March 18, 2016

NDP’s history of racism, eugenics and homophobia: Inside the shocking writings of “Saint” Tommy Douglas

Ezra LevantRebel Commander

Leilani Muir has died. She was forcibly sterilized by the government of Alberta because she was deemed “defective.” This happened to 2,800 people in Alberta, between 1928 and 1972.

It was called eugenics, and it was all the rage back then. Not just on Adolf Hitler’s side of the Atlantic, but in North America too. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, set up a “Negro Project” to abort only black babies.

Yesterday Alberta’s NDP minister for Human Services, Irfan Sabir, gave a touching remembrance to Leilani Muir.

Of course, these being Alberta New Democrats, they blamed Ralph Klein, the late PC premier. Klein had nothing to do with it; the policy was abolished by the PC party long before Klein was premier.

In fact, Canada’s leading eugenics booster in the 1930s was Tommy Douglas, the socialist premier of Saskatchewan who went on to become the leader of the federal NDP. He was voted "The Greatest Canadian," remember?

Let’s look at a book he wrote in 1933, “The Problems of the Subnormal Family.”

He wants to ban certain people from getting married. He favoured segregation by social class, and sex. And he called for the sterilization of "the physically unfit and mental defectives." It could be written by a Nazi.

Tommy Douglas later abandoned his eugenics fad, once Hitler had discredited it. But he sure loved signing people up for forced medical attention. Wait until you hear what he said about homosexuals...

My guest and's resident historian John Robson joins me to discuss Tommy Douglas' controversial legacy. 

Then prairie tax watchdog Todd MacKay talks about scaling back the provincial sales tax in Manitoba as the province's election ramps up.

And finally, your letters to me -- good and bad!

commented 2016-03-18 20:45:05 -0400
Ethan said, “Do you know why right wingers hate abortion … They hate it because it’s tax funded.”

As a Conservative that knows one heck of a lot of other Conservatives, that is not that reason, Ethan … it is just a contributing annoyance that if immoral people must destroy babies, we don’t want our tax money paying for it. The real reason Pro-Life people hate abortions is because we believe that abortion is murder, true out-and-out murder.
commented 2016-03-18 20:35:38 -0400
DREW WAKARIUK RE your last comment Ethan please tell me how taxes feed the poor? I see homeless going to missions and other Christian places. Of course you are too much of an ignoramus to get that. And people need to eat, why the hell should i pay for an abortion? Yours i would gladly pay for mind you. LMAO! TWERP!

First of all Do you know why right wingers hate abortion. Long before obamacare in the U.S. Planned Parenthood has received federal funding since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. They hate it because it’s tax funded. It never had nothing to do with fetal rights. Canada’s Health care system has always been tax funded but for some reason so called pro life copy cats oppose abortion but they don’t oppose Universal health care. Abortions in many cases save more tax dollars then they cost in the long run.
commented 2016-03-18 20:28:54 -0400
This was about fifty years ago! What were the feelings of John Diefenbaker or Robert Stanfield on these issues? What about Robert Thompson and federal Social Credit? What about Premiers Ernest Manning and Harry Strom? What about Prime Minister Lester Pearson? The world has changed a lot, including one’s moral and political views over time.
commented 2016-03-18 20:15:04 -0400
How typical of the left to blame someone like Ralph who had nothing to do with it.
commented 2016-03-18 20:13:59 -0400
The NDPIGS want the same thing now, they just do it a different way. They make me sick.