by Candice Malcolm
Ottawa Sun
September 21, 2016
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, darling of the left and champion of progressive elites everywhere, delivered an Oscar-worthy performance in his inaugural address to the United Nations General Assembly this week.
With flair and pizazz, Trudeau warned against the rise of nationalism and anti-globalization sentiments, and urged leaders to confront fear by championing immigration and diversity.
“When leaders are faced with citizens’ anxiety, we have a choice to make. Do we exploit that anxiety or do we allay it?” said Trudeau.
This, in a nutshell, is everything wrong Trudeau’s worldview.
Trudeau used his platform on the world stage not to condemn terrorism, war crimes or crimes against humanity.
He didn’t talk about the plight of Christians in the Middle East, the genocide against Yazidis at the hands of ISIS, or of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
Trudeau didn’t raise concerns over the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, its violent insurgency in Nigeria, or the status of 276 missing female students kidnapped from their school in 2014.
Trudeau made no mention of the ongoing civil wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen or Libya, or the role of state-sponsors of terrorism such as Iran and Saudi Arabia in fueling these conflicts and spreading a violent ideology.
He failed to mention the tens of thousands killed in these wars in 2016, or to discuss the millions affected by armed conflicts, terrorism, tyrannical governments and abusive regimes, many of whom had representatives in attendance for Trudeau’s speech.
Instead, Trudeau spent his moment in the spotlight condemning his political opponents, and taking a swipe at conservatives everywhere.
In Trudeau’s mind, Islamist terrorism and unchecked immigration are not as troubling as the fact many people want to talk about terrorism and unchecked immigration.
Somehow, discussing solutions is akin to “exploiting public anxiety”.
Ironically, Trudeau delivered his remarks from an armed fortress of security – the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Days earlier, a radicalized Muslim migrant, according to police, planted improvised explosive devices in several locations in New York and New Jersey.
Three of those bombs detonated, one in the popular Manhattan neighbourhood of Chelsea, injuring 29 people.
In response to this terrorism, New York was on virtual lock down.
On top of the exceedingly heightened security alongside the United Nations General Assembly, the police presence was amplified even further.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted it was “probably the largest security presence ever amassed.” Ever.
Midtown Manhattan was transformed into a virtual police state. There were policemen and women on every corner, heavily-armed officers patrolling the city and large caravans of black SUVs blocking entire streets.
Civilians couldn’t get anywhere near the UN. I was there, I saw it.
Trudeau stood behind a wall of security and basically told the rest of us that we shouldn’t worry about terrorism, violence or unchecked immigration.
Rather than condemning terrorists and jihadists — the ones spreading the fear and anxiety Trudeau identifies — Trudeau scolded those who react to it, those who want to protect citizens and proactively stop terrorism.
Rather than being a champion of peace and stability on the world stage, Trudeau doubled down on his own narrow political agenda.
Trudeau’s message may be well-received by elites inside the United Nations bubble.
But to those on the outside — without police escorts and armed security guards — Trudeau demonstrated how naive and out of touch he is when it comes to the valid concerns of everyday Canadians.
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