101 Stigmatizing CUTS: Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“To confirm human dignity is to reject discrimination,” yet, “the tendency to fall into discrimination is deeply rooted in the human psyche.”
Honourable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 2006, Beverley McLachlin
Christopher Hitchens communicated to his audience a decade ago to paraphrase, “if you want to make good people do bad or evil things then give them religion”.
Well similarly, I say, if you want to turn genuinely good people against you then tell them you have a substance addiction. Many of the 101 Stigmatizing CUTS which have affected me so negatively are from persons who normally I would have associated as being decent people. Through ignorance, biased and prejudicial thoughts on the subject matter however, too many have acted and behaved in such stigmatizing destructive ways they have illuminated just how pervasive prejudice and discrimination is when it comes to the most oppressed powerless segment of Canadian society.
While in some instances persons just do not know what to do or what to say to you it doesn't lessen the pain inflicted by their inappropriate acts or behaviours including ignoring or avoiding you altogether. Of course in many instances the display can be downright “evil” when adversaries are brought into the mix.
In 2015 three years into the legal claim against York University I saw Justin Trudeau on television on one his platform speeches stating, “all Canadian’s should have faith and trust in the Canadian Judicial system” So dazed, “beaten up, fatigued” and desperate from what I had experienced up to that point, it actually felt like the future Prime Minister was speaking to me personally, “Listen Paul....all Canadians should have....”
The PJ photograph from Canada Day July 1, 2017 fifteen days into my fourth hunger strike is symbolic however, of how far we have to go in Canada when dealing with persons who have exposed substance addictions. When the leader of the country treats a circumstance of such great importance indifferently and with such lack of respect, it suggests either political complicity and/or pure hypocrisy and inhumanity.
The Paul James matter was/is a once in a generation opportunity to have impacted the stigma of drug addiction in a way that would change the social psyche towards the social phenomenon saving billions of dollars in the process and enormous grief.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stigmatizing decision to not respond to my June 26 correspondence until 77 days later not only failed the morality and integrity test it shattered the last morsel of faith I had in the Canadian system hence my decision to request renouncement of my Canadian citizenship and annulment of my hall of fame status the last two bargaining chips I have along with my life, to balance the power disparity from an otherwise hopeless position of worthlessness.
Similar to York University’s decisions the PM’s approach after reading the June 26 communication sent to him could hardly be considered confirmation of respecting the human dignity of a Canadian citizen, as espoused by the Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin in 2006.
On the contrary to add to the Stigmatizing CUT from the Prime Minister, during the same period he was hypocritically quoted on poor mental health and substance addiction,
“There is no Canadian who doesn’t have a friend or family member affected by mental health,” Trudeau said. “We know the challenge it poses to our communities, our families, to our economy. It is long past time Canada stepped up, in terms of mental health, in terms of fighting addiction, in terms of working to heal the ills that aren’t always visible to the naked eye.”
“I wouldn’t be my mother’s son if I wasn’t a strong advocate for mental-health and de stigmatization of mental health,”
Under normal circumstances great quotes but in line with what I have experienced a thousand times over the strategy of the Liberal Party to ignore Paul James - one of the most pervasive stigmatizing weapons - was a deep cut devoid of any human respect.
It gets worse though when two Liberal MP’s James Maloney and Deborah Schulte, during the same period, in speaking to Paul James supporters were so disrespectful under the circumstances it confirmed complicity with York University. Two more deep cuts. After all Maloney was not concerned about the social injustice or getting to the truth of the matter he was just interested in stigmatizing me further with his insulting offensive inquiry “is he clean”. I don't ever answer to such prejudicial ignorant questions nor should anyone else. Schulte meanwhile stated I deserved and should have expected my circumstances and that life is tough and I should just get on with it. Imagine saying that to a black person, indigenous leader or LGBTQ member.
Neither MP’s statements meet the threshold of human dignity which combined with the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it solidified my position that I am ashamed to be a Canadian citizen. You simply do not treat any human being that way.