What makes a good Canadian? A Muslim 'parental rights' marcher speaks out

Mohammad Bakhash thought he was being a good Canadian.

The Syrian-born economist, who was welcomed to Fredericton in 2016 amid a wave of refugees from his war-torn country, took a major step toward civic engagement last year.

He lost a friend over it and felt the sting of a backlash against the views he was expressing peacefully.

"That was the hardest part of the story, to be honest," he said. "We did not expect such a reaction."

Last Sept. 20, Bakhash was among dozens of Muslim New Brunswickers who took part in the One Million March for Children on the front lawn of the legislature.

He was there to oppose policies on LGBTQ issues in provincial schools — something he insisted was not "anti" anyone but an expression of his values, his faith and his culture.

"We are not here to encourage hate against anyone," Bakhash told Radio-Canada during the march.

"Everyone has the right to do what he or she wants. But we also have the right to raise our kids in a safe environment."

The march was one of several held across Canada under the slogan of "parental rights" — a label that critics say ignores the rights of LGBTQ children.

The marches in New Brunswick had extra meaning because of Premier Blaine Higgs's changes to Policy 713 in June. 

It now requires school staff to get the consent of parents before letting LGBTQ students under age 16 use the names and pronouns they choose in classrooms.

Higgs greeted the marchers on Sept. 20 but not the counter-protesters across the street.

Both crowds were loud and often angry as they tried to out-shout each other with competing slogans, but the two events were peaceful and ended without incident.

The reaction, however, left Bakhash shaken and unsettled, testing the boundaries of Canadian values of tolerance, diversity and inclusion.