U.S. President Donald Trump’s comment about the self-described “Western chauvinist” Proud Boys during Tuesday night’s raucous presidential debate was a significant profile boost to the organization, including its members in Canada, experts on extremist groups say.
The all-male organization was co-founded in 2016 by a Canadian, Gavin McInnes, and it’s known primarily for violent confrontations with anti-fascists. The Proud Boys group says it disavows racism, yet it has been accused of having ties to white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
“This is the best thing that could have happened to Proud Boys and the white supremacist movement in probably half a century,” Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said of Trump’s comments.
He said Trump’s words certainly engaged many Proud Boys supporters on social media.
And Farber has a specific message to Canadians who may be complacent and think this is an American problem: Don’t be too smug.
“They have a proud history here in Canada of defiance,” he said. “Some would argue that they’re actually more white nationalist here than they are in the States.”
History in Canada
In Canada, the group is smaller than in the U.S. and seems less likely to engage in violence than its U.S. counterpart, Farber said.
“Nonetheless, Canada is as susceptible, and the recruitment and radicalization of kids and young people is happening here as much as it’s happening in United States,” he said.
During Tuesday night’s debate, Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News if he would “be willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups” and demand that they “stand down” and not add to the violence that has erupted in places such as Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis.
The president said, “Sure,” but did not offer any words of condemnation, instead pivoting to blame the violence on left-wing radicals such as Antifa supporters. When pushed by Wallace, Trump asked for the name of a group to condemn — and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden suggested Proud Boys.
“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump said.
WATCH | ‘Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,’ Trump says in debate:
U.S. presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace asks U.S. President Donald Trump if he will condemn white supremacist groups involved in violent clashes over policing and racism in some U.S. cities. Trump replies, ‘Sure’ and asks ‘Who would you like me to condemn? Who? Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,’ referencing one of the groups involved. 1:30
Members of the organization responded enthusiastically on social media, welcoming Trump’s remarks and posting altered versions of the Proud Boys logo that included the words “Stand Back” and “Stand By.” Some, according to the Washington Post, saw a retail opportunity, pushing $30 shirts and $40 hoodies bearing the group’s logo and the words, “Proud Boys Standing By.”
McInnes, who is no longer a member of the organization, was simulcasting the debate on his website and seemed stunned when Trump made his comments.
“Did he say Proud Boys?” McInnes said.
“I control the Proud Boys, Donald,” he joked. “Do not stand down, do not stand back.”
By Wednesday afternoon, Trump attempted to clarify his remarks, saying he didn’t know who the Proud Boys were, “but whoever they are, they have to stand down and let law enforcement do their work.”
Gavin McInnes, centre, pictured at a rally in Berkeley, Calif., in April 2017, is the Canadian co-founder of the far-right group Proud Boys. He is no longer a member of the group but was surprised when he heard U.S. President Donald Trump mention the Proud Boys during the presidential debate Tuesday. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)
‘Three-step tango’
David Neiwert, author of Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump, told CBC’s The Current radio programthat Trump has a long history of doing what he called the “three-step tango.”
Trump, he said, will make a statement that clearly encourages white nationalists and right-wing extremists. The next day, Trump walks it back. Then a few days later, he will go back to saying something favourable about them, Neiwert said.
However, white nationalists take that first signal as being the important one, he said.
“The disavowals … they don’t take seriously. In fact, none of them believe it. They say, ‘Oh he’s just doing what he has to do to maintain his political viability.'”
LISTEN | An Edmonton researcher on hate-crimes discusses the Proud Boys’ presence in Canada:
Edmonton AM9:35The presence of hate groups in the province
Who are the proud boys? A hate group researcher will talk about their presence in Canada, and other extremist groups that have gained traction here in Alberta. 9:35
Barbara Perry, director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont., agreed that despite Trump walking back comments regarding the Proud Boys, the damage has been done.
“It’s clearly been a boost to their egos and boost to their confidence,” she said. “This doesn’t [just] give the American movement a boost. It also gives the Canadian group a similar boost.”
Their activities are certainly more low key in Canada. Posters for the organization pop up in communities from time to time. Arguably the biggest Canadian headlines for the group came in 2017, when five members, four of them Canadian Forces personnel, disrupted a Mi’kmaw ceremony in Halifax.
‘What an exciting time to be alive’
Still, members linked to Canadian affiliates welcomed Trump’s words.
On Pander, a conservative social media website, Proud Boys Calgary posted a clip of Trump’s comments, adding: “What an exciting time to be alive.”
It’s a pretty comprehensive movement, and all the chapters are connected, Perry said. While it’s difficult to determine the size of the group’s membership in Canada, Perry said her research has found that it maintains a presence in every large city, with potentially a couple dozen members in each, and in several smaller communities, which may just include a few people.
But when talking to law enforcement across Canada about white nationalist organizations, she said, often the first group named is the Proud Boys.
The group has recently clashed with demonstrators in Portland during protests over policing and racism. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
The group has made headlines recently with its clashes with radical left-wing demonstrators, including from the antifa movement, at protests against police violence and racism in Portland.
“What they’re really out there for is to go bash heads,” Neiwert said. “They come pretty heavily armed. They come armoured, and they all come eager to fight.”
The group’s tenets, according to its website, include “closed borders,” “venerating the housewife,” “minimal government,” “pro free speech,” and “anti-racism.”
Perry said some of those positions, particularly those with wide appeal such as anti-racism, are just part of a strategy to lend credibility to the organization.
The Proud Boys have been booted off some social media websites, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And just this week, U.K.-based apparel maker Fred Perry said it was pulling from the U.S. and Canadian markets the Black/Yellow/Yellow twin-tipped shirt that the group has adopted. The shirt won’t return, Fred Perry said, “until we’re satisfied that its association with the Proud Boys has ended.”
Meanwhile, McInnes has denied the group has affiliations with far-right extremist groups that overtly espouse racist and anti-Semitic views.
McInnes sued the Southern Poverty Law Center last year, claiming it defamed him when it designated the Proud Boys as a “hate group.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
