Last Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the freedom of expression was “not without limits,” and should not “arbitrarily and needlessly hurt” certain communities. This was appalling, as the context of Trudeau’s comments suggested that the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty for showing a Muhammad cartoon was justified.
In response, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet took Trudeau to task. Blanchet stated in a tweet that Trudeau’s response to the jihad attacks in France “did not go far enough, and highlighted what the Bloc leader called a ‘disturbing gap’ in values that he chalked up to possible ‘weakness’ or ‘ideology’ on the prime minister’s part.”
More specifically, Blanchet said that Trudeau’s comments “suggested ‘extenuating circumstances’ might explain some acts of terrorism,” a dangerous stance for a free country’s Prime Minister to take. No insult to anyone’s sensibilities could ever justify such violence.
The Bloc Québécois leader further stated that Trudeau’s comments are “threatening Quebec’s friendship with France.” Trudeau’s comment extends beyond the relationship between Quebec and France. His comments threaten free society itself. The freedom of expression, including freedom to offend, is the hallmarks of any free society. Such freedom is absent from Sharia states.
“Blanchet seeks to drive values wedge between Quebec and Trudeau government,” Canadian Press, November 2, 2020:
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is doubling down on efforts to draw a line separating his party’s values from those of the Trudeau Liberals — particularly on the fraught ground of free speech.
Blanchet posted a tweet Sunday suggesting Justin Trudeau’s response to attacks in France that authorities have attributed to Muslim extremists did not go far enough, and highlighted what the Bloc leader called a “disturbing gap” in values that he chalked up to possible “weakness” or “ideology” on the prime minister’s part.
Blanchet said in French that Trudeau is threatening Quebec’s friendship with France. He’s sought to align his province with that country’s “republican and secular” principles, contrasting them with what he called an “Anglo-Saxon multiculturalist doctrine.”
The stern words compound Blanchet’s criticism of the prime minister’s reaction to a University of Ottawa professor’s use of a notoriously derogatory word for Black people in class.
Last week, Trudeau condemned the attacks in France as “heinous” acts of terrorism that fly in the face of Canadian values and said Ottawa “would always defend freedom of expression, but freedom of expression is not without limits.”
“In a pluralistic, diverse and respectful society like ours, we must be aware of the impact of our words, of our actions on others, particularly these communities and populations who still experience enormous discrimination,” Trudeau told reporters in French on Friday.
At a press conference today, Blanchet argued that Trudeau’s comments suggested “extenuating circumstances” might explain some acts of terrorism.
“My duty is to tell our sisters and brothers and friends in France that Quebec does not share this opinion being expressed by the prime minister of Canada,” Blanchet said….
At his press conference today, Blanchet accused the Trudeau government of being slow to condemn the attacks….