Trudeau Blames ‘American Right Wing’ for Muslim Protests Against Gender Ideology

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters at the Liberal party convention in Ottawa on May 5, 2023. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau placed blame on what he called the “far-right” for protests against the teaching of gender ideology in schools, arguing that many Muslim parents are falling prey to misinformation and disinformation being spread by right-wingers in the United States.

“There is an awful lot of misinformation and disinformation on social media, particularly fuelled by the American right wing. If you look at the various curriculums, you will see that there is not what is being said out there about aggressive teaching or conversion of kids to being LGBT,” the prime minister said in a conversation with a Muslim parent in Calgary on July 14 in footage obtained by Bezirgan Media.

“That is something that is being weaponized by people who are not doing it because of their interest in supporting the Muslim community. These are people on the far-right who have consistently stood against Muslim rights and the Muslim community.”

Mr. Trudeau made the comments while visiting the Baitun Nur Mosque in Calgary, where a parent concerned with gender ideology being taught in schools asked him to “please protect our beliefs, and our culture as well.” Many Muslims do not approve of LGBT ideology, which was frequently promoted and taught in schools during Pride Month in June.

The prime minister responded that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects Muslims, also protects LGBT individuals. “And it’s not a buffet. You can’t pick the protection you want out of the Charter, and leave aside others. Standing up for people’s rights means standing up for everybody’s rights,” he said.

“Standing up for everyone’s rights is what you get with a Liberal government. And we’re going to defend your rights, even when you disagree with us defending other people’s rights.”

Protests by Faith Groups

Mr. Trudeau’s comments come in the midst of a backlash against gender ideology being taught in schools among faith groups, with the activities of Pride Month leading to school walkouts and protests taking place across the country.

Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), a national Christian organization, led school walk-outs in six provinces and one territory on June 1.

In Ottawa, hundreds of people gathered on June 9 for a protest organized by Chris Elston, who speaks out against gender ideology and gender clinicians’ attempts to transition children to the opposite sex.

On June 13, dozens of people gathered in front of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board headquarters building to protest, following a leaked Ottawa school board email that told teachers to call all students by “they/them” pronouns at the start of the next school year until they decide on their “preferred” pronouns.

Then on June 15, dozens of students at an Ottawas secondary school—many of them Muslim—staged a walkout to protest gender ideology they said schools were pushing on students. Several students told The Epoch Times that the school’s administration was promoting beliefs and values that went against the teachings of the school’s religious circles.

A similar protest took place outside Calgary City Hall on June 24, with around 200 people gathering to protest gender ideology being taught in schools. The event was organized on Facebook by the group YYC Muslims.

In the province of New Brunswick, Premier Blaine Higgs has faced pressure from the opposition and members of his own caucus over his Policy 713, which states that students identifying as transgender or non-binary must now have parental consent in order to change their names within the school system.

On June 9, Mr. Trudeau referred to the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives government as “far-right political actors … trying to outdo themselves with the types of cruelty and isolation they can inflict on these already vulnerable people.”

Higgs responded with a June 10 tweet saying Trudeau doesn’t “believe parents need be involved in such critical discussions as gender identity, even in children as young as 4.”

“In New Brunswick, we’ll have a safe learning environment & better mental health supports, while still respecting the parent’s role,” Higgs wrote on Twitter on June 10.

Tara MacIsaac and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.