Dear Prime Minister Trudeau: What are You Doing to Ensure Canada Does Not End up like the United States?


Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

 I just wanted to let you know that I am concerned about the fate of our country.  As a Canadian who has been unable to look away from the train wreck that is Trump in the United States, I am wondering what you are doing to protect us from something like that happening here in Canada.

For instance. You have recently apologized to the LGBTQ2 population on behalf of all Canadians (which I whole-heartedly approve of) but how can we be sure that these gains will not be rolled back?  Mr. Scheer, the leader of the Conservative Party, opposes gay marriage and voted against Bill C-16 which would expand the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect against discrimination based on gender identity and expression.  I worry that the Conservatives, if elected, will roll back the gains that LGBTQ2 and others have made in recent years.  What protections can be implemented to prevent that from happening?

One of the biggest problems in the American election was the role that social media played.  Twitter allowed Russian bots to spread propaganda and permitted users to violate their Terms of Service by ganging up on people they disagreed with and essentially bully them.  Bots participated in a new form of cyber warfare by targeting people and spreading false information.   Threats of death, rape and other harm were ignored by Twitter.  In one case, I even heard of someone whose account was locked by Twitter for several days retweeting something the President tweeted although the President escaped all censure.  Also, it is said that almost half of President Trump’s Twitter followers are fake accounts.

Facebook also had their problems as they allowed Russian bought ads to be seen in the United States, thereby letting Russian propaganda affect the outcome of the election.  While Facebook says the exact number of people affected by this propaganda is not known, estimates keep rising.  We now know that millions of people saw these lies on their news-feed.  Prime Minister, it is clear that these companies are putting profits ahead of truth and fairness and, without government intervention, will not fix these problems.  What is the government doing to prevent social media from unduly influencing our elections?

Also, is the CRTC prepared to deal with the demands of new technology?  Is it able to make and maintain policies and practices that result in a fair and unfettered internet? Net neutrality is important in that citizens can communicate and share ideas on an equal footing without interference from corporations.  Also imperative to a free and transparent democracy is a press that is free and open to present the news in an unbiased manner.  Mr. Prime Minister, how can we reduce the amount of fake news being spread by mainstream media and also on social media? 
  
Trumps “Make America Great Again” slogan was a dog whistle to White Supremacists.  Since his election, there has been an increase in hate crimes.  White Supremacists feel comfortable to openly defend their hateful views about people of colour, Jews, immigrants, LGBTQ2 persons, and women. In Canada, Andrew Scheer’s election as leader of the Conservative Party is seen by some as a victory for the far right.  During the Conservative leadership race, the Canadian Values Test proposed by MP Kellie Leitch raised concerns for many Canadians.  In the Ontario PC leadership race white nationalist Paul Fromm endorsed Tanya Granic Allen.   Are Canada’s hate laws strict enough and strong enough to prevent hate from spreading here, Prime Minister Trudeau?

I am a proud Canadian citizen.  And, while I don’t always agree with your position, I have been happy with your leadership so far.  I am proud when Americans wish they had a leader like you.  That is why I think it is imperative that we look at the laws and policies that safeguard our Canadian democracy and see if any changes need to be made to make it stronger.  Canada is a beautiful, diverse, ever changing country and the love I feel for our country makes me want to protect that.  I hope our Prime Minister feels the same way.

Respectfully,
Andrea Green Seip

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