Month: June 2020

What Mr. Mario Dumont is describing Bambi understood a while ago.

First, she voted for Mr. Trudeau’s government the first time, precisely in the hope of seeing Canada re-playing a role in the international scene.

Second, despite this, she was quick to see the superficiality of that balloon burst before the second elections (i.e., she did not vote for Mr. Trudeau again, which is contrary to her usual voting pattern).

Whether we (fully?) agree with Mr. Dumont’s thoughtful article, it is refreshing to read a deep reflection by a journalist (a luxury nowadays).

The night before the UN vote, Bambi thought about all this in her mind. Even if she saw the above, she prayed in her heart for the best interests of Canada (it may seem odd to pray for our country. She usually does so for Lebanon only… but, these days, she is concerned about us).

Anyhow, Bambi thought to herself (and asked God): If this UN seat is good for Canada, let it be. If not, please let it be. That was her wish for Canada, even if the federal government invested our tax money and much efforts to make this UN saga a success story for Mr. Trudeau. On the contrary, it was a fiasco for Canada (congrats to Norway, the winner).

Without much of Bambi’s blahablahblah, here is a quick translation of Mr. Mario Dumont’s article published on Saturday, June 20, in the Journal de Montréal.

Mr. Trudeau reads French. It is Bambi’s hope that he will read Mr. Dumont’s article one day, to learn from it:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/06/20/la-balloune-petee

“Oh ! It doesn’t look very serious as a title. However, no image can better represent what happened to Justin Trudeau in Canada this week. A beautiful big pink bubble … which bursts. And everyone realizes that it was only air.

The vote to bring Canada back to the UN Security Council was to become the consecration of Justin Trudeau’s great success on the international stage. The story was well presented: Canada, which had become despised in the world because of the evil Harper, was finding the way to universal love. Animated by the generous Justin, bearer of all good causes, the “most best” country in the world would once again become the most loved.

But it was all just porridge for cats.

Canada has never come down as low under Stephen Harper as what the Trudeau team said with the help of some media. And the supposed comeback of Canada pulled by superhero Justin with his cape never happened. It was all a story, wind, air.

Catastrophic result

Several analysts have pointed out: Canada’s result has been worse this year than the slap of ten years ago. Fewer votes for Canada against much smaller adversaries. Yet Justin Trudeau ran a campaign, made promises, distributed our money, hoping to convince poorer countries to express their love for Canada.

Justin Trudeau’s supposed return policy to the world is therefore a failure. But what exactly was this policy based on? Basically one thing: fashionable themes. Justin Trudeau donned fashionable socks to bring fashionable causes to the international stage.

The environment, multiculturalism, feminism, we can be sympathetic to the themes. But let’s be serious. The great political leaders on the world stage look at the issues in depth, they measure the credibility of their counterparts, they weigh the interests of their country. They do not allow themselves to be touched by empty words on good causes.

Taken seriously?

Justin Trudeau made a strong impression in his early months by the freshness of the speech. However, all of them later clearly understood that many of his good intentions were not based on a fundamental reflection or on a results strategy. Words, words and more words. Ah, yes … and also a photo! One wonders if he is still taken seriously by other leaders.

Hopefully at least this week, the Trudeau government will have learned its lesson. Canada must no longer be the kind dreamer who joins all the movements to be in the wind. Canada must pursue a strategy of international relations based on its interests, its economy, with allies and other countries before which it is better to stand up for its principles.”

For the CBC, anything that is not radical left is far-right ?:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/michael-korenberg-resigns-ubc-1.5621268

Seriously now, this story is VERY worrisome:

Mr. Michael Korenberg has resigned from his position as chair (and board member) of the Uiversity of British Columbia (UBC)’s Board of Governors, effective immediately. The reason stated: liking tweets supporting US President Donald Trump and criticizing BLM protests.

We are free to have any opinion we wish in life. We are free to like or dislike any online picture or comment. We are free to think that this story (and the way it is being covered in our public media) speaks volume about the totalitarian times ahead.

We may be totalitarian when we are either to the “far-right” OR far-left.

Today, the UN, Canada, and what they call “global” causes are all to the left. Is this a coincidence?

Bambi is eager to see the end of the elections in the Unites States, regardless of its outcome, just hoping Canada (+ the USA and the world) would renew with sanity again.

According to Bambi non-expert citizen’s opinion, Mr. Korenberg should not apologize.

Never apologize to the mob in life!

First, we finally heard a wise (former) politician… Nowadays, one must be a “former leader” to have the courage and lucidity of being wise:

Mr. Mulcair stated yesterday the following: “Mr. Singh had no reason to accuse Mr. Therrien of racism and he should now apologize”. He considers this accusation to be serious.

Mr. Jagmeet Singh, it is time to be wise now. Even NDP folks are saying so.

Your apologies are overdue… but it is never too late to act like a gentleman in life.

Sadly, instead of apologizing as polite Canadians usually do, Mr. Singh seemed to insinuate that he had a treatment of “systemic racism” at the House of Commons when he was expelled by the Speaker.

Singh’s wife even came to his so-called rescue in Narcity. For her, he is a “hero of anti-racism”, to use her own words. Normal, after all, he is also her heart’s hero ?:

https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/on/ottawa/gurkiran-kaur-sidhu-offers-support-to-husband-jagmeet-singh-after-he-called-mp-racist

Mr. Singh seems to have forgotten about the following:

First, in a “noble” fight, we can fall into the trap of being unfair, especially when we are passionate about a topic. It is never too late to admit that we went too far in life. We, the citizens, respect our public servants even more when they know how to be humble. Mr. Singh’s apologies to Mr. Therrien would be indirectly to the Bloc Québécois and directly to the hearts of each Québecker… four days ahead of the “Saint-Jean Baptiste” (Québec national day). It would be a lovely gesture on your behalf. “Yalla, you can do it ?” (= Come on, in Arabic!).  

Second, the only systemic discrimination that Bambi sees in this incident is against Québec (French-Canadians of Québec). Not by the Speaker of the House of Commons, thank Goodness! It is rather by Mr. Singh and our PM who have both unwisely played identity politics (Ms. Bombardier may have guessed why).

Third, Bambi is also seeing increased systemic prejudice against our police officers on our streets and media, which would be contrary to the spirit of the noble cause of “systemic racism/discrimination”. It is both odd and troubling to see politicians behaving like that toward the servants of their own (our!) institutions. It is even surrealistic, to say the least.   

It is amazing how no one dares to say anything nowadays. For Bambi, it is strange to see Canada increasingly resembling Syria (more authoritarian) and decreasingly Lebanon (more democratic)… Is it normal to have all our opposition parties that well aligned with the party in power, and with MOST of the mainstream media, at least the English ones?

What would have Mr. Jack Layton said about all this, had he been still alive today ☹? She bets that he would have not been proud today of Mr. Singh’s attitude. Indeed, he used to respect Québec. Québec respected and loved him back. We all did!

Anyhow, here is Ms. Bombardier’s powerful text, published in the Journal de Montréal, translated into English:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/06/20/le-quebec–une-province-raciste

As this “false news” circulates across Canada, last Wednesday, the leader of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh, called the Bloc Québécois House leader Alain Therrien a racist. The leader of the NDP was kicked out of the House of Commons for using a word classified as unparliamentary.

The leader of the Bloc Québécois asked him to apologize, which the latter refused to do. Prime Minister Trudeau has said that the Bloc is paying the price for refusing to admit that systemic racism is a scourge in Canada.

The leader of the Bloc, Yves-François Blanchet, acknowledged that “residual traces of racism exist in Canadian institutions”.

But he believes that we must refrain from generalizing by associating all members of a community with this racism.

The Bloc therefore takes issue with the accusations made against the Legault government, which voted for Bill 21 [the bill on secularism].

His opponents describe the French-speaking majority, which supports François Legault, as racist.

Anger

It is understandable that Jagmeet Singh’s strong anger was explained by the exchange of tense looks when he voted on his motion to recognize systemic racism in the RCMP.

Mr. Singh therefore interpreted the look of the Bloc Québécois House leader and the gesture that accompanied him as a rejection of his words.

He felt somehow rejected as a racialized person.

And so here is the Gordian knot which apparently all white people who seem to be put in the same bag have to face.

Today’s whites are said to be the heirs of yesterday’s slavers and all those who for centuries have colonized, exploited, despised, and discriminated against non-whites.

On the whole earth and even in the heart of the villages of Québec.

How can we organize more civilized debates on this ever-growing theme?

Can Québeckers, themselves humiliated, poor and made to feel guilty by a limited catholicity, be locked up now in a racist status of which they would be oblivious?

Attacks

How can we resist these destabilizing attacks which make them systemic racists by the mere fact of their skin colour and their battles to protect their language, always flouted, and their distinct culture, which includes secularism?

Should the majority of Québec become silent again, fold their backs, make their mea culpa and leave it to others to now define what it is?

Formerly French Canadians, we have renamed ourselves Québecers to include all the citizens of Québec.

And here we see minorities excluding themselves from belonging to Québec in the name of race and religion.

What a regression of universalist values!

Should we expect all of Canada to decide to exclude “racist” Québec from the Canadian federation so as not to tarnish the image of virtue and purity of a postnational Canada?

It would be reverse separatism.

In the international media, articles vehiculated these prejudices about Québec today.

It is doubtful that the Canadian embassies would be quick to correct this perception, which tarnishes the image of Québec and its inhabitants.

Québec society thus finds itself in the camp of racists.

What a calamity!”

The Green Party (provincial and federal) as well as Québec Solidaire (their equivalent in Québec) keep asking for a universal basic income guarantee.

Here is a recent article in the NB Media Coop:

Canadians should have guaranteed access to $2,000 per month: Basic Income Canada Network

Here is the platform of Québec Solidaire (one of the opposition parties there):

https://plateforme.quebecsolidaire.net/Pour%20%C3%A9liminer%20la%20pauvret%C3%A9%20et%20r%C3%A9partir%20la%20richesse/Revenu%20minimum%20garanti

From where would this communist-like idea be funded, if not from Canadians’ taxes?

More hand outs means more taxes and public debt. Didn’t we have enough before the pandemic? So, imagine after.

Why should we pay people to do nothing? How would this encourage the productivity and entrepreneurship of citizens and, thus, the economy of Canada?

Why are we asking for more dependence of people on governments? Is this healthy? Is this wise?

Bambi likes some of the great ideas of the green party (she has been following their federal leadership race news lately. She even has a preferred candidate ?).

Seriously, this basic income idea is SURELY not one of her favourite ones.

It is a recipe for an economic and social disaster for Canada… and even for tiny bankrupt Lebanon.

To conclude this post on a lighter note, there is a funny myth in less fortunate countries that, in America (the USA mainly but also Canada), immigrants start collecting gold once they land there (gold found on the streets!). A man (neighbour of her family) once joked with Bambi when she was visiting Lebanon asking her if she has been doing this in Canada all those years. She replied: “All day long! I have back pain now. Do you want to come to help me?”

In the Lebanon of 1975-1990, identity politics (or political sectarianism, in the Middle East context) contributed to and fuelled civil war, at least a substantial component of its different phases (another phase was the war of others on Lebanese soil).

During civil war, civilians have been kidnapped or killed on checkpoints (by all sorts of militias) for carrying the “wrong” identity.

Bambi’s dad had an employee who was literally “chopped” and thrown in the garbage (sorry to be so graphic ☹). She keeps praying for him, in her heart, on a regular basis. His name was Ramadan. You can guess his religious affiliation from his name… Of course, perhaps at the same time, a certain Charbel or a certain George may have been killed or tortured for the same reasons (you can guess their affiliations from their names). That was during the darkest days of Lebanon’s recent past.

If their religious affiliation/sect was not clear from their name (Tony, Michel, Fatma, Mohamad or Ali), it was extracted from their ID card.

The BEST thing that happened post-civil war was when Lebanon erased this socio-demographic datum from the Lebanese citizenship card.

Someone’s religion is no one’s business.

Someone’s “race” to use a trendy word nowadays is also no one’s business.

Bearing this in mind, Bambi cannot help not to hopelessly ask herself, why is Canada getting into this dangerous game of identity politics? Does it think of itself as being immune to violence or chaos?

No one is immune, especially in a young country like ours… we need to be even wiser and perhaps even more united around our Canadian symbols/institutions/pride. We need to improve our federal institutions FOR SURE… but should we throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Two days ago, we saw an MP (Mr. Singh) accuse another MP (Mr. Therrien) of “racism” for having a slightly different approach to dealing with a problem everyone agrees on.

Yesterday, we saw an MP (Mr. Singh again) and our PM (Mr. Trudeau) both unwisely using identity politics for whatever reason (perhaps in their passion? Perhaps to keep the NDP pleased so they can remain in power, perhaps for another hidden agenda, or… perhaps out of lack of wisdom and talent in seeing the larger picture (of Canada… not of the world).

At least, even if he did not apologize yet, Mr. Singh (NDP leader), along with Mr. Blanchet (BQ leader), Mr. Trudeau (PM and Liberal leader) as well as all our political parties (and the whole population!) agree that discrimination/racism is not a good human behaviour.

Mr. Singh admitted, in a CBC radio interview (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5617616/jagmeet-singh-apologizing-to-bloc-mp-would-be-akin-to-saying-i-m-sorry-for-fighting-systemic-racism-1.5618183), that neither the BQ nor the NDP (and, of course, nor the Green Party, nor the PPC) are responsible for what Ms. Freeland has called “the original sin” of Canada, meaning that systemic racism that existed in our short history.  It would be logical to point to the Liberal party and the Conservative party only, as these are the two parties that have been in power in the earlier stages of the Canadian history. However, one must also recall that the people from these parties are not the actual ones in power. Back then, it was a different historical context.

As Mr. Blanchet explained well, he is against systemic racism like his colleague and like everyone else. He also added, we still have “buckets” of leftover of this systemic discrimination in our institutions and this is what everyone is agreeing to address (see earlier post, further below).

Isn’t this consensus a positive development?

Why are our politicians playing with identity politics like that, recklessly taking us in a direction that could backfire on us all, as matters backfired on Lebanon in 1975?

The irony is that despite its real/current DEEP issues, and despite the grasp of Hezbollah (and indirectly Iran) on Lebanon, it still has diversity of political and intellectual opinions (at least for now).

In Canada, it seems increasingly harder to keep the beauty of this diversity (which is likely widely present in the silent majority of the population).  

The danger of identity politics can take the form of radicalism, absurdity, totalitarianism (even for noble causes like anti-racism), accusations of this and that (witch hunting and shaming).

It is unhealthy, and dangerous, to make some of us holier than the rest because of a visible difference (a hijab, a turban, a skin colour, an accent if we open our mouth, etc.).

Bambi is part of a minority in our town/province/country and she is saying so.  

Bambi would have been perhaps part of a majority somewhere else and she would still say so.

We are ALL Canadian citizens.  

We are ALL Québeckers (for those living in this province or those from there).

Canada is NOT racist (even if some people are or some institutions still carry the residue of systemic discrimination, etc.).

Québec is NOT racist.

Canadians/Québeckers as a whole are NOT racist (even if some are).

Our politicians (all of them, including Mr. Singh, Mr. Blanchet, Mr. Therrien, and Mr. Trudeau) are NOT racist. They are just being unwise.

Bravo Mr. Blanchet: Thankfully, wise, sincere, and courageous politicians still exist…

The article below in the Global News informs us of the following: “Trudeau defends Singh, says systemic racism needs to be called out”

Trudeau defends Singh, says systemic racism needs to be called out

Mr. Trudeau is dividing us one against the other.

By doing so, he is projecting his “unconscious stupidity” on all of us.

This is the worst kind of “unconscious bias” to have when we are the leader of a country.

He is also sadly reminding us why Québec wants to be a separate country. Is this a good thing for Canada, Mr. Trudeau? Is this what you want?

Yesterday, Bambi celebrated her 30 years in Canada, an unforgettable happy day, even if the preceding one is perhaps one of the saddest days of he life. She is saying so because this is when she returned with her family, to Beirut from Cyprus, a nearby country/island, under the shelling, to quickly pack whatever could be packed… and to say good-bye to loved ones left behind in the danger of the last round of combat.

Sadly, she has never imagined, over the past three decades, that a day will come where she would be worried about the future of Canada like that… and no, it is not because of the pandemic and its economic consequences. It is because of the cultural and intellectual decay.

More than ever, we need a leader to unite us. Unfortunately for us, Mr. Trudeau lacks both leadership and wisdom.

To conclude this post, Bambi will allow herself to borrow Mr. Gibran Khalil Gibran’s powerfully wise words, published in the Garden of the Prophet. They were meant for the Lebanon of 1934 (perhaps still valid now?). This means that they were NOT meant for neither the USA, nor Canada… nor the Western world!

You may wish to check the bold sentence at the very end… Is this Mr. Trudeau’s vision for Canada?!

“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion,

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest,

And drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpetings and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpetings again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.”

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1752333379807/

The video above is taken from the CBC. It shows us a living example of a leader in the true sense of the word, in Bambi non-expert citizen’s opinion: A man who is human, compassionate, sincere, supportive, and most importantly courageous (perhaps others would have thrown their MP under the bus… who knows?). He also answered the journalist’s questions very well.

Mr. Blanchet seems to sincerely respect Mr. Singh. He seems sad about this story.

Ironically, both Blanchet and Singh happen to be on the same (left) side of politics, in addition to being peers… and perhaps “friends”, who knows? Of course, in as much as you can be friendly with your colleagues in politics.

Each one of them, in his own way, cares for citizens.

It is Bambi’s hope that Mr. Singh will accept to apologize and to take that hand extended to him.

We, citizens, need his calmness and hopefully lucidity, now more than ever.

As for Mr. Alain Therrien, without knowing him in person, Bambi would like to salute his courage again, especially in times where political correctness is paralyzing both citizens and public servants representing them.

Only sincerity of our acts (vote in this example) will get us out of of those unhealthy times where words have been emptied from their meanings.

This is why, Bambi is convinced that we need more of Mr. Blanchet and Mr. Therrien (+ their colleague from yesterday’s incident who defended the latter); regardless of the topic, of the issue, of the opinion.

We need to be able to say what we think in life with freedom/respect before, during, and after a speech/vote, etc. It is called basic democracy (and diversity of opinions) in life.

Everyone wants to be a good citizen/politician. Everyone wants to prove this “goodness” to him/herself and to the rest of the world… but we are all human beings. No one is perfect. No one is right all the time.

We may get angry because we are convinced to be right.

We may vote differently and still be right.

Despite Mr. Singh’s enthusiasm (or impoliteness?), using a word that acts as a sword nowadays, no single person or entity is entitled to morality in life.

Mr. Singh may have just been angry, Bambi gets it. However, by apologizing, he would set a good example of collegiality to all of us (just like Mr. Blanchet did today).

.

Here is the story in English:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-jagmeet-singh-rota-racist-therrien-1.5616661

Here is the story in French:

https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2020-06-17/jagmeet-singh-refuse-de-s-excuser

Briefly, Mr. Alain Therrien, a BQ MP had the courage to vote against a unanimous vote that our RCMP is systemically racist.

Mr. Jagmeet Singh, NDP Leader, called a BQ MP “racist” after the above motion by his party failed to receive unanimous consent from the House of Commons.

It is nice to see another BQ member requesting his apologies and defending her colleague.

However, Mr. Singh refused to apologize for the words directed at her colleague.

Interestingly too, the Speaker invited Mr. Singh to apologize to Mr. Therrien. As he refused to do so, the Speaker ordered him to leave the House for the rest of the day.

Here is the official position of the BQ:

“We are convinced that discrimination against indigenous communities and other cultural minorities is a major issue. However, we believe it is inappropriate to impose conclusions on a committee before it has studied it. We respect the parliamentary process”.

According to Mr. Singh, “anyone who votes against a motion against systemic racism like the one his party proposed is a ‘racist’”:

https://globalnews.ca/video/7078319/singh-reaffirms-anyone-who-votes-against-motions-in-the-house-to-address-systemic-racism-is-racist/

Well, if this is his definition of racism, Bambi is racist then (but this was established a while ago in our small town, which has led to the creation of this blog actually). Mind you, her spouse has been called racist a while ago for citing Mr. Martin Luther King who said that he looks “to a day when people will be judged by the content of their character and not by the colour of their skin” ?.

Nowadays, we have to see the colour of skin of a person ONLY and not his/her merit.  If we don’t, we are racist.

So, if this is racism for you Mr. Singh, Bambi is proud to be respectful to her Indigenous fellow Canadians whilst thinking it is premature, and perhaps unfair, to jump to a conclusion as dramatic as a police force that is systematically racist. Even, in Lebanon, this “black” and “white” thinking would not be logical to apply without investigations and facts.

Ms. May said the other day that she was treated nicely when she was arrested, during an illegal demonstration, because she is “white”. Bambi thinks that it would make more sense to think that it was perhaps the case because she is an MP AND she is a woman (Bambi will add a cute woman on top of that, because she likes her ?).

Our honourable Senator, Senator Lillian Dyck, asked the other day for the resignation (or firing) of the RMCP Commissioner, Ms. Brenda Lucki. Bambi agrees… perhaps not for the same reasons. Maybe because she did not have the courage to stand by her statement (too much politics and less administration of security forces). Clearly, regardless of her reasons, she does not seem to have the luxury of the courage of Ms. Jody Wilson-Raybould nor of Mr. Mark Sanders, the Toronto police Chief:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/senator-calls-for-rcmp-commissioner-lucki-to-resign-or-be-fired-1.4984934

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-stepping-down-1.5603312

Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns from cabinet amid SNC-Lavalin affair, Trudeau ‘surprised and disappointed’

The timing of the CBC interview with Ms. Michaëlle Jean is amazing, at the eve of the vote of confidence for our government and the vote of the UN for a seat for our country. Is this a coincidence?

And why is she being that political?

Did Mr. Trudeau ask her to do so or did it really come from the bottom of her heart?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/michaelle-jean-systemic-racism-1.5614538

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1751527491772

Bambi has always liked and followed the incredible fairy tale of a career of Ms. Michaëlle Jean with its highs and downs (i.e., saga of over expenses on an apartment in Paris).

https://www.iheartradio.ca/cjad/news/500-000-of-renos-to-michaelle-jean-s-rented-home-in-paris-1.2686565

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/michaelle-jean-could-face-tough-battle-in-bid-for-francophonie-re-election

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-full-episode-1.4680886/micha%C3%ABlle-jean-under-fire-over-expenses-as-she-heads-into-francophonie-election-1.4680891

In 2005, when she was appointed Governor General by Queen Elizabeth II, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin, Bambi (and her family) literally jubilated!

Today, she finds the statement of Ms. Michaëlle Jean about systemic racism in Québec (and Mr. Legault’s denial of it), ungrateful, disappointing, and contradictory, to say the least.  

For her, only ten years ago, Canada was “a country of possibilities”.

Today, it is one of “systemic racism”.

Does that make any sense? Either she was rather blind before or perhaps too illuminated now.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/micha%C3%ABlle-jean-a-life-of-many-possibilities-1.910435

Even her approach to anti-racism seems trendy and too limited for such a smart and highly educated/inspiring lady (she speaks several languages, including French, English, Haitian- Creole, Italian, and even Portuguese if Bambi is not mistaken).  

She is dividing her colleagues at Radio-Canada and fellow Québeckers (and by extension Canadians) into “white” and “black”. She wants us to believe that they called themselves “white” and her “black” in the late 1980s when she was first hired and we are supposed to believe her because she is saying so.

It would have perhaps made more sense to say “French-speaking” versus “English-speaking”. In our Québec/Canadian context and language. No, she prefers to use the language of the UN and the political elite instead. It may be “sexier” nowadays…

When Ms. Michaëlle Jean was the leader of the Francophonie, she chose an economy-focused strategy for this international organization. Why didn’t she use her power then to combat “systemic racism” – or was it not a Liberal-UN hot topic then?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/michaelle-jean-named-first-woman-leader-of-la-francophonie-1.2125958