On this week’s edition of The West Block, Global News Ottawa bureau chief Mercedes Stephenson asked Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole if there was systemic racism in Canada.
O’Toole gave a rambling answer about defending people in uniform and ending racism, which, I suppose, was his evasive way of dealing with this controversial issue.
If O’Toole truly wants to confront the issue of racism, he needs to stop wordsmithing and deal with the problem head-on.
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As the saying goes, you can’t solve a problem until you acknowledge that there is a problem.
We rely on and trust the brave men and women who wear the uniform of our military and police services, who serve and protect our country and our communities, and we are forever grateful that they put their lives on the line to protect our freedom and our safety.
But any time we see even one officer display racist or bigoted behaviour, it sullies the reputation of all cops and erodes public trust, and that’s unfair to police and certainly detrimental to our society.
Instead of falling back on the often-used line, “most of them are good people,” our leaders should acknowledge that racism exists, and it’s a cancer that, left unchecked, will fester.
Silence is compliance, and we expect more from our political leaders.
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