The Ben Mulroney Show - “Canada’s Biggest Conservative” on the Surge of Antisemitism in Canada

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

On today's episode of "The Ben Mulroney Show," Ben welcomes back William Barclay, an award-winning political theorist and expert policy advisor. William unpacks his recent opinion piece: Liberal Migration, Islamic Extremism, and the Surge of Antisemitism in Canada Twitter/X: @WillBarclayPCBG Western Standard Senior Columnist If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also, on youtube -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenMulroneyShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Insta: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠   Executive Producer:  Mike Drolet Reach out to Mike with story ideas or tips at [e-mail] Enjoy   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Standard messaging and data rates may apply. In communities across Canada, hourly Amazon employees can grow their skills and their paycheck by enrolling in-free skills training programs for in-demand fields. Learn more at aboutamazon.ca. We had this guest on the show. It was, I love, I love having new voices on the show. I love having fresh voices, fresh political commentary on the show. And so we're welcoming him back with open arms.

Please give a warm Ben Mulroney show welcome to William Barclay, award-winning political theorist, expert in policy. And the American Spectator, by the way, dubbed to be Canada's biggest conservative. Wow. Well done, sir. Well, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure you back. I got to say that somebody else thing that, it's not me.

Okay. Let's talk about this column, liberal migration, Islamic extremism, and the surge of anti-Semitism in Canada. Because, you know, I was listening to a podcast. I was listening to a Coleman Hughes podcast. I referenced it earlier today where he had an essayist and author, Darrah Horn on, speaking of the particular nature of anti-Semitism and how it's not like. other bigotries. Other bigotries typically do not morph and change to adjust to times. And when the justification for it goes away, that bigotry can be fought with education and empathy.

This is a lie that is constantly changing its form in order to maintain its relevance and its hold. And so what is, what do Islamic extremism and liberal migration have to do with the surge of anti-Semitism in Canada? Well, I think it's clear that despite the fact that Jew hatred has certainly continued to vividly disfigure Canadian society since October 7th and throughout 2026. Well, it's evident that the outbreak of anti-Semitism in Canada is not some modern phenomenon or merely a consequence of Hamas' most recent atrocity against the nation of Israel. Rather, it's clear that anti-Semitism has become endemic throughout Canadian society and over the course of the past decade, due to the fact that liberal governments lacks migration policies have permitted

a radical Islamic ideology to become commonplace in Canada and important to Malachi tendencies along with it. And more importantly, I think, although Canadians have always earnestly desired to embrace a plurality of ideas and people within Canada's social fabric, every Canadian must now begin to confront an uncomfortable reality.

Any democratic nation that embraces orthodox Islamic ideology and fundamentalism within its society inevitably courts that don't collapse and not just the attack and murder, but it's Jews. Yeah. Well, I think we also have to remember that there's a big part to be played here of the importance of the misinformation that is trafficked and fed directly into developing minds by way of social media and also something that has happened in our universities and our schools of higher learning, where they become indoctrination camps in a lot of ways.

So I could, because I don't, I don't want to, I don't want to let the, I don't want to let certain people off the hook here. There's, there's certain useful idiots that have played a very, very important role in this. Oh, I think you're absolutely correct. I think that, um, the, the Islamic extremists, you know, attack and seek to extinguish the West do enjoy an intimate relationship with left-wing governments and the radical supporters. And I think it's because, although the left in Islam's adherence might seem to be

unhappy bedmates, they don't at all. an odd couple. You know, the radical Islamic ideology that guides the left and the dogma of radical Islam, well, they're remarkably similar. I mean, firstly, radical Islamists and left-ling extremists both emphatically reject the notions of person's individual human rights are utterly inalienable. I mean, they both reject the premise of personal equality, and they both, and in a lot of ways, espouse a rigid gender ideology that totally rephrases the definition of female in order to forcibly confine and oppress all earnest women. I think most importantly, perhaps, So they both believe that violence is ultimately the answer to any descending belief or anyone who rejects their dogma.

Yeah. And, you know, listen, we're also living in a time, William, where you're very clear. You pick your words very well, like a surgeon, you know exactly where to cut. But that doesn't matter. Somebody who doesn't like what you have to say is going to hear something you didn't say. And I want to be very clear to our listeners that William has spoken about radical Islamic, ideology. He is not talking about good and decent

Muslims who have been in Canada for generations who have built families and businesses and communities. And I have to say that in 2026 because if I don't, somebody's going to say that you and I said the opposite. Oh yeah, it's totally unfortunate. You know, I think there are all these

mental gymnastics and kind of just a vivid sophistry that's always trotted out in order to kind of waylaid the conversation and take everybody off on a tangent. Yeah. It's an look, we are fundamentally as a nation, we are based on, I believe it was, Ben Shapiro

was on with Bill Maher. And they were talking about whether the value of religion. And Ben Shapiro pointed out to Bill Mars like, you're an atheist and I'm a conservative Jew. But on morality, you and I probably align on about 85%

of things. Why do you think that is Bill? Where does that come from? It comes from the Judeo-Christian foundations of our civilization that predates Canada. And those things have informed who we have become as a people, whether you believe in God or not, whether you are a Christian or not. And whether you're a Christian or a Muslim. In Canada, that's what used to work.

The Muslims who moved to Canada built lives in Canada, built them on the, the Western foundations that we have. And that's how integration works. And if you reject the foundations of our country, as Justin Trudeau did, then you reject those fundamental principles, those foundational ideas that unite us. And I think that's one of the reasons that we see the fractures in our social makeup. Oh, absolutely. I agree with you 100%.

I think that as we've seen the Canada's national identity almost intentionally imploded by the liberal government over the course of the past decade. And again, this vivid anti-American sentiment replaced it. We shouldn't be surprised that the compassion that was such an aspect of Canada's national identity since its foundation would also evaporated, right? I don't think that we should be at all surprised that, again, all Canadians started to act as though they're marred and maybe a abesian state of nature and then kind of totally in their own self-interest.

Yeah, it's, and unfortunately those who have control the levers of power who could could do things about this. They don't close the loop. They'll talk about Canadian values. They'll talk about Canadian pride. They'll reference notions and ideas in history of the past. But there are steps that you can take to ensure social cohesion. And I think because I think if we address social cohesion and national identity,

then a lot of this other stuff goes away. The migration policies will change. The extremism will be shunned. and anti-Semitism will be abated. But simply saying Canada is this and that, as opposed to taking the steps that a government can take to strengthen the values of this country, then it's just words.

Oh, 100%. I think that even Justin Trudeau himself, who was very much the author of kind of the problems that we're experiencing currently vis-à-vis international migration and the lack of the national identity, he was himself forced to concede that Islamic terrorists and bad actors are now exploiting Canada's immigration system for their own interest and are now happily here at home. And I think that that's quite telling when you have somebody who, again,

was very much the author of the current troubles making, let's say, 180 and admitting that perhaps it wasn't the best idea to, again, erase everything that was Canada and attempt to impose a post-national state upon the Canadian people. Oh, William, he would never admit that. Oh, he'd never admit that. He would, he would give us some, I don't know, some verbal path, and smirk and walk away with a flourish. But he'd say something like diversity is our strength, which, by the way, if you understand it correctly, it makes sense.

Back in the day, diversity is our strength meant we would bring in diverse people who would buy into Canada. That's how diversity was our strength. Not everybody can come in and do what they want and believe what they want, and there's no right way. No one way is better than the other. I'm sorry.

The right way is the Canadian way. And if you don't like that, go somewhere where the Canada has no agency. 100%. I think that what's funny is we replaced a diversity of ideology and a plurality of ideas with a superficial diversity of skin tone. In a lot of the ways, we only really tolerate one type of idea and one type of person quite publicly in Canada. And I think the liberal government and anybody left to that is quite unashamed to admit it. Yeah, I think you're right. My friend, I'm beginning to really enjoy these chats.

I hope you come back anytime. I'd love to. I'll have to make it a habit, and I'll come back on maybe a more, I don't know, a happier occasion. Yes, yes, absolutely. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. Pleasure to be here. That was William Barclay. He's the award-winning political theorist and expert policy advisor. Just fencing chat. All right. For 50 years, Canadians have wondered what the names of IKEA furniture mean. Like Natopa, the guardrail for children's beds.

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