This is a serious misreading of the Harper era. The Harper Conservatives were always extremely anti-Muslim. They tapped into this ideological strain from the US (and the other extreme right wing movements) from the outset. True, Leitch and others briefly concluded after the last election that this was a mistake. But now, after Brexit and Trump, they think that a return to their roots may pay off. Spurred by a card-carrying racist like Ezra Levant, they are showing their true colours. Maybe they are right. I hope not, and most polls seem to show that they are wrong, but racist attitudes are not what people admit to having. Because Trudeau backed away from electoral reform, it is once again possible that the centre-left parties that represent the great majority of Canadians will split the vote, giving a Conservative rump a chance to come up the middle.