November 11, wrote Sun Media columnist Ezra Levant on Tuesday, “is a day of remembering why we are free, and what we stand for, and who sacrificed to make us this way.” He goes on: “It’s a disgrace that any family would object to it …”

Here’s a bigger disgrace: using the strong emotions evoked by Remembrance Day to drum up resentment against immigrants and religious minorities for completely imaginary disloyalty. Which is what Levant does.

He writes that a memo sent to schools from the Greater Essex County District School Board in southwestern Ontario “says teachers should be prepared to exempt Muslim students from Remembrance Day.” He expresses indignation that “an immigrant family who came here to benefit from our country” would disrespect our observance and surmises that “Muslim families objecting to Remembrance Day” may be suggesting Canada has been “wrong” in fighting fascists ranging from Hitler to the Taliban.

The Star’s Remembrance Day coverage:

• Painful, raw edge to ceremonies

• Memories of Cirillo and Vincent dominate gathering at Queen’s Park

• Gov.-Gen. David Johnston’s message

Understand that these Muslim families who purportedly object to Remembrance Day do not exist. Those ungrateful immigrants live only in Levant’s imagination. The memo he refers to — as he notes later in his column — doesn’t even mention Muslims.

The document is a general overview of the school board’s Remembrance Day preparations. It outlines the significance of the poppy and “In Flanders Fields.” It notes some schools would attend municipal ceremonies and others would hold their own events. Then comes the part that Levant zeros in on: “Please be mindful that some families may be reluctant to have their children attend your location municipality’s ceremonies. Please note that meaningful alternate activities should be provided at the schools for those families who do not wish their children to participate in any Remembrance Day ceremonies.”

Erin Kelly, director of education for the school board, said in a public statement that this was included because, “in light of the tragic events in Ottawa and Quebec, we had received some expressions of concern regarding safety for students scheduled to attend public Remembrance Day activities at municipal memorials.”

The memo went on to offer materials for preparing Remembrance Day lessons, including links to information from the Canadian War Museum, as well as links to photos of and information about Muslim-, Asian-, African- and native Canadian soldiers, which the memo said reflected “Canada’s diverse military” as well as “our equally diverse local population.”

The school board has confirmed: no Muslim family — in fact, no family of any kind — asked for an exemption from ceremonies.

So what the hell was Ezra Levant talking about?

It seems — according to material Levant sent me by email, which he has now posted on his website — that the copy of the memo forwarded to Levant, which was otherwise complete, included only the Muslim soldier links at the bottom.

Levant’s TV producer sent questions to school board spokesperson Scott Scantlebury. The questions led him to think he was being asked about the board’s religious accommodations policy. So he responded with general information about that policy, saying that in the context of Remembrance Day it would hypothetically apply to faiths “in which pacifism is a tenet.”

Levant’s producer then sent the text of the memo, and a followup question about why the Muslim soldier links are included. Scantlebury replied with more general information about the accommodation policy, denying it was put in place for any specific faith. And then he says the links are in the memo as a “reminder of the diversity that exists in our armed forces.”

Levant’s producer never asks directly if this memo is about Muslims asking to be excused, even though that assumption would form the thesis of the resulting broadcast and newspaper pieces.

Scantlebury never explains that public safety in light of recent attacks was the memo’s motive.

“Both parties were probably at fault for incorrect assumptions,” Scantlebury wrote. “I assumed they were asking about religious accommodations, to which we provided forthright replies.”

Levant and his producer also assumed they were asking about religious accommodations, even though nothing in the memo suggests that would be the case. They interpreted the replies as confirmation.

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Levant wrote to me Tuesday that he might revisit the story with updated details. “I stand by my views that immigrants to Canada, from whatever source, ought not to be exempted from Remembrance Day, for allegedly religious reasons,” he wrote.

He emphasizes this view in the absence of any evidence that a single immigrant to Canada has ever requested such an exemption. Except in his imagination. That’s the source of the real insult to Canada that was delivered on Remembrance Day: Ezra Levant’s mind.

Edward Keenan writes on city issues. ekeenan@thestar.ca . Follow: @thekeenanwire

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