Freedom. Equality. Justice. These are just empty words without earnest commitment. The high-sounding words fall on deaf ears when weaponized to claim the moral high ground and usurp another’s rights. After all, there is no nastier tyranny than that perpetuated under the appellation of freedom; no treachery more harmful than that under the guise of equality, and no more grandiose personal ambition than that concealed in the universal purposes of justice.
Whether in France, where so-called "democratic" counterterrorism laws safeguard sanctimonious freedom and punish the Muslim minority. Or, in Israel – that bastion of triumphal democracy that Amnesty International has described as an apartheid state. Likewise, in Hindutva India, majoritarian democracy and "lawless laws" provide the cover to dispossess Kashmiris. Now, in Canada, there are fears of a democratic rollback. And, these fears are not unfounded. There is diminishing space for political participation from assertive minorities who challenge the status quo. Nowhere is this better exemplified than the way that the Conservative party of Canada outrageously disqualified leadership candidate frontrunner, Patrick Brown. Apparently, at issue was the strong support he had from Canadians of the Muslim faith and his commitment to repeal Bill 21 which is a law that "disproportionately impacts people who are already marginalized." Is democratic space open to all except Canadian Muslims? Are we children of a lesser God?
Many years ago, I became the first Canadian-born Muslim candidate to run for a Federal Liberal nomination and win. However, that experience quickly showed me the challenges facing Canadian Muslims and other visible minorities such as the First Nations and Afro-Canadians. Actually, initially following the vote, the presiding officer of the Liberal Party of Canada informed me that I had lost. After asking for silence, he raised a piece of paper in his hand and began to wave it frantically. He then said that I lost the election and that "there will be no discussion." Imagine that? Not only are we to accept his word, but we are not allowed to question his authority. So much for equality. Of course, we protested and in the commotion that followed, he appealed for calm. However, we persisted. Finally, in a bizarre turn of events, he looked upon the paper and grimly acknowledged that he had made a mistake. I had won the nomination election. Welcome to Canada's democracy.
Today, I'm reminded of that fateful day in which I was deceived and an attempt was made to subvert democracy. Why? Patrick Brown has been disqualified in a hotly contested leadership race inside the Conservative Party of Canada frontrunner. Political insiders throughout the country are aghast. Conservative leader aspirant Jean Charest demanded "transparency" from the party. Shockingly, in a secret meeting of the Conservative Party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) members decided to disqualify Patrick Brown without an opportunity to respond in front of the committee. This action is both reprehensible and undemocratic. Especially as his supporters claim that he was booted due to Brown's vision of a modern, multicultural and inclusive society, especially with strong support from the Canadian Muslim community. Was his disqualification a result of his bonds with Canadians of the Muslim faith? Many seem to think so.
The slow death of democracy in Canada is clearly discernible. Voter turnout has been declining for the past two decades. Around 40% of people do not vote, which is expected to increase. Especially as the youth bulge enters the workforce and their overall pessimism of the political system surges. A recent Elections Canada study found that nearly 70% of young Canadians between 18-37 don't vote. In the coming years, these voters will lower the overall voter turnout, placing greater burdens on legitimacy and trust. The 2021 Democracy Index corroborates this sharp decline in the North American average score, explaining that democratic deterioration in Canada mainly drives it. New survey data reveals a worrying trend of disaffection among Canadians, who feel they have little control over their lives. A sentiment further aggravated by pandemic-related restrictions on individual freedoms. Canada’s worsening score raises questions about whether it might begin to suffer from some of the same afflictions as its U.S. neighbors, such as extremely "low levels of public trust in political parties and government institutions."
Democracy is not simply about voting or majority rules. In order to be something other than Tocqueville’s tyranny of the majority, representative governance requires an obligation to a broader, ethical agenda, most notably to the consultative process, value pluralism, and reciprocity. That means the value of “treating all persons with respect and weighing well their aspirations and their ways of looking at the world.” In other words, it is the courage to allow others to live their way, as long as the rights of others, and the law, are upheld. What happens when the gatekeepers of the political process are discriminatory?
Today, the weaponization of the democratic ethos to disempower, rationalize oppression and indulge in gross violations of human and political rights is aptly seen all over the world, from Kashmir, Palestine, to France, the U.S. and Canada. Admittedly, as Ferrara acknowledges, democratic polities face “exemplary expansions of political identity with the goal of better accommodating the hyper-pluralism.” Yet, what becomes of democracy if it coerces homogeneity or no longer is "open" to accommodate plurality? At that point, there must be collective pushback. Actually, the democratic ethos is ethical as much as it is a political ideal. It upholds the freedom of every individual to make their own decisions. It mandates equality as central to the democratic spirit since only free men and women are accountable for their choices. In fact, the human spirit innately resists coercion and exclusion. And that is precisely what is happening in Canada: Democracy is slowly being chipped away. Why? Because entrenched racist power structures tremble at the political mobilization of marginalized communities of color.
