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Photo by Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Even ifwe remove the issue of white (male and female) privilege from this unfortunate scenario, we are left with a hollow excuse for democracy, equality and justice. But it just so happens that all three are governed by white privilege in Canada, Arguments by commentators in defence of a deferred prosecution agreement notwithstanding.

The saddest part of this storythough, is that most white privileged folk continue to deny the existence of this phenomena. Leftist circles, where this discussion is the most apparent, tread on the issue with carefully articulated phrases such as “racial inclusion” and “gender equality.” In reality, they are far too oblivious of their own superiority to even realize how markedly condescending their behaviour and approach is.

White privilege is so subconsciously ingrained that it is almost subsumed in their DNA. If global society were not as interconnected as it is today, we would not even be speaking of diversity and reconciliation in the Western world.

We all mourn the demise of democracy in the United States following Donald Trump’s election. But the United States has never claimed to be a bastion of inclusion and diversity or rule of law. Canada has.

But the real basis of Canada’s claim has been economic motivation rather than racial inclusion. This is what has always underpinned its immigration and multiculturalism policies, and treatment of Indigenous Peoples. Not to mention relations with Quebec. Given this history, the expectations of Trudeau and his team for a deal with SNC-Lavalin are perfectly choreographed.

What Canada needs to realize is that the dangers of majority rule, both politically and socially, are real when the talk is separate from the walk. At some point, these will have to align. And when they do, white privilege should be a thing of the past.

Themrise Khan is an independent policy researcher and analyst specializing in global development, social policy and migration.She blogs atwww.lamehdood.wordpress.com

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