Does Singh actually believe what he is saying, or is it just a talking point?
According to his own words, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh believes a genocide is taking place in Canada.
He made the remarks in response to news that a man suspected of being a serial killer who killed four Indigenous women was arrested:
“White supremacy, misogyny, and racism continue to contribute to this ongoing genocide of MMIWG2S — and we must confront it.”
White supremacy, misogyny, and racism continue to contribute to this ongoing genocide of MMIWG2S — and we must confront it. https://t.co/Ql5Ansn4fS
— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) December 3, 2022
“Ongoing genocide.”
If Jagmeet Singh really believes this, then he is even more ignorant and hypocritical than many believe.
To start with, Statistics Canada notes that the Indigenous population is the fastest growing demographic group in the country:
“The Indigenous population grew by 9.4% from 2016 to 2021, almost twice the pace of growth of the non-Indigenous population over the same period (+5.3%). Population projections for First Nations people, Métis and Inuit suggest that the Indigenous population could reach between 2.5 million and 3.2 million over the next 20 years.”
“While the Indigenous population continues to grow more quickly than the non-Indigenous population, the difference in growth between the two groups (+9.4% versus +5.3%) was not as large as it was during previous iterations of the census. For example, the Indigenous population grew at over four times the pace of the non-Indigenous population from 2011 to 2016 (+18.9% versus +4.2%).”
Considering that it is illegal in Canada to discriminate against someone for being Indigenous (that of course doesn’t it doesn’t happen in individual cases) and considering that the Indigenous population is growing rapidly, it is difficult to see how a ‘genocide’ is currently ongoing.
There is another issue here.
If Jagmeet Singh believes that there is an ongoing genocide in Canada, that means he also believes that genocide is taking place while the Liberals are in power.
Indeed, it couldn’t be otherwise, since the Liberals are in power now and the genocide is – according to Singh – also happening now.
That raises the question of why Singh didn’t make “ending the genocide” one of his official conditions for propping up the Liberals in Parliament.
Surely, given that a genocide is the most evil collective action a government can take, and given that a government refusing to step in and end a genocide taking place in their country is seen as a crime against humanity, that should be a condition of the Liberal-NDP Pact, right?
As noted by Jonathan Kay, the logical outcome of Singh’s claim would be that – since he is propping up a government that is apparently complicit in genocide – he should turn himself in to international authorities:
“So there’s an “ongoing genocide” being conducted by the Canadian govt—the same govt that’s been in power for seven years, and which you & the NDP are now propping up as accessories to genocide. When are you and your whole génocidaire caucus going to turn yourself into The Hague?”
So there's an "ongoing genocide" being conducted by the Canadian govt—the same govt that's been in power for seven years, and which you & the NDP are now propping up as accessories to genocide. When are you and your whole génocidaire caucus going to turn yourself into The Hague? pic.twitter.com/1BEftpUzB4
— Jonathan Kay (@jonkay) December 4, 2022
If we are to truly take Singh at his word, then the fact is that he has made an official deal in Parliament with a government that is allowing genocide to happen.
This would make Singh – by his own logic – complicit in genocide.
Has Singh thought this through?
Of course not.
It’s all based on emotion and talking points.
Singh is trying to score political points and keep hold over the 20-25% of the country that would be considered ‘far-left.’
For that political constituency, accusing Canada of being a place where genocide is ‘ongoing’ is par for the course.
The problem is that this further diminishes the already fading meaning of words.
If “ongoing genocide” is a term that can be applied to Canada, then actual current crimes against humanity are far tougher to call out and confront.
Now, we know that the choice isn’t between “pretend nothing is happening” and “call it a genocide.”
Indigenous women are at a much higher risk of being murdered, and this something that all Canadians find disturbing and believe should be addressed.
Acknowledging that however doesn’t mean conflating it with a “genocide,” and these kind of hyperbolic, performative emotional displays don’t actually do anything to address real problems.
The fact is, Canada is not a genocidal state, and there is not a genocide taking place in Canada.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
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