More information on the Quebec City shooter’s motivation will likely emerge soon. Was he a lone wolf? Was he radicalized online? We don’t know. But as Premier Couillard stated on Monday, “Every society has to live with its demons. Our society is not perfect. No society is.”
I think it is also appropriate to consider Premier Couillard’s message of solidarity with our Quebec Muslim community:
“Nous sommes avec vous. Vous êtes chez vous. Vous êtes bienvenus chez vous. Nous sommes tous des Québécois. Il faut qu’ensemble on continue à batir une société ouverte, accueillante et pacifique” … “We are with you. You are at home here and you are welcome at home. We are all Quebecers. Together we have to continue building a society that is open, welcoming and peaceful.”
This horrendous incident came on the heels of a difficult weekend in the United States following last Friday’s signing of an Executive Order by the new US President barring entry to the US by citizens of seven Muslim nations. That order resulted in chaos last weekend at the US border, especially in airports, where many peace-loving Muslims with legitimate visas or work papers in the States were detained at the border or barred from entry.
On Saturday evening, a US court overruled the presidential order as unconstitutional. Since then, there have been many protests, seen by many as overly zealous and extreme violations of some people’s fundamental rights.
In his first week in office, the US President also ordered a directive for the construction of a wall with Mexico and the renegotiation of NAFTA, which defines free trade between Mexico, the US and Canada. He’s a man in a rush and the world is considering how to respond.
Our Prime Minister is walking a tightrope with the Trump administration. Rather than openly declare that Mr. Trump is wrong and misdirected, Prime Minister Trudeau took to Twitter himself on the weekend stating: “To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength.”
On the trade front, Mr. Trudeau recently conducted a retreat with his colleagues to consider next steps in dealing with the Trump administration. Again, the Canadian strategy seems to be avoidance of overt declarations that Trump and his officials are misdirected or wrong on policy. Rather, the strategy is to provide them with reminders that Canada is the principal trade partner for some 35 US states, with an estimated nine million American jobs tied into that trade relationship.
So the closing of American borders and the overt shift in the mindset of American leadership is having a serious impact on America’s traditional role since 1945 as the beacon of democracy on a global scale. The shift we are witnessing is complicated, so it requires our attention and ongoing discussion to best understand the short and long term impact on Canada. Our students need to be informed and take a position on these evolving issues. That’s the responsibility of citizenship and civic involvement. I urge them and their families to talk, discuss and analyze. Canadian values are on the line. Let’s make sure we defend them.
Yesterday, Premier Couillard urged politicians and the public to “think twice” about the “words we write, the words we utter.” He stated, “Words can be knives,” and urged all citizens in Quebec to “cool the rhetoric” and be more measured and balanced in our public discourse. Good advice! – Chris Shannon, Headmaster