(This column originally appeared in the Toronto Sun)
The Trudeau government and the mainstream media are not telling the truth about the UN Global Compact for Migration.
Both are casting opposition to the UN agreement as conspiratorial, far-right, and even racist, while leaving out important facts and details about the compact.
Trudeau’s top aide Gerald Butts — sometimes referred to as the co-prime minister, because apparently he does the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting — led the attacks this week.
Butts took issue with a Conservative Party ad on social media which read, “Justin Trudeau wants to give up Canadian sovereignty to an unelected international body. Say NO to the U.N. Global Compact for Migration.”
The ad quoted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer saying, “Canadians and Canadians alone should make decisions on who comes into our country and under what circumstances. Not the UN.”
In response, Butts scolded the Conservatives and unleashed a deranged criticism. “This is a flat-out lie being spread by the far-right in Europe, the alt-right in North America, and now the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.”
This story line appeared throughout the mainstream media.
Many journalists chose to leave out the fact that the UN compact is being met with heavy opposition throughout the Western world.
According to a Canadian Press news article, “almost all UN member states are poised to sign it, except the United States and Hungary.”
Other journalists have echoed this talking point, stating that only a small handful of countries — all run my right-wing populist governments — are opposed to the migration compact.
It is this claim that is flat out untrue.
In the U.S., both Republicans and Democrats, such as Hillary Clinton, oppose the deal. It was Clinton herself who helped popularize the term “alt-right” — referring to both internet pranksters and racist white nationalists who have been excommunicated from the conservative movement.
Mainstream conservative voices in Canada, including Maxime Bernier, Michelle Rempel and Danielle Smith all oppose signing the UN compact.
And as for “far-right” opposition in Europe? Austria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and even neutral Switzerland have all backed out of the compact.
In Latvia, the country’s government held a debate and a vote on the issue, ultimately deciding not to sign the UN compact. That’s what a democracy is supposed to look like.
Outside of Europe, Australia, Israel and Japan have backed out of the deal, while New Zealand is engaged in a public debate and leaning towards not signing the compact.
In other words, a growing plurality of refugee-receiving countries have chosen to reject the UN Compact for Migration.
Why? Well, according to Australia’s public safety Minister Peter Dutton, Australia is not willing to “sign a deal that sacrifices anything in terms of border protection policies.”
“We’re not going to surrender our sovereignty — I’m not going to allow unelected bodies to dictate to us, to the Australian people.” Where’s Gerald Butts to call him a far-right racist? Unlike the citizens of most Western countries, Canadians have not been told the truth or been given a chance to debate the issue.
Instead of having an honest discussion about how the UN scheme will affect our immigration system and our democracy, Trudeau and his cadre of government-funded journalists have pushed lies and bullied Canadians.
The Trudeau government will ratify the UN compact on Tuesday in Morocco, signing away aspects of Canadian sovereignty without so much as an honest public debate.
Candice Malcolm is the Founder of the True North.
