I'm a businessperson and job creator. I have a young family and live in the suburban area outside Toronto known as the "905." You might assume I'm considering a vote for the Conservative Party in next month's federal election.

But I'm not. I just can't vote for them.

At a time when we need to be making progress as a country, I believe that electing the Conservatives would put our progressive reputation and inclusive values at serious risk.

As an immigrant, a father, an Arab, a Muslim, and especially as a Canadian, I worry about the kind of country we will become should they assume power.

Policy differences are healthy in a democracy. But the Conservative approach is deeply worrying.

To put it bluntly, their plan to confront climate change is a farce. Party leader Andrew Scheer has aligned himself with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other climate pretenders. He wants to make it easier and cheaper to pollute — and make Canada a laggard in the global fight to reduce emissions. He's hoping we're all greedy enough to buy into it.

I am equally alarmed by the Conservative leader's comfort with those on the far right, whose views are wholly inconsistent with our diverse and tolerant country.

Scheer has actively stoked fear about immigrants and refugees. Last year, his party ran an online ad depicting a black man rolling a suitcase up to a hole in a fence along the Canadian border. Later, Scheer warned that the UN would soon be dictating how many refugees and immigrants Canada had to accept. Even a former Conservative immigration minister called Scheer out for misleading Canadians.

There's more. Scheer gave a speech to protesters who had ties to the anti-immigrant Yellow Vest movement. He agreed to be interviewed by Faith Goldy, a far-right media figure described in Parliament as a "white supremacist." Anti-LGBTQ figures like Charles McVety call Scheer "a man of conviction." His campaign manager, Hamish Marshall, is one of several individuals named in a criminal complaint for having allegedly distributed Islamophobic hate propaganda.

This is dangerous stuff — at a dangerous time. Already we see intolerant voices emerging from the dark corners of the internet. Far right and white supremacist groups in Canada are becoming bolder. At the same time, we are seeing the erosion of basic human rights in Quebec. A new law there prevents some public servants from wearing religious symbols at work. We now have two-tiered citizenship in our beloved country.

In this environment, it is crucial that our national government stand firmly in defence of equality and the Canadian values of diversity and inclusivity. We cannot trust the levers of power to those who would align themselves with intolerant voices and ideas.

The society we have built together is a model to the world — but it is also fragile.

We need only look at the United States and all that has changed since it elected a president who denies the reality of climate change; who condones or even encourages white nationalists; who seeks to cast out minorities and detain refugees of all ages; who lies with frequency and without shame.

Donald Trump has taken America backwards. In pursuit of political gain, he has made his country an uglier and more divided version of itself. Scheer seems determined to play with fire in much the same way.

As a country, we have made our own mistakes. We have oppressed minority communities, beginning with the Indigenous people of our land. Yet over time we have had the wisdom to acknowledge our mistakes, apologize, and work to rectify harms.

We can't take that progress for granted. We have to make a choice on election day that will protect what we've built. We cannot be played by those who want to divide us for their own selfish gain.

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This October, our legacy is on the line. Our future direction will be determined. Together, let's make the right decision for the people of Canada — and for our planet.