By: Olivia Visser, Opinions Editor and Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer
Content warning: mentions of racism, Islamophobia, and genocide.
After being re-elected to serve a second term as US president, Donald Trump and his cabinet have already begun to target Canadian borders. While during his first term he imposed tariffs on Canadian steel exports, and he now threatens to do so again on a wider scale — that is just one piece of the narrative. Trump’s re-election doesn’t only pose an economic threat to Canada, but also a social one.
There has already been a rise in xenophobia — prejudice towards people perceived as foreign — in Canada between 2019 and 2021. The most glaring indicator of this spike has to do with hate crimes, as they increased by 72% during this period. From East Asian hate to racism towards South Asian communities, bigoted individuals are becoming increasingly comfortable expressing their hatred towards those who do not constitute as “Canadians” in their eyes. When it comes to making Canada a safer and more equitable place for migrants and marginalized communities, Trump’s presidency signifies a step backwards. As he and his cabinet fear-monger about how Canada’s lack of border control presents a gateway for “terrorists” to enter the country, they will speak to many Canadians looking to make their bigotry known.
Trump recently announced that Thomas Homan will be in charge of American border security. Homan, who has been tasked to carry out the largest mass deportation plan in American history, has criticized Canada’s borders for being too flexible. He also actively uses the word “aliens” to describe undocumented immigrants, which dehumanizes them. To Homan and Trump, undocumented immigrants — which includes families seeking asylum from dangerous conditions — are a threat to national security. According to the National Institute of Justice, undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than American-born citizens, by a large margin. Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also stated that “terrorists and known criminals continue to stream across US land borders, including from Canada.”
There is already a growing sentiment in Canada that targets immigrants as aggressors, while immigrants tend to be one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. A culture of anti-BIPOC slander is on the rise, where people who are not perceived as “white” are looked at as outsiders. For instance, a BC Conservative candidate was recently under fire for comments about “Muslim inbreeding” and for saying that Canadian society is incompatible with Islam. This didn’t stop him from winning in his riding, which suggests that racism wins votes in Canada too.
When it comes to making Canada a safer and more equitable place for migrants and marginalized communities, Trump’s presidency signifies a step backwards.
Trump’s presidency is dangerous to racialized people because he along with his cabinet have labelled non-white immigrants as threats to the nation, and this rhetoric is catching on in Canada. Anti-immigration policies have already begun in the country, as the Liberal government plans to cap immigration levels and the Conservatives have made it clear in their campaign that they want to cut immigration further. Capping immigration, which would bring more financial detriments than benefits, does not provide any real solutions to the affordability crisis. Instead, it seems to be a way of subtly reaffirming to those who already believe immigration is an issue that it will be “taken care of.”
The language used by Pierre Poilievre, Conservative Party of Canada leader, reflects similar tactics used by Republicans to garner support. Trump has run his campaigns based around nicknames rather than substance, as stirring division garners more support than concrete policy. Insulting titles like “sleepy Joe” and “crooked Hillary” are an easy way of appealing to radicals who vote based on reactionary rhetoric, and Poilievre has evidently been taking note. The Conservative candidate has been using similar tactics, calling NDP leader Jagmeet Singh “sellout Singh.” The nickname has since been used to spread online hate towards others with the same last name — a common title given to Sikh men “as a symbol of equality in their faith.”
Poilievre also has endorsement from far-right extremists like Alex Jones and those present at the freedom convoy, an event that saw the expression of hateful acts from nazi flag waving to violence. Far-right extremism, according to research from The Organization for the Prevention of Violence, is any form of violent extremism carried out by people with right-wing ideologies. Their research also touches on the rise of crimes targeting Muslim people in Canada following Trump’s first presidency.
Canadian politics, especially within the far-right, have radically shifted since Trump was elected in 2016. While the alt-right is not necessarily a popular ideological group in Canada, many members of the alt-right have not only been involved in hate crimes, but have comfortably expressed hateful views towards marginalized communities since Trump’s first term in office. And despite Canadian support for Trump still being relatively low, there has been rising support for the Conservative Party of Canada, and far-right rhetoric has been bleeding into mainstream media and opinion. A survey by Abacus Data projects that 42% of Canadians will vote Conservative in the upcoming election. Another survey by the Environics Institute found that 58% believe “immigration levels are too high” in the country.
The re-election of Trump can and will worsen sentiments that target marginalized groups in Canada. There is currently a wave of bigotry that is slowly spreading across the country. While there have been efforts to mitigate this, such as tightening laws on hate-speech, the re-election of a soon-to-be convicted felon who faces a series of sexual assault allegations and is celebrated by white supremacist groups is a step backwards in ensuring Canada progresses towards being a peaceful and welcoming country for all.
