By contributor Sebastian Barkovic
Conservatives are fickle creatures, especially around election time. One example is the new tip line they proposed if brought back into power. You must be thinking, “Tip line? What sort of tip line? Like drinking and driving, wild fires, illegal dumping?” Unfortunately not. I am referring to a tip line for reporting minorities that you find just a tad barbaric for your taste. Yes, absorb this information and take in the scene. Prime Minister Harper didn’t exactly word it that way, but there is no doubt in most rational Canadians’ minds about his true intentions.
So what is this tip line? Well, in the heat of the election, the Harper government has thought of a strategy best used by the Republican Party in the United States: racism. The Tories have been hyping up the fear of the unknown, better known as Muslims. They attempted to ban headwear at citizenship swearing in ceremonies However, they lost that case in court. Since that wasn’t enough for them, they launched their newest attacks against those of alternative religions to Christianity with the tip line. With claims to “stand up for our values” and wanting to “protect women and girls from forced marriage and other barbaric practices,” according to immigration minister Christopher Alexander, the anti-Muslim rhetoric in the Tories’ campaign gets ever so apparent.
I like to think the term “tyrant dictator” is reserved for old-timey political figures such as Stalin or Hitler, who would rule countries with an iron fist and do as they chose with no second thought. However, it turns out the comparison hits closer to home than we realize. In fact, you may have heard about The Malicious Practices Act of 1933. Here is what you need to know: If you were against Hitler and his ideals (Jewish or homosexual) you could be arrested in the blink of an eye. Isn’t that a tad funny? Harper must love history. He is literally proposing a bill that differs from a Nazi legislation by one word. Isn’t there a tip line for that?