Reminding immigrants of our great expectations
Sourse: Reminding immigrants of our great expectations
Requiring immigrants to accept Canadian values such as sexual equality, freedom of religion and tolerance of others' views is neither sinister nor threatening -- merely sensible.
The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, October 31, 2008
Quebec's plan to have immigrants sign a document agreeing to accept the province's social values has been -- predictably -- flayed by groups representing immigrants.
But this policy is far milder than its critics suggest and, truth be known, would probably eagerly be signed by most newcomers to Canada.
Moreover, it might well play a valuable role in squelching a racist backlash against immigrants.
There is general agreement that immigration is valuable -- consider how Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall was recently in Toronto, encouraging skilled immigrants to move to Saskatchewan and become part of our economy.
But there is also concern about a society's capacity to assimilate large numbers of immigrants if a few -- repeat few -- hang on to foreign value systems that clash with long-established Canadian mores around pluralism and tolerance.
In Quebec, this issue of "reasonable accommodation" boiled over in a series of heated -- sometimes hysterical -- hearings last winter.
This week, Quebec's government announced plans to ask immigrants to the province to sign a document indicating that they accept "the common values of Quebec society".
Some details are specific to Quebec, like the primacy of French. But others are broadly based and resonate in the rest of the country: immigrants are expected to acknowledge they live in a pluralistic and democratic society, and that men and women have equal rights. "Coming to Quebec is not a right, it is a privilege," the province's immigration minister said. "If you refuse to sign the declaration, you won't be able to come here."
Predictably, some people in the mini-industry that surrounds immigrants and multiculturalism have expressed shock. But why? Once immigrants have been accepted, there is no enforcement mechanism. Also, immigrants already receive instruction in life skills before getting their citizenship papers. Is Quebec's declaration form not merely an extension of the education and understanding that should precede landed-immigrant status?
If a few immigrants cannot accept concepts like respecting women, and letting others -- gays and rival ethnic groups, for example -- exist peacefully, then do we welcome them into Canada?
Incidentally, Quebec intends to balance this declaration with a second program: one that reminds Quebecers -- i.e, "old" immigrants -- about the value and rewards of welcoming new immigrants with warmth and tolerance. Perhaps both of these programs could be duplicated coast to coast.
Sourse: Reminding immigrants of our great expectations
Requiring immigrants to accept Canadian values such as sexual equality, freedom of religion and tolerance of others' views is neither sinister nor threatening -- merely sensible.
The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, October 31, 2008
Quebec's plan to have immigrants sign a document agreeing to accept the province's social values has been -- predictably -- flayed by groups representing immigrants.
But this policy is far milder than its critics suggest and, truth be known, would probably eagerly be signed by most newcomers to Canada.
Moreover, it might well play a valuable role in squelching a racist backlash against immigrants.
There is general agreement that immigration is valuable -- consider how Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall was recently in Toronto, encouraging skilled immigrants to move to Saskatchewan and become part of our economy.
But there is also concern about a society's capacity to assimilate large numbers of immigrants if a few -- repeat few -- hang on to foreign value systems that clash with long-established Canadian mores around pluralism and tolerance.
In Quebec, this issue of "reasonable accommodation" boiled over in a series of heated -- sometimes hysterical -- hearings last winter.
This week, Quebec's government announced plans to ask immigrants to the province to sign a document indicating that they accept "the common values of Quebec society".
Some details are specific to Quebec, like the primacy of French. But others are broadly based and resonate in the rest of the country: immigrants are expected to acknowledge they live in a pluralistic and democratic society, and that men and women have equal rights. "Coming to Quebec is not a right, it is a privilege," the province's immigration minister said. "If you refuse to sign the declaration, you won't be able to come here."
Predictably, some people in the mini-industry that surrounds immigrants and multiculturalism have expressed shock. But why? Once immigrants have been accepted, there is no enforcement mechanism. Also, immigrants already receive instruction in life skills before getting their citizenship papers. Is Quebec's declaration form not merely an extension of the education and understanding that should precede landed-immigrant status?
If a few immigrants cannot accept concepts like respecting women, and letting others -- gays and rival ethnic groups, for example -- exist peacefully, then do we welcome them into Canada?
Incidentally, Quebec intends to balance this declaration with a second program: one that reminds Quebecers -- i.e, "old" immigrants -- about the value and rewards of welcoming new immigrants with warmth and tolerance. Perhaps both of these programs could be duplicated coast to coast.
