“Ethnic cleansing”: Hampstead mayor refuses to back down
Hampstead mayor Bill Steinberg was quoted recently as saying Bill 21 equated to ethnic cleansing and when pressed to apologize for these words, restated them instead.
Some minority groups are pointing out that the CAQ’s flagship pieces of legislation have disproportionately targeted them: Bill 9, allowing Quebec to tighten up immigration (at a time of labour shortages), Bill 17 affecting taxi drivers, and Bill 21 on state secularity. Graphic from Le Revoir, a Facebook spoof page that’s been posting an excellent series of satires on government in general: I recommend it.
Update: Justin Trudeau has condemned Steinberg’s words and appealed for calm. Steinberg is still refusing to retract.
Another update: the Journal asks who William Steinberg is and the short answer is: son of the people who owned the grocery store chain.
walkerp 15:30 on 2019-04-10 Permalink
He is technically correct, it’s just that that specific term tends to make us think of short-term ethnic cleansing, i.e. genocide. But it is very clear that the CAQ and the PQ and to some degree even the Liberals are all responding to a fear-based desire to keep Quebec white and francophone (but Quebec style francophone). These laws will “clean” Quebec of other ethnic groups over time.
Tactically speaking, though, a poor choice of words, as it gives the defenders of this legislation the outrage upper hand for the moment.
joe stalin 17:06 on 2019-04-10 Permalink
There’s only one acceptable opinion on this subject. Be sure you have it!
Chris 19:16 on 2019-04-10 Permalink
walkerp, why do you think he’s ‘technically correct’? The OED definition is “the mass expulsion or killing of members of one ethnic or religious group in an area by those of another.” The wikipedia article also shows it needs to include violence. That’s not at all happening with Bill 21. Something like what China is currently doing to its Muslim Uyghurs is a much closer fit to the meaning.
We agree though that his hyperbolic exaggerated choice of words is probably hurting his cause.
walkerp 23:00 on 2019-04-10 Permalink
Oh I stand corrected then. I didn’t realize that it had an actual official definition, I was just taking the literal interpretation of the term.
Chris 09:15 on 2019-04-11 Permalink
walkerp, ah ok. Still, even if we took the words “ethnic cleansing” literally, it still doesn’t fit with Bill 21 because of the word “ethnic”. Bill 21 doesn’t include/exclude any ethnicity, it’s based on religion. Overlapping but distinct concepts. It would apply to black Christians, white Jews, Arab Muslims, Asian Muslims, and even Sinéad O’Connor should she decide to emigrate here and become a teacher.
walkerp 11:53 on 2019-04-11 Permalink
Well that’s the rub, isn’t it? Religion and culture overlap and this bill disproportionately impacts people whose religion/culture is more obvious and externally visible. And guess what, those people almost all have brown skin.
We went from Speak White pre-revolution to Dress White.