The Harper New Canadians don’t know and should know.
September 13, 2008 11:18 pm Canadian PoliticsThe right honorable Stephen Harper is a nice guy. He is. Canadians should make that decision by knowing the facts. Here are some to consider
-Now Magazine compiled some information on Harper that you can read, but here is a section on immigration :
Anti-immigration
- Conservatives’ interim policy document refers darkly to focusing on attracting immigrants who can best integrate into the “Canadian fabric” (read mostly white, mostly Europeans).
- Refused to revoke the nomination of Markham Unionville Conservative candidate Joe Li for referring to immigrants as “garbage.”
-On January 26th 2001, Harper in an interview with Kevin Michael Grace in his own words said “West of Winnipeg, the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos, and who are not integrated into western Canadian society.”
-A year later Harper in an interview to the same author attacked the refugee screening process as “a boondoggle” that “threatens national security” as well as “the integrity of the immigration system”:
-Harper on Jan. 4, 2006 said “The biggest barrier to new Canadians is the frequent failure of Canada to recognize legitimate foreign credentials.”
The question is, what has he done since then towards foreign credentials recognition in the last two and half years ? Here is a reality check on Harper’s immigration policy.
-Harper in April 2006 decided to deport 36 hard working portuguese refugees in the construction industry when there was a shortage of workers and these workers had families in Canada. He wanted to prove a point that he is tough with illegal workers who overstayed their work permit, but did not want to address the issue of shortage of workers.
- Harper has been adamant on the case of Omar Khadr, the only foreign national in G.bay.
- The new bill c-50 gives the immigration minister the power to choose and deny files at their wish.
They say Harper is a nice guy, but if you are a visible minority; Chinese, south Asian, Japanese or other ethnic origin and are being wooed by Harper, you should know the facts before you cast your ballot.
Vote for your safety, vote for stability, vote for the Liberals.
Beijing York :
Date: September 14, 2008 @ 12:21 am
Good post Vijay. I sure hope that new immigrants realize, as well as all other voters who value our multicultural tradition, that Harper is an enemy of cultural and ethnic diversity.
jay :
Date: September 14, 2008 @ 12:53 am
Vijay: for gods sake. Your party let them pass Bill C50. Dion and the Liberals put their electoral fortunes ahead of their supposed principles. Liberals can no longer expect that they can use constituencies whether they be new Canadians or mothers hoping for daycare or artists wanting fair copyright legislation for electoral gain while never delivering on their promises.
Harper and the Conservatives have a terrible track record when it comes to attitudes about immigrants, particularly immigrants of colour - no question.
The problem for Dion and his caucus, aside from the fact that they threw a faithful constituency under the bus. Is that the shameful immigration backlog grew under their watch because they refused to hire sufficient staff and streamline the system in our consulates and embassies around the world (particularly in Africa and South East Asia).
Jack Layton and his caucus stood up for new Canadians and their families and voted against Harper’s anti-democratic legislation.
The NDP has consistently demanded fair treatment and defended the rule of Canadian law for Canadians abroad who are being detained by foreign governments, including those being detained by the US government.
Meanwhile, it was the Liberal government that allowed a child to be held in communicado and likely tortured.
Skinny Dipper :
Date: September 14, 2008 @ 6:13 am
I just want to thank you for the great Tandoori chicken and other food and drinks. Great Progressive Bloggers party yesterday.
Thanks, Vijay
Skinny Dipper
Rudy :
Date: September 18, 2008 @ 8:36 pm
Whats with your constant asian slant on things and slamming the Cons for wanting immigrants that better integrate into society? We’re all for multi-cultural but what you’re seeing is ONE-culture dominating recent immigration. Sorry, not everyone wants a complete degradation of their society with poor, classless immigrants who refuse to integrate with the country they come to.
Vijay :
Date: September 18, 2008 @ 8:46 pm
sure and not every Canadians want a racist as our Prime Minister.
Rudy :
Date: September 18, 2008 @ 9:03 pm
What he’s saying is not racist - he is merely stating factual truths. If he was racist, you wouldn’t see 80% of immigration from visible minorities. He’s trying to prioritize immigration but I think he should take it a step further. Put a quota per country/continent so that we truly get a diversity each year. Also ensure that appropriate infrastructure exists before immigrants are allowed to come to settle in certain areas (unless they have existing family). Instead of focusing on 3 or 4 major cities, have a cap required for each of the major cities across the country so we don’t get overwhelmed in any particular area.
Vijay :
Date: September 18, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
Well, I havent heard him talking about Greek Town, Little portugal,Thornhill as ghettos, only places where Asians live are ghetto eh. Not where greeks, jews, portugese, germans live collectively like the Asians.
We dont bring immigrants to bring diversity in Canada, we bring them to meet the demands of our markets and that simply means we should bring the best, no matter where they come from.
Just for your facts, immigration has dropped since Harper came to power. Hmnn.. something smells fishy