Leitch's Argumentative Analysis

The Canadian citizen has been, and continues to be, created out of a white, Eurocentric, narrative in which racism takes on the form “…of political color coding…when forging a liberal democratic politics for the country as a whole” (Bannerji 545). When racism is endorsed in the form of political doctrine and law, national truths dissolve and become lost inside of a narrative that saves face through diction. In order to apply for citizenship to Canada, adult applicants must fill out the Application for Canadian Citizens – Adults (Immigration). The application directions underline, “If you are 18 to 64 years of age you must submit acceptable proof that demonstrates that you have adequate knowledge of English or French” (Immigration 7). In other words, those who wish to become Canadian citizens must speak the language(s) of the colony in order to be granted citizenship. Another notable discourse, present in this application and relevant to white nation building is the discourse of ableism. Potential Canadian citizens are required to provide documentation, approved by Canadian Immigration Services, that validate their disability; if these documents are not provided and deemed unacceptable then citizenship will not be granted (Immigration 8). A (re)reading of these …show more content…
As discussed earlier, Leitch has been quoted as saying, “‘People who believe women are property—that they can be beaten, bought or sold, or that gays or lesbians can be stoned because of who they love—don’t share Canadian values’” (Kingston). When Kingston noted that “stoning [has become] synonymous with Muslim nations,” she highlighted Leitch’s cooptation of the three ahistorical and ascoiological ideological categories discussed by Helly (Kingston; Helly 4). By creating a categorical binary of those who practice stoning and those who do not Leitch separates the Canadian from the