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dialamah: A lot of people raise entirely rational criticisms about various aspects of Islam, as we're quite free to do where other religions are concerned. And yet where it comes to Islam such criticism is habitually characterized as "Islamophobic" rather than accepted as fair comment. I was raised a Catholic and yet see much wrong with that religion just as I do with many aspects of religion in general. Why does Islam warrant special treatment? A significant aspect of our Western heritage, going back to the Reformation and, more recently, the Enlightenment, is the freedom to criticize religious doctrine, practice, superstition and hierarchy. Many historians believe it is this freedom to challenge all forms of institutional authority and hierarchy in the era following the Reformation and particularly following the Enlightenment that helped to propel the West's progress and prosperity in comparison to other cultures and societies. As Westerners, if we actually want to sustain our long-held values, I believe we must defend this right. There can be no exceptions.

Excuse me, but you flat out stated that the only reason people would be against burkas is fear and dislike. You have repeatedly (in the past) labeled anyone who disagrees with you a racist and Islamophobe. If this has changed for you, then I apologize. I'm going by your past comments.

100,000 extra grandmas and grandpas over the course of five years sure as hell ain't gonna help.

The notwithstanding clause need not be invoked after all! That should stop all the whining and bawling! Time to move on.

Corrections: the election was not underway! That's just a talking point. Fake news! Ford had brought this up in July! It's so scarey when politicians like Horwath - and the dishonest media - can now look you in the eye, and so blatantly lie.

Army Guy: 1.) There are emerging studies indicating that the net economic benefits of immigration are marginal. I believe Australia's extensive study of its immigration policies determined that its large-scale immigration program doesn't increase incomes or per capita wealth and mainly amounts to a population growth policy. In other words, a bigger pie is simply divided among more people.The British economist, Sir Paul Collier, has noted that the net economic impacts of large scale immigration in advanced economies is both marginal and unequal, with a tendency to benefit the already wealthy and further impoverish those at the bottom of the economic ladder, including new immigrants. 2.) Canada's birth rate is not as low as is the case in many other Western countries and in fact has been heavily impacted by government policies favoring wage suppression and large-scale immigration. Australia's study also examined the demographic impacts of immigration and determined that any gains obtained aren't statistically large and can't be sustained without maintaining continuously high levels of immigration, leading some critics of Australia's program to characterize it as a ponzi scheme. The mythical demographic benefit afforded by large-scale immigration is mainly propaganda. It won't pay for future social costs. 3.) The poor economic performance of Canada's most recent generation of immigrants warrants serious caution in continuing with our immigration programs in their current form. A massive and objective analysis, along the lines of the Australian study, should be undertaken. 4.) Does the Economic Council of Canada still exist? My understanding it that it doesn't. In any case, any plan to increase Canada's population to 100 million is daft. The UN estimates that after 2050 global population growth with level off significantly and many countries will experience population decline. Canada's population prediction for 2100 is in the low 50 millions. As for the impacts of massively increasing immigration, any assertion that the benefits to Canadians in general, while admittedly modest, might be worthwhile is ludicrous as most growth has occurred and in the future will occur in a handful of urban areas. People living in the Toronto and Vancouver areas are experiencing the nightmare of massive immigration-driven growth as it is. Do those in Canada's other major cities want this kind of future? For those who don't understand the problem of encouraging uncontrolled population growth, my advice is to be wary - very wary.

The brutality of the regime and the manner they destroyed Iran and Iranians are only a matter of being black and white and it is crystal clear. Anyone who in a slightest manner dispute that fact or lobby for the survival of the regime is also crystal clear is a traitor and agent of the regime. I don't have to provide proof for the obvious.Btw it is suppress the masses not control.

Death to Russia is my slogan. Not only they killed millions of their own people and started a stupid ideology which took the lives of many (communism) and created chaos in the world but they also colonized half of Europe, invaded independent countries and killed many and still they continue to do same.Unlike US and Britain they did not stop.They also help murderous regimes like Syria and Iran. Again Death to Russia.

Right on...keep fighting the good fight. You know they are desperate when they call you UN-CANADIAN for not towing the party line.

I AM CANADIAN. Will that now work for you? Just trying to show my disgust and displeasure as to where my country is headed. Dam right most Americans do not care about Canada. And why should they? Canadians care more about America than their own country. America appears to be always on their minds. And why are so many Canadians here so concerned about America all the time? What? Are most of them dual citizen's? If most Canadians do care about Canada then why don't they show it more often and show a lot less of their willingness to keep bashing America and Trump as much as they do. Trump is not hurting them. Trudeau is though. That is because Canadians and Americans watch more American TV and thus we all are always learning and know more about America than Canada. How many Canadians have traveled around the world but have not visited and seen all of their own country yet? Most would prefer to go to the states where there is more action and more excitement and fun going on and plus they have the better weather in winter to boot. I would personally like to see Canada become like Puerto Rico. Be American but not having to be all American and be able to use American currency rather that Canadian peso currency. I agree but that is the way things are. I think that Canadians and Americans are so much alike in everything we do that we do not see any difference between us and that Americans might not see Canada as much of a different country to want to go visit. There are no real problems between us. The only problems that Canadians have is that they are always trying to create problems between us by their constant attacks and bashing of Americans all the time. As if Canadians are the greatest people in the world or something and have no problems of their own. Of course thanks to our leftist liberal media they are the ones that are always trying to get Canadians all riled up over what America does or what Trump says or does. If the Canadian media kept their useless stupid mouths shut about America and Trump we would not be reading all that has been posted here. The leftist Canadian media is always trying to make us all hate America and Trump and it is working well for them. It's easy for someone to want to bash another than themselves. Canadians just need to stop reading and listening the Canadian media and their constant lies and bull chit about America and Trump. My opinion of course and I approve of this post.

It is the Russians who bombed civilians and opposition forces to death in Syria and somehow the US gets the blame for intervention!!!!!!!!????? And let's talk about Afghanistan. The US invaded because Taliban was behind the 9-11 attack and Laden was hiding in Afghanistan but Russians invaded Afghanistan for expansionist reasons and massacred tens of thousands of defenseless civilians including children by their toy bombs made especially for them. As for Iraq again damn Russians were there long before US invasion. The entire Hussein's army was equipped with Russian weapons and they used the Russian tanks and Migs to massacre the minorities like Kurds and Shia muslims in the south, The glasses you are wearing filteres out the very criminal actions by damn Russians and focuses on the US!!!!!. This is utter nonsense. Persia was the center of civilization. They brought the very first Charter of human rights and freedom in the history some 2500 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Cylinder http://www.persepolis.nu/persepolis-cyrus.htm It was only after Arab invasion and imposition of their culture when Persia became violent. It is also stupid to say that it "still is" and demonstrates your ignorance as you don't distinguish between an unelected and evidently unpopular regime and its people the latter wishes to go back to pre-Arab invasion times when Persia stood for human rights and freedom in the world. It would be the WHOLE WORLD not just Iran who would benefit from democracy in Iran. From geopolitical view sitting on the top of Persian Gulf it is the most important country and not to mention that it has the third largest oil reserves, second largest gas reserves and highly educated population who tops any other middle eastern country by a wide margin. Iran should have been South Korea today instead it is North Korea. Sad.

What a bunch of paranoid deep-state nonsense. The simple fact of the matter is that Canadians are a fundamentally progressive people albeit a people that are cursed with having to drag the dead useless weight of kicking screaming conservatives behind it.