A photo of MP Leah Gazan during a question period session in the House of Commons in May 2022.
"This is a growing far-right movement riddled with hate that needs to be named ... I call on all Members of Parliament to name it and do what is necessary to stop it." Credit: Courtesy of Leah Gazan. Credit: Courtesy of Leah Gazan.

Freedom of speech, like all human rights, is not absolute when it infringes on the rights of others. So, calling someone a “f****** bitch” and telling them to “get the f*** out of this town” is not only a threat but a direct attack on that person’s own human rights.

Moreover, standing up for one particular set of human rights does not absolve someone of the responsibility to support and respect all other human rights. 

Standing up for human rights without exception

As Members of Parliament, we have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We also have an obligation as elected officials to ensure that all individuals are provided what they need to live with dignity and security, to not forcibly remove peoples from lands without free prior and informed consent, and to protect the right of all peoples to a clean, healthy, and safe environment. 

This was what motivated me to put forward Bill C-232 in the last Parliament to establish a clean, healthy, and safe environment as a human right, and my current private members Bill C-223, to develop a framework to implement a guaranteed livable basic income so that no one is forced to live in poverty which is a violent violation of a person’s human rights. 

However, human rights are not absolute and when an individual’s actions violate the human rights of others, it must be named and called out. We need to be consistent in our support for human rights without qualification and regardless of our political and economic interests. Human rights are human rights, and elected officials have a legal obligation to protect them without exception.   

In fact, the rule of law is about upholding the Canadian Constitution, something that consecutive governments continue to violate, particularly regarding the rights of Indigenous peoples where excessive force is commonly used to violate rights. There seems to be swift action by governments to impede on the Canadian Constitution in this instance, yet, there is an inexplicable space for a growing far-right, extremist movement riddled with misogyny and toxic masculinity that continues to cause havoc throughout the country.  

Emboldened far-right movement is alarming

This movement is flourishing, despite the impacts it has had on the economy, journalists, and the safety of many individuals primarily from BIPOC and 2SLGBTQQIA + communities, elected officials, and women. 

This growing movement has also appropriated the work of other movements. This includes the reproductive justice movement’s “my body, my choice” slogan or flying “Every Child Matters” flags to honour children who were victims of residential schools without the consent from survivor groups and many others who have been intergenerationally impacted by violent colonization. Did they receive permission before they usurped the voices of Indigenous peoples? Did they receive permission from survivors’ circles?

Let’s also not overlook the anti-Semitic comparisons of vaccine mandates to the events that took place in the Holocaust; mandates that the Canadian Human Rights Commission affirmed were not a violation of the Constitution and the fundamental freedoms contained in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

I find this particularly offensive, as a women who must deal with ongoing sexism, as an Indigenous person who has been intergenerationally impacted by violent colonization, and as a descendant of a Holocaust survivor who lost our whole family except for five members during the Second World War. I feel compelled to speak up.

Action needed now

As a lifelong advocate and activist, I must state clearly that it is critical not to lump all movements together as just another political movement. We need to be vigilant not to find justifications for gender-based violence, misogyny, and toxic masculinity that infringe on the human rights of others as just another political action. There is no grey area. This is a growing far-right movement riddled with hate that needs to be named. We must act swiftly and act to stop it. I call on all Members of Parliament to name it and do what is necessary to stop it.

This includes Pierre Poilievre, who has been aggressively fuelling this fire. Does he have anything to say about shaking hands and taking pictures with Diagolon founder Jeremy Mackenzie who is currently wanted for mischief, assault, and weapons charges? Why are we accepting this behaviour from Members of Parliament? Pierre Pollieve is not the only one. There have been, in fact,  too many to name. 

I share this because I believe that we are at a critical juncture. I also believe strongly as an elected official that it is not about winning at all costs. It is about doing what is right and protecting everyone in your community even when you must stand alone, and I know that I am not alone in my feelings. 

I am asking all my colleagues and members of our community to join in and focus on building a real movement; a movement to fight for a better world for all. A world where you can be who you are regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or race. A movement grounded in human rights for all and not just when it suits economic and political interests. A place where journalists can do their jobs, without the fear of violence and abuse.

The survival of our democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of our collective human rights depends on us speaking up and speaking out. We need to call out this movement for what it is, and those who are behind it; it is white supremacy, the rise of right-wing nationalism and far-right rhetoric.

We owe it to the lessons endured by our ancestors, to our current communities, and to our future generations to take a stand, to take it now, and to do what is right.

August 31, 2022 – Editor’s note: The original version of this piece noted that Jeremy Mackenzie is currently wanted for hate crimes, assault, and weapons charges. This was inaccurate. Mackenzie is wanted for mischief, assault, and weapons charges. The piece has been updated to reflect this.