Politicians can get caught up in rhetoric, passionate arguments, robust accusations … especially during election campaigns: I get that.
But none of them … especially party Leaders … should make rash, unproven, dangerous allegations that can stir up hate, anger, division and even violence … just to score votes.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh not only stepped over the line Friday: he obliterated it and I believe totally cast aside any standard of acceptable ethics, truth and evidentiary integrity … even for a politician… to cultivate First Nations’ (and extreme left) support.
Singh chose for his campaign stop the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan which claims there are 751 unmarked graves in a cemetery at the former Marieval Indian Residential School site, about 150 kilometres east of Regina.
Without a single shred of actual, physical forensic EVIDENCE from this (or any other unmarked sites across Canada) that bodies indeed ARE there or how/why they died , Singh repeatedly … over and over again … referred to those buried there as having been “killed”.
“Children were stolen from their parents and then killed,” the NDP Leader told the media.
“Killed”?
Really? How can any “Leader” who aspires to be even Canada’s Opposition Leader, let alone Prime Minister, just come out and say …. without ANY actual evidence … that those in any graves anywhere were “KILLED”?
“Kids that were killed in a genocide,” Singh added … making sure he used the word “killed” several times over before he was done.
Words mattter!
Is Singh so ignorant he is not aware of the high death rates throughout Canada from 1910 to 1975 from childhood diseases, tuberculosis, polio, and numerous other critical medical conditions (heart damage, epilepsy, type one diabetes, kidney, liver problems) untreatable at the time?
And has he ever heard of the judicial standard of “habeas corpus” that protects everyone under our justice system?
Apparently not: Singh has already decided it’s all “a crime”.
““This is a crime committed against Indigenous people. This is a crime of genocide,” Singh said adding ” we would appoint a special prosecutor and make sure it’s prosecuted.”
I guess saying “killed” makes a better headline and is Singh’s attempt at overcoming Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s advantage in pandering for First Nations votes by promising/handing out millions and billions of public dollars over the past few months.
But in Singh’s case, the disgrace Friday got even worse.
Since during this election kissing babies for a photo op is out, Singh’s campaign had a better idea.
At the Cowessess First Nations site, Singh and his wife “walked along the hundreds of graves, each marked by a small white flag and solar-powered lights. Sidhu knelt down and laid a bouquet of flowers,” CTV reported.
And Singh himself said a prayer. As the media recorded it all.
You can read the full CTV story here: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/singh-emotional-after-visiting-site-of-cowessess-first-nation-unmarked-graves-1.5555381.
(In July, visiting Kamloops, Singh placed a teddy bear on an alleged unmarked grave area.)
And the ever-compliant, complacent, co-opted media lapped it up!
During Singh’s televised media conference, I did not see a single question about his repeated, but unproven, allegation that thousands were “killed” in what Singh referred to as “a country that killed its own people”.
Too bad no one asked Singh about the thousands of unmarked graves, uncared for and/or abandoned by First Nations themselves across the nation … which I wrote about recently: https://harveyoberfeld.ca/why-real-reconciliation-is-not-happening/.
Does Singh want the Chiefs, Band Councils of all those native bands with uncared for, unmarked graves prosecuted too?
Instead the NDP leader was lobbed this question:
“You’re about to be a parent: what was it like going through those unmarked graves?”
Almost as if on cue, Singh choked back tears and then replied: “”I don’t want it to be about me. That’s the important thing. It’s about Indigenous communities and what we’ve got to do for them. It’s about what this means that a country killed its own people.”
The media had their clip!
And CBC Newsworld … which I have long regarded as the unofficial voice of the NDP … went to town in its “news” coverage and one-sided “panel” discussions. Of course, n hard questions! LOL!
Probably a better “news” day for Singh than Trudeau or O’Toole … certainly when it came to getting more First Nations votes in the bag.
But I believe it’s very dangerous when any politician declares anyone GUILTY of any crime … especially GENOCIDE … before there are actually ANY evidence, ANY actual forensic analysis, ANY trial, ANY findings.
That’s why Singh … dreaming of becoming Prime Minister … is unfit to be even Canada’s Opposition Leader.
Harv Oberfeld
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