Derek Sloan's attack on Dr. Theresa Tam may be the first that mainstream Canadians have seen of anyone questioning her expertise or loyalty. But a brief google search reveals that the far right has been vilifying her for awhile. 1/16
"Media" such as Rebel and the Council of European Canadians (apparently a white supremacist group) have been leading their audience down a path of thinking about Dr. Tam. They question her background, saying little information is available about her... 2/16
To imply that she is somehow constructed. They repeatedly say she is Chinese & therefore loyal to Beijing. This completely ignores the fact that she was born in Hong Kong before the British returned Hong Kong to Chinese control. She was born a British citizen, not Chinese. 3/16
She grew up in the UK. She has published at least 55 peer reviewed articles. Many academics do not put the details of their personal lives on display. They are not "celebrities" and they do not present as such. Lack of detail on who her parents or grandparents were... 4/16
In no way diminishes her credentials. So, yes, they try to make her seem "sketchy" because there is not a lot of detail about her personal life. They try to discredit her because she doesn't seem to make an effort to appear feminine. Yes, they do. 5/16
They criticise her clothes and hair as though either of those things had anything to do with her intelligence. Einstein, as I recall, was noted for his unruly locks and no one suggested that made him less credible. 6/ 16
They attack her based on speculation about sexual orientation, as in this quote from Council of European Canadians: 7/16 
Again, her sexual orientation is irrelevant to her job, and nobody's business. It is a common way for a certain segment of the population to dismiss women who do not conform to their ideal of femininity. 8/16
And if she did conform, if she wore makeup and haute couture, they would still dismiss her expertise because these people do not see women as capable or competent.
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There is a significant segment of the audience who comment on these "articles" who insist Dr. Tam is a trans woman. They maintain this is another disqualifying feature, while in reality, even if true, it has nothing to do with her credentials, nor is it anyone's business. 10/16
Conspiracy theories abound on these sites. They say the WHO is Chinese-controlled and they planned this virus so that the natural European values of Canada can be suppressed and replaced with Asian values. There is so much false about this thought configuration... 11/16
They say the shut-down of businesses is a plot to bring western civilization to its knees so the Chinese can over-run the country. They say there is no real pandemic, or it was an engineered disease and the Chinese have the antidote. 12/16
They say this will lead to forced vaccinations, to introduce tracking devices and mind control agents into all... They are alarming in their eagerness to ingest, build, and spread the conspiracy theories. 13/16
But the fact that a CPC MP, a CPC leadership hopeful, has tapped into this far right propaganda and is broadcasting it through social media, suggests that the CPC knows who their supporters are and what they believe in. 14/16
Sloan, or his advisors, believe that sufficient card-carrying CPC members and potential members hold these sorts of views, and maybe engage in these far-right forums, that taking the risky move of endorsing these views will enhance his chances at the leadership. 15/16
And that, my friends, is what is really disturbing about this. This is yet another clear indication that the CPC is deeply involved in the politics of hate, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, conspiracy theory and paranoia. 16/16
