Ken Tellis Comments on: NEWS from the Saturday Sun of April 4, 2009

MP: "Canada isn't a hotel"  By Althia Raj, National Bureau

• Jason Kenney Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism wants ethnic communities to embrace Canadian values ..

Perhaps it's time to change our way of thinking and look for a real solution, but even then there is no panacea for the issue of immigration in Canada or anywhere else in the world.   So the sad reality is we are at an impasse, to which there is no way out.

• "In an interview with Sun Media, Jason Kenney said that Canada's high level of immigration runs the risk of creating "ethnic silos" that could do here what they have done in Europe."

Was the minister really trying to avoid the use of the term that was used in Europe? Because, if he used the appropriate term that best describes the situation, which is the term GHETTOIZATION he might have caused uproar. So indeed he took another course of action to bypass it, by not referring to it.

• In the ministers own words: "We shouldn't be naive about the very real dangers of radicalization, of extremism. We shouldn't over-exaggerate and nor should we pretend it doesn't exist" he said.

Being an international traveller, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that one cannot fit a square peg in a round hole, but like it or not that is where the present situation really stands. Go to any Muslim country and you will see the face of reality. The mores of Islamic society does not permit other communities living side by side with equal rights and religious tolerance. So how does one expect that they will REALLY adapt to the Western Concept of all people being equal before and under the law? To expect that of a people who are raised in a very strict Islamic society with religious laws is to dream in colour.

There seems to be a form of selective amnesia that has become a part of the Canadian psyche. The Ghettoization of Canada began simultaneously with Pierre-Elliott Trudeau taking office on April 17, 1968. It was perhaps Trudeau's grand plan to keep the Liberals and himself in power for as long as possible. By funding all sorts of programmes for every ethnic community in Canada he bought their loyalty. So its not as simple as Jason Kenney makes out. Because the whole question of the Ghettoization of Canada has now going on 40 years and that is a very long time to behold. The point is can the Harper government now withdraw all funding for all ethnic communities, without incurring their anger?

• Kenney is concerned some communities are not actively integrating with mainstream society. While he won't point fingers, he said "there are people who come to Canada or are born in Canada have very illiberal views, who believe that their religious dogma or ethnic grievances justifies violence."
• "Now that may be a tiny minority of people, but that's all it takes to cause real problems,' he said.

I am very glad that the minister has at least admitted to the fact that within Canada there exists's such a people, who while born here, espouse illiberal views. A case in question is the province of QUEBEC with its anti-Human Rights laws which nullify the Universal Declaration of U.N. Human Rights that was signed by Canada on December 10, 1948. If that is not an unhealthy attitude, then I don't know what is?

• Kenney said it's unhealthy for immigrants to isolate themselves and he's pushing an "integration" agenda.
• Giving the example of a teenager in Richmond, B.C., who arrives from mainland China and spends most of his time fraternizing with other Mandarin speakers --at school, at home, on social networking websites – Kenney asked how much someone like that would have contact with people of different backgrounds. He believes modern communication – Internet, satellite television – slows down the process of integration.
• "We don't just want a country that is a bunch of different silos where people don't associate with each other," he said. Canada is not a hotel.

He understands new immigrants will seek out family and friends as their first point of contact, but Kenney are concerned that's the only network some new Canadians are building.

Why then are pockets of canadiens allowed to keep their Joual-language and ethnic culture in all the English-speaking provinces outside of Quebec? Surely if the Chinese should yield to such rules as he suggests, the minister must ask why the canadiens should be allowed to continue with their linguistic bent. Perhaps the learning ENGLISH by 'les canadiens' should also be promoted.

For the Quebec REFERENDUM of October 1992, the Quebec government of Robert Bourassa issued a booklet of all ETHNIC lanaguages, among these were Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Pujabi, Mandarin. Portuguese, Greek and Arabic, the LAST ethnic language was ENGLISH. Hence I now unequivocally state that JOUAL or French patois the OFFICIAL LANGUAGE of Quebec is an ETHNIC LANGUAGE as are Mandarin and other languages.

He has also avoided mentioning the fact that while the Quebec government get funds for the teaching of ENGLISH, it does not do so, by the excuse that ENGLISH

Is not an OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, nor a LEGAL one, by virtue of Bill 101, which bans the use of ENGLISH in the province of Quebec?

• Learning English or French (he actually means JOUAL or French patois), mixing with people of other backgrounds, and embracing Canadian values – "Western liberal democratic values-are integral to moving ahead, Kenney said.

While the Minister attempts to equate Canadian values and Western democratic values as being one and the same, he makes no reference to the fact that in his rhetoric he does not include Quebecois society where no such thing exists at all, since they use the NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE of the Canadian Constitution to ban the English language and violate Civil and Human rights of minorities..

• He's floating the idea of a new language programme with vouchers and wants to focus multiculturalism programmes on building bridges between different communities. He recently blessed a new project which gives Somali youth in Toronto internships with Jewish professionals.
• "I don't think what I'm saying is controversial. I think its common sense," Kenney said.

But its seems that COMMON SENSE has not been a Canadian attitude since the Trudeau era, and that is the time warp that we are stuck in today

Kenneth T. Tellis

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