The left's culture war over trans children
After the deportation of the Acadians, New Brunswick would be on the verge of inflicting
"cruelty and isolation" on vulnerable people.
At least that's the accusation made recently by Justin Trudeau.
Crime? The government of Blaine Higgs proposes that schools must obtain parental consent to change the name and recognize the new gender identity of students under the age of 16.
This would be a brutal attack by the far right on trans rights.
Rather, the case embodies the excesses of these cultural wars that animate public debate in our time.
In its quest for virtue, Wokism not only evacuates all debate, but it distances us from the society of law.
This is at its strongest the pocket of inclusion.
Cursed right
Going back to our story of non-binary students.
It is tempting to brandish the nightmare of a teenager in search of his identity, confronted by parents who, in another era, would have sent him to conversion therapy.
But that's missing the point. Until otherwise ordered, parents exercise the legal rights of their children up to the age of majority. They certainly have a say in their education.
Why, under the pretext of inclusion, should parents be forced to abdicate their legal rights? How many are willing to sign a blank check to the education system?
Inclusion was never about giving in to ideological totalitarianism. Rather, it requires pathways such as accompaniment with professionals offered by New Brunswick in the event of a conflict between the parents and the trans child.
But this kind of nuance is no longer allowed.
There is good, evil, Justin Trudeau against the bad guys of the far right.
Communitarianism
It is not surprising that Justin Trudeau has chosen this new hobbyhorse. It is the logical extension of his approach to the identity debate.
We are no longer Canadian, but Italian-Canadians, African Canadians, Indo-Canadians. We are white, black, women, refugees, disabled, 2SLGBTQI+, as if every label gives extra points to the diversity lottery.
There are funds for black entrepreneurs, minority farmers, even federal subsidies for the energy transition will be enhanced according to the number of small boxes checked.
The result is a society where the right to difference takes precedence over the project of a collective identity.
However, the very idea of society is based on compromises erected within a framework called laws. They are imperfect, have often been unfair. That is why citizens have recourse to the courts under our charters.
It is surprising, to say the least, that the son of the father of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has forgotten that even progress and inclusion must be built around a legal framework rather than under the influence of emotion.
Unless, of course, Justin Trudeau knows it, but prefers to ignore it for partisan purposes.
This shows that it is not only the American Christian right that masters the codes of culture
wars and cloaks itself in virtue to polarize public debate.
"cruelty and isolation" on vulnerable people.
At least that's the accusation made recently by Justin Trudeau.
Crime? The government of Blaine Higgs proposes that schools must obtain parental consent to change the name and recognize the new gender identity of students under the age of 16.
This would be a brutal attack by the far right on trans rights.
Rather, the case embodies the excesses of these cultural wars that animate public debate in our time.
In its quest for virtue, Wokism not only evacuates all debate, but it distances us from the society of law.
This is at its strongest the pocket of inclusion.
Cursed right
Going back to our story of non-binary students.
It is tempting to brandish the nightmare of a teenager in search of his identity, confronted by parents who, in another era, would have sent him to conversion therapy.
But that's missing the point. Until otherwise ordered, parents exercise the legal rights of their children up to the age of majority. They certainly have a say in their education.
Why, under the pretext of inclusion, should parents be forced to abdicate their legal rights? How many are willing to sign a blank check to the education system?
Inclusion was never about giving in to ideological totalitarianism. Rather, it requires pathways such as accompaniment with professionals offered by New Brunswick in the event of a conflict between the parents and the trans child.
But this kind of nuance is no longer allowed.
There is good, evil, Justin Trudeau against the bad guys of the far right.
Communitarianism
It is not surprising that Justin Trudeau has chosen this new hobbyhorse. It is the logical extension of his approach to the identity debate.
We are no longer Canadian, but Italian-Canadians, African Canadians, Indo-Canadians. We are white, black, women, refugees, disabled, 2SLGBTQI+, as if every label gives extra points to the diversity lottery.
There are funds for black entrepreneurs, minority farmers, even federal subsidies for the energy transition will be enhanced according to the number of small boxes checked.
The result is a society where the right to difference takes precedence over the project of a collective identity.
However, the very idea of society is based on compromises erected within a framework called laws. They are imperfect, have often been unfair. That is why citizens have recourse to the courts under our charters.
It is surprising, to say the least, that the son of the father of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has forgotten that even progress and inclusion must be built around a legal framework rather than under the influence of emotion.
Unless, of course, Justin Trudeau knows it, but prefers to ignore it for partisan purposes.
This shows that it is not only the American Christian right that masters the codes of culture
wars and cloaks itself in virtue to polarize public debate.
