Trudeau's cynical gutting of Canadian history

Cutting our history and heroes from Canadian passports is but the latest example of the prime minister's ongoing quest to erase the symbols that bind us as a nation

When U.S. President Joe Biden addressed the Canadian Parliament in March, one phrase caught my attention: "A country," he said, quoting former president Barack Obama, "is never more optimistic than its president or its leaders." It was a message that was evidently lost on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Since 2015, Trudeau has become Canada's apologist- and fault-finder-in-chief. The gutting of our history and heroes from our passports is just another example. We are being remade as a country to reflect what Trudeau told the New York Times in 2015: "There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada, (we are) the first post-national state."

The general sense given by Trudeau is that he loathes much of what we represent as a country — an odd sentiment from the person who's paid handsomely to lead it. If the elected head of government will not stand up for our country and instead actively works to diminish our self-worth, pride and value, at home and abroad, we are surely in real jeopardy.

When campaigning for the job of prime minister, Trudeau evoked Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his "sunny ways." But today, Trudeau has discovered that speaking of the great figures in Canadian history puts him on the wrong side of wokeness.

Updating Canadian passports with modern security features to prevent forgeries presented Trudeau with another opportunity to erase our past. Among the iconic images that offend his sensitivities are illustrations of Vimy Ridge, Terry Fox, the Fathers of Confederation, Quebec City, the Famous Five, the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup. The images of Trudeau's Canada, in contrast, look like what you might expect to find on a hastily prepared travel brochure made from clip art.

Trudeau is a prime minister who adheres strictly to modern-day symbolism. History means very little to him, as it often doesn't fit the Liberal narrative. Sadly, he is not so much into the hard work of fixing the problems of today to make us a more united, productive, prosperous and secure country.

It is my fervent belief that there are still notions and symbols that bind us together as a nation and allow us to look beyond parochial, narrow, regional and antiquated ideas of nationhood. The history and symbols that the vast majority of Canadians can see in a positive light should be vigorously defended and promoted, not erased. Surely there is more in our nearly 156 years of history that is worth celebrating than just landscapes and faceless images.

Since the election of this government in 2015, Sir John A. Macdonald has taken hit after hit. Whatever target in our history the cyber snowflake mob senses as vulnerable gets whacked. Yet a figure like MacKenzie King — who turned back a boatload of Jewish refugees, forcing them into clutches of the Nazis — remains untouched.

It's not that a bland, generic passport on its own damages the Canadian psyche. It's the intentional act of obliterating our history and sense of pride that causes harm. Callously discarding the words, symbols, traditions and beliefs that are woven into the fabric of our nation is wrong-headed. Purging and erasing, like the book-burning and whitewashing of a bygone era, are often signs of insidious efforts to hide truth and human triumph, and are doomed to failure.

This is not to argue the case that all symbols of the past carry the same importance, for there are certainly examples that can be identified as exclusionary and wrong. Yet Canadians expect a much greater effort to stand up for, and protect, our heritage. Ours is an incredibly fortunate, formidable and envied country. If we allow our history to disappear, we risk losing the things that make us special.

The seminal events and soaring figures of our past highlight and underscore that great nations produce remarkable people, accomplish big tasks, solve complex problems, dream big and strive to be victorious. Why would anyone, or any government, seek to not only diminish but erase those coveted qualities, even in document form?

Canada is not perfect. But, with pride and purpose, we have steadily built a better country by fortifying rights, rewriting laws and, in deserving cases, offering apologies and even compensation for historic wrongs.

A Father of Confederation, Nova Scotian Joseph Howe, famously wrote: "A wise nation preserves its records, gathers up its muniments, decorates the tombs of its illustrious dead, repairs its greatest structures and fosters national pride of country, by perpetual references to the sacrifices and glories of the past." Meanwhile, Trudeau happily takes out his eraser on Canada's past, just to make sure no one could ever be offended.

Some will argue that this was done to turn away from the decisions of a Conservative government that chose to highlight Canada's history. I am proud that the government I served in chose to commemorate the importance of the War of 1812 and its heroic figures. The historic apology to our First Nations was also part of our effort to reconcile history. Bringing back historic ranks, insignia, regiments and honours to commemorate the Canadian Armed Forces’ illustrious contributions to secure global peace and security was similarly important.

Our decision to have a passport that highlights great Canadians and their accomplishments was made in the same vein. I believe there are notions and symbols that bind us together and situate us as an important and substantial country that earned its place at the top table due to our respect for freedom, democracy, human rights and our willingness to fight for others to enjoy the same.

That we have inventors, scientists, scholars, athletes and even a few politicians who we admire, even revere, allows us to feels positive about our country and point out genuine Canadian heroism that our children can aspire to. This is something to be proud of.

History matters. The good, the bad and the ugly need to be displayed, told and never forgotten. We should elevate and emphasize the good, commit to being better and ensure the bad and ugly are not repeated.

The Liberal government has instead chosen to replace the symbols of our past with sanitized images that make little mention of our shared history and democratic values. Yet the beauty of democracy is that when a government forces change on its citizens, the decision to change the government can be the response.

National Post

Peter MacKay served as minister of justice, attorney general and minister of foreign affairs in the Conservative government of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

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