Fighting populism: officials invited to "bring attention to the majority"
(Ottawa) Recently published documents show that senior government officials have been advised to "bring attention to the majority" - rather than the values of diversity - in public communications to counter the threat of populism in Canada.
The deputy ministers of a working group heard this idea, among others, at meetings last year about what the government can do to guard against a possible rise in extremism and populism. in the country.
A briefing note prepared for senior officials explains that if only "marginalized populations" are taken into account,
"the others feel as if they do not matter".
"Social cohesion must become a new lens in policy making. To do this, the government must build relationships across differences, foster greater empathy, and focus attention on the majority (that is, intermediate groups), "officials wrote in the papers.
Suggestions were made by an international expert invited to address the Deputy Ministers' Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion in October 2018.The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the presentation and other documents provided to the working group under the Access to Information Act.
Tim Dixon, co-founder of the British think tank More in Common, told the task force that Canada is facing the same disruptive forces as other countries, forces likely to fuel polarization and division - even if Canada could be more resilient because
of its past successes in creating an inclusive national identity.
He added that the polarization of opinion may lead some people to blame minority groups perceived as benefiting from special benefits,
such as housing or social assistance, to the detriment of others.
These feelings are more frequent among a majority of people in the "intermediate groups" category, characterized by moderate views between the extremes of "cosmopolitan open values" and "closed value nationalists".
For this reason, Canada has been advised to "strengthen social solidarity" by avoiding opposing the interests of one group
and those of another in public communications.
Canada should instead highlight a message of what we have in common rather than trying to show
that the messages of division are wrong, according to Mr. Dixon's presentation.
The documents show that after the meeting, officials discussed ways the government could incorporate advice into federal policies. According to a summary of the discussion among MPs, one of the ideas put forward was the possibility of using the Canadian school system, with "massive integration power", to educate and connect people in ways that reinforce empathy and social cohesion.
With respect to future communications, deputy ministers emphasized the need to "focus on shared values rather
than diversity values, " says the meeting summary.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to have taken this advice to heart in his political messages in preparation for the federal election.
At a Liberal fundraiser last month, Trudeau emphasized the need to seek common ground and compromise between Canadians
when asked how to fight populist sentiment during the campaign. .
"We have always learned that we need to listen to each other, find common ground to move people forward,
" said Trudeau at the July 18 event in Victoria, Colombia. -British.
"The idea is that we are a country of diversity, of varied visions, and that we have a responsibility to try to unite these visions in a way forward. We can find things that Canadians will see as the right balance - and that, for me, is the opposite of populism. "
Speaking to a group of protesters against the pipelines outside the event, Mr. Trudeau jokingly explained that none of them carried placards conveying compromise messages - a remark that he used to point out that many of the strongest voices are heard in
the peripheries and do not reflect the opinion of a majority of Canadians.
Social media amplifies some of these voices, Trudeau added, another point taken from discussions and research done by the task force.
Dixon's presentation cautioned government officials about the need to become aware of how social media can distort data.
"The majority of people are not involved in the debate and do not like the division, but it is those who are on social media who express
themselves the most and it could give an excessive weight to certain issues. "
The deputy ministers of a working group heard this idea, among others, at meetings last year about what the government can do to guard against a possible rise in extremism and populism. in the country.
A briefing note prepared for senior officials explains that if only "marginalized populations" are taken into account,
"the others feel as if they do not matter".
"Social cohesion must become a new lens in policy making. To do this, the government must build relationships across differences, foster greater empathy, and focus attention on the majority (that is, intermediate groups), "officials wrote in the papers.
Suggestions were made by an international expert invited to address the Deputy Ministers' Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion in October 2018.The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the presentation and other documents provided to the working group under the Access to Information Act.
Tim Dixon, co-founder of the British think tank More in Common, told the task force that Canada is facing the same disruptive forces as other countries, forces likely to fuel polarization and division - even if Canada could be more resilient because
of its past successes in creating an inclusive national identity.
He added that the polarization of opinion may lead some people to blame minority groups perceived as benefiting from special benefits,
such as housing or social assistance, to the detriment of others.
These feelings are more frequent among a majority of people in the "intermediate groups" category, characterized by moderate views between the extremes of "cosmopolitan open values" and "closed value nationalists".
For this reason, Canada has been advised to "strengthen social solidarity" by avoiding opposing the interests of one group
and those of another in public communications.
Canada should instead highlight a message of what we have in common rather than trying to show
that the messages of division are wrong, according to Mr. Dixon's presentation.
The documents show that after the meeting, officials discussed ways the government could incorporate advice into federal policies. According to a summary of the discussion among MPs, one of the ideas put forward was the possibility of using the Canadian school system, with "massive integration power", to educate and connect people in ways that reinforce empathy and social cohesion.
With respect to future communications, deputy ministers emphasized the need to "focus on shared values rather
than diversity values, " says the meeting summary.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to have taken this advice to heart in his political messages in preparation for the federal election.
At a Liberal fundraiser last month, Trudeau emphasized the need to seek common ground and compromise between Canadians
when asked how to fight populist sentiment during the campaign. .
"We have always learned that we need to listen to each other, find common ground to move people forward,
" said Trudeau at the July 18 event in Victoria, Colombia. -British.
"The idea is that we are a country of diversity, of varied visions, and that we have a responsibility to try to unite these visions in a way forward. We can find things that Canadians will see as the right balance - and that, for me, is the opposite of populism. "
Speaking to a group of protesters against the pipelines outside the event, Mr. Trudeau jokingly explained that none of them carried placards conveying compromise messages - a remark that he used to point out that many of the strongest voices are heard in
the peripheries and do not reflect the opinion of a majority of Canadians.
Social media amplifies some of these voices, Trudeau added, another point taken from discussions and research done by the task force.
Dixon's presentation cautioned government officials about the need to become aware of how social media can distort data.
"The majority of people are not involved in the debate and do not like the division, but it is those who are on social media who express
themselves the most and it could give an excessive weight to certain issues. "