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Trudeau admires dictatorship?

Many people have expressed strong objection to the endless repetition by the Conservatives of their anti-Justin Trudeau commercials

Many people have expressed strong objection to the endless repetition by the Conservatives of their anti-Justin Trudeau commercials, specifically the ones that attempt to portray him as youthful and inexperienced. I too believe that they have become offensive and ineffectual.

It is not that I am a supporter of  Trudeau — far from it. However, I believe there is a much more potent and powerful argument against him which can be made.

In a speech in November, 2013 at a fundraiser in Toronto, Trudeau uttered the following words: “There is a level of admiration I actually have for China because their basic dictatorship is allowing them to actually turn their economy around on a dime and say we need to go green, we need to start, you know, investing in solar. There is a flexibility that I know Stephen Harper must dream about: having a dictatorship where you can do whatever you wanted, that I find quite interesting.”

When a candidate for prime minister of Canada expresses admiration and praise for what is known to be one of the most ruthless dictatorships on earth, one historically accountable for millions of deaths, then most people must gasp in astonishment — no matter the excuse-making which followed when Trudeau and the Liberals began to realize the potential negative consequences of these remarks.

Sure, if we would allow a government to command obedience by putting a gun to everyone’s head and ordering us around like slaves, then some manner of ‘efficiency’ might result, but how could anyone who believes in freedom admire that method of government?

Apparently that short list would include the name of Trudeau and, to myself at least, that is a matter for serious discussion.

Leonard M. MelmanNanoose Bay