In the weeks before Canada's federal election last October, the Conservative Party promised to crack down on barbaric cultural practices, both at home and abroad:

Conservatives continued to focus on controversial issues of identity politics ahead of tonight's French-language leaders debate, pledging that a re-elected Tory government would establish a tip line for reporting "barbaric cultural practices" to the RCMP and would increase funds to help international organizations fight against forced marriages of young girls.

Conservative candidates Chris Alexander and Kellie Leitch said during a news conference in Ajax, Ont., that in addition to a tip line, a Tory government would establish an integrated RCMP task force with units in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal to step up enforcement of the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, which received royal assent in June.

But now according to Jen Gerson, writing mindlessly and recently in the National Post, that was "race-baiting":

By the way, who came up with the phrase "barbaric cultural practices"? Was there to be a barbaric cultural practices tipline logo? Did anyone ever give any thought as to what would go on the barbaric cultural practices informational pamphlets? Some picture of doe-eyed girls and women in hijabs: The words "Do you know of any barbaric cultural practices occurring in your neighbourhood? Call 1-888-BAR-BARIC" printed underneath like like a Maury Povich promo?

Gerson goes on to claim that "[t]his was not some subtle strategy to address culturally specific forms of violence"; instead, "the party was race-baiting for votes[,]" and "[t]o pretend that announcement wasn't targeting Muslims is insulting."

And of course, the Conservative Party – if their recent trend toward weakness continues – will undoubtedly run and hide from such nonsensical criticisms.  That is why they lost the election: allowing left-wing commentators to determine your policy directions is a sure way to lose the base, and lose the base the Conservative Party did.

In her article, Gerson quotes the following exchange between Conservative M.P. Kellie Leitch and Rosemary Barton, a low-quality host on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

[Leitch said,] "My intention that day was to make sure that Canadian kids, Canadian women and children, knew that if they had the courage to pick up the phone and to call, that someone would answer." "Isn't that what the police were for?" Barton asked.

Barton, being clueless, clearly fails to appreciate that the tipline was, in fact, an RCMP tip line – which, to translate for CBC hosts and equally clueless National Post commentators, is, indeed, the police.  Did Barton and Gerson think calls to the tipline would end up being fielded by Conservative Party M.P.s or something?

Speaking about the proposed legislation and tipline, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau acknowledged his acceptance of barbaric cultural practices by saying that the name of the "Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act ... could be considered offensive to people who hail from regions where these practices are common."  Well, we certainly wouldn't want to offend those engaging in barbaric cultural practices, would we?  That just wouldn't be consistent with Liberal Party values, would it?

And far from being "race-baiting," concerns over forced marriages and polygamy are far from unique to Muslims.  But don't let reason and the facts get in the way of an incoherent rant.

The public was strongly behind former prime minister Stephen Harper's policies to preserve traditional Canadian values, as evidenced by a poll in 2015 showing that 82% of Canadians (and 93% of Quebecers) supported a requirement that women remove their niqabs or burkas at citizenship ceremonies.

Of course, the Muslim mayor of Calgary in the budding Islamic Petrostate of Alberta didn't like that, but perhaps he's too busy calling the CEO of Uber a "dick" and tweeting at Ezra Levant asking him "[w]hen did you stop beating your wife" to think about what "old stock" Canadian values really are.  Someday, Albertans will have to try explaining how they consider themselves a conservative province yet have the highest per capita government spending in Canada and a liberal mayor of their largest city who seems capable only of embarrassing what, a few decades ago, was a respectable city.