that Premiers Kenney and Moe say is so unfair was designed in 2009 by the Harper government while Kenney was a minister in the most pro-oil federal cabinet in Canadian history, with pro-oil premiers in Alberta and Saskatchewan. If it’s unfair, it’s because the Harper Conservatives, with the help of Kenney, made it that way.

Alberta and Saskatchewan also need to acknowledge that they benefit by being part of Canada. Federal tax breaks for the oil and gas sector in Canada top $3.3 billion annually, with the vast majority of that going to companies in Alberta. Throw in other corporate tax breaks, federal health and social transfers (which amount to $7.8 billion), funds paid directly to residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan through the child benefit, EI payments, CPP payments, and other programs, and you have many billions in federal dollars going to the two provinces.

Also, stop demonizing Canadians who did not vote Conservative. In a democracy there will be winners and losers. You did not see Liberals and New Democrats in Ontario and Quebec threatening to separate when Harper was winning, a time when the two provinces were losing hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs due to a high Canadian dollar caused by oil prices of more than $100 per barrel.

To Alberta politicians, if you instituted sensible tax revenue policies, rather than wanting to keep taxes the lowest in the country, then you would not be running deficits. So institute a sales tax, raise provincial and corporate income taxes, and increase oil and gas royalties to reflect the real value of your resources. It is clear that Alberta has a revenue problem and a deficit of its own making.

Finally, respect the decisions of the courts in your legal challenges to federal carbon pricing. Continuing to fight, despite repeated defeats, is a misappropriation of funds for strictly partisan reasons. The fact that conservative icon Preston Manning and some oil company CEOs support carbon pricing as a sensible market solution to addressing climate change, says that you are absolutely wrong on this issue.

Mr. Kenney, Mr. Moe, your recent behaviour shows a lack of leadership, and is endangering national unity. So begin acting like real leaders for all your citizens and not just those who voted Conservative.

Fareed Khan is a government relations and communications consultant living in Gatineau. Quebec.

The barely acknowledged contributions of South Asian Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus to the allied victory in World War 1

By Fareed Khan

The controversy preceding Canada's Remembrance Day observance in 2019 shifted the focus away from the sacrifice of veterans onto the ramblings of a man whose bigotry was evident when he said in a November 9th Hockey Night in Canada segment “You people that come here . . . whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you could pay a couple of bucks for a poppy.” The implication of Don Cherry’s statement was taken to mean that immigrants don’t honour the sacrifice of veterans sufficiently the way white Canadians do.

The reaction and condemnation of the statement on social media was swift, and two days after making the remarks Cherry was fired from his job on Hockey Night In Canada – a job he had held since 1986. The one positive that came out of this controversy was the discussion around the role that people from around the world (not just Canadians, American and Europeans) played in defending freedom and democracy in both World Wars.

One of the biggest contributions to the war effort in World War 1 came from British colonial troops, particularly Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs from what is present day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. These soldiers played a vital role in the victory in that war, and the preservation of the British Empire. Sadly, their service and sacrifice on the battlefields of the War is all but forgotten at annual Remembrance Day services in Europe and Canada.

The role played by troops from Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and the sacrifices they made are well documented in the history books. More than 1.2 million soldiers fought in the Great War on the side of the Allies. What Canadians don't know is that South Asia's contribution to World War 1 provided more soldiers than all of the above four British Empire nations combined, and it deserves to be acknowledged during coverage about Remembrance Day.

More than 1.5 million men from Britain's Indian colonies fought alongside the British and their fellow colonial soldiers from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in all of the major theatres of war. They earned awards for valour and gallantry in battles that are etched into Canada's military history – Vimy Ridge, Paschendale, Ypres, Somme and Flanders.

On August 4, 1914 – the outbreak of World War 1 – the British army was ill prepared to take on the German army, which advanced quickly and tore through the north west of continental Europe inflicting heavy casualties on British forces. The British Expeditionary Force was in full retreat under Germany's military onslaught, and if left unchecked the German attack could flank the British taking them to the coast of the English Channel, allowing them to secure the strategic coastal ports of Nieuport, Calais and Dunkirk before the British.

As casualties mounted and unable to replenish their forces with fresh troops from Britain in a speedy manner, a call was sent to colonies across the Empire. The first to answer and send troops to Europe was the British Indian Army. Their arrival in the early days of the war prevented German forces from advancing further, and saved the French ports on the English Channel from falling into German hands. Had that occurred it would very likely have altered the entire course of World War 1.

Unlike its counterparts from Britain, Canada and Australia, the British Indian Army was multi ethnic and multi religious force, being comprised of roughly 700,000 Muslims, 150,000 Sikhs, and 650,000 of Hindus and other South Asian religious groups, hailing from present day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The first British Indian Army regiment to land in France and enter the trenches was the Punjabi and Pathan, Duke of Connaughts 129th Baluch Regiment, which was comprised entirely of Muslims. The regiment continues to exist today as the 11th Battalion of the Baloch Regiment of the Pakistan Army.

The 129th were on the front lines of British Indian troops fighting on the Western Front in Europe. The regiment became renowned for its courage, heroism, fearlessness and sacrifice. When their tour ended after 12 months in the trenches of Europe only 9 officers and 20 soldiers remained from the original contingent of 790. The casualties suffered by this one regiment is but one example of the sacrifices made on the European front lines by colonial troops, and is a testament to their contributions made in defence of their colonial masters.

One of the survivors from this regiment was Khudadad Khan, a 26 year old Punjabi Muslim, who received British Empire’s highest decoration for bravery, the Victoria Cross, which was placed on his chest by King George V. He became the first British Indian soldier and first Muslim to receive this singular honour and he would not be the last.

World War 1 is filled with many little known stories of bravery, heroism and sacrifice by Canadian, British and Australian troops, as well as hundreds of thousands of troops from colonies across the British Empire, many of whom were Muslim, Sikh and Hindu. The contributions of these brave men and women should be remembered and honoured with as much reverence as are those of the mainly white Christian troops from Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Canadians need to remember this important part of world history, the sacrifices of more than 1.5 million troops from the British Indian Empire with roots in current day Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with the same respect and admiration that we remember Canadian and British troops. More than 113,000 British Indian Army personnel were reported dead, wounded or missing by the end of the war. They fought and died along with other Canadian, British and colonial soldiers in all theatres of World War 1.

It is long past time to create awareness and educate Canadians about the magnitude of the sacrifices made by South Asian soldiers, and the vital role they played in achieving victory in that horrible conflict. During a critical time of the War, when they were needed the most, South Asian soldiers manned one third of the Western Front. They stood toe to toe with the German army, fighting and dying side by side with Canadian and British troops in key battles of the War.

The two World Wars impacted every family in Canada and millions of families in colonies across the former British Empire. We should now take time to acknowledge the ancestors of those Muslim, Sikh and Hindu soldiers from South Asia, who did their duty as part of the Allied forces and made a major contribution to winning World War 1. The ancestors of many of the South Asian soldiers from Pakistan and India currently live in Canada and it is important that Canada remembers and honours their sacrifices.

Acknowledging a shared history of families from opposite sides of the globe allows us to envision a shared future here in Canada, where people from different faiths and ethnicities more than a century ago showed that they could come together into a unified force to fight for a common goal. Don Cherry (and Canadians in general) would be well advised to become educated about the history shared by people who come from other parts of the world, who do not fit into the predominantly white narrative around the two World Wars. Because that is the only way to remember the sacrifices made on this most solemn of days, and it is the only way to honour those who shed blood in defence of a colonial empire that did not see them as equals.

Remembrance Day 2019 became about Don Cherry rather than the sacrifices of veterans

By Fareed Khan

The anti-immigrant rant by hockey personality Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada on November 9th, where he targeted (primarily non-White) immigrants for not honouring veterans by wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day, put the media focus on Cherry rather than on veterans where it should have been. The controversy around his comments continues more than a week later as Canadians continue to weigh in on what he said.

What Cherry and his legions of supporters conveniently ignored is that the freedom that Canadian veterans fought and died for includes the freedom to choose how to honour that sacrifice. While many Canadians chose to honour veterans by wearing a poppy, many did not (both immigrant and non-immigrant).

Honouring the sacrifices of veterans happens in many forms, including making sure that what they fought and died for prevails – a democratic nation free from tyranny, including tyranny of the majority, or a tyranny of one. In addition, Canadian immigrants from nations without democracies honour veterans year round by working to defend a Canada where people of all racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds are welcomed, and where they can use the freedom purchased with blood to challenge those who would advocate racist ideas – ideas that Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen fought to defeat in World War 2.

Cherry and many of his followers also seem to be ignorant to the fact that the African, Asian and Caribbean countries, from which most recent immigrants to Canada originate, also paid a steep price in both World Wars when they were European colonies.

In World War 1 more than 1.5 million soldiers from British colonies were sent to the trenches on the front lines in Europe to be used as cannon fodder. More than 130,000 of these soldiers – Black, Brown, Arab, Asian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, etc. – died on the battlefields of Europe. But their sacrifices are barely acknowledged on Remembrance Day. In World War 2 the contributions of British colonial forces from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean totalled more than 2.5 million soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in all theatres of the war, many paying the ultimate price.

One of the other disturbing things about this controversy is the reaction of those who have come to Cherry’s defence. It bodes ill for Canada that so many people are unwilling to acknowledge the racist nature of his comments, as well as acknowledge his history of making xenophobic and bigoted comments targeting various communities. Around a day when Canadians were supposed to come together to acknowledge something which should bind us, the reaction by hundreds of thousands of Cherry supporters on social media, created an “us” versus “them” mentality. It is an indicator of a disturbing divide in this country, and their refusal to acknowledge the othering of immigrants by Cherry is an issue that goes beyond hockey, and should concern all Canadians.

As we saw this past week most Canadians were rightfully critical of Cherry for what he said, and for ignoring the reality that victories in both World Wars were achieved by more than just Canada, the US and European nations. Those victories happened because of the sacrifices of peoples from around the world. His refusal to acknowledge those sacrifices is just as problematic as his statement which began this controversy.

It’s obvious from Cherry’s comments, and the reaction of many who defended him after his firing from Hockey Night In Canada, that he and his fans can’t accept that people of all ethnic and faith backgrounds paid the ultimate price to achieve victory in both World Wars. As the beneficiaries of those sacrifices the best way for us to honour veterans is not just on Remembrance Day, but every day by ensuring that the freedom that was purchased with precious lives continues to be defended. Because if it isn’t then whether we wear a poppy for future Remembrance Days or not is meaningless, and it is an insult to those who spilled blood to give us the freedoms which many Canadians take for granted.