Multiculturalism -- several views

Over the weekend, one of the Star's regular columnists proclaimed that he was fed up with politicians trying to  exploit  the "ethnic vote."

Angelo Persichilli wrote this a day after a big article appeared in The Globe and Mail, describing Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's efforts to court multicultural communities.  (Persichilli's column was about his frustration with Liberals on this score, it should be said. It's not clear whether Kenney's efforts annoy him too.)

Now former Liberal MP Omar Alghabra is weighing in with his protest about how multicultural politics is being played at the moment and he's calling it "vacuous."  You can find it here, in its full version, but below is a small excerpt. 

Multicultural communities share the same concerns with the rest of Canada. They want a growing economy, an accessible healthcare system, an affordable world class education, a sustainable environment, reduction in poverty, fairness in our society and judicial system and foreign policy that promotes peace and justice. In addition, they seek assurances for equal and full citizenship, respect and understanding for their faith and culture, safe space to practice their faith and culture, protection against stereotyping and discrimination, welcoming political leadership that would stand up for their equal rights and invite them to participate in society as full citizens.

Folks who are interested in this debate, and who were doing something else other than reading about politics over Christmas, may want to check out an article I wrote in December about whether the word "pluralism" was coming to replace "multiculturalism" in the Canadian government lexicon. I interviewed Kenney for this article, and he's clearly given this matter a lot of thought.

Comments

[MyThought]

Persichilli didn't exactly have all the facts straight.

I wonder how he feels about political parties going after the women's votes, the youth votes, the seniors' votes, etc.?

I think he's overreacting.

That's what politicians do - go after votes.

[ConEd]

"Persichilli didn't exactly have all the facts straight."

amen.

There seems to something wrong with a lot of his Star submissions lately.

[Jim M]

I wonder who Jason Kenney is speaking for when he says the word "multiculturalism" conjures up images of food, folklore and kiosks at folk festivals. Why doesn't the word conjure up images of people for him and not just how he can patronize them on weekends? Apparently, the solution to dealing with a word that makes Conservatives uncomfortable is to reduce its meaning to the lowest common denominator that Jason Kenney can think of. Are you sure it wasn't Mr. Haney that you interviewed, Susan? Mr. Kenney's preference for the word "pluralism" and his language of focussing on getting different cultures to work together sounds like a sausage recipe. It should require more than the song, sari and samosas of Mr. Haney or Kenney to reduce the meaning of the word "multiculturalism" in Canada to nothing.

[Ozy3]

Y'know, I'm not really that interested in apologies for events over 60 years ago. I'd be more interested in seeing apologies to the Syrian, Somali and other Muslim communities for the maltreatment they're facing today, under this current government. Mohamed, Suaad Hagi Mohamud and Abousfian Abdelrazik being denied their Charter Section 6 right of return by this Canadian government. Maher Arar, Nureddin, Al Malki, El Maati, Benatta, and Abdelrazik being "rendered" to other countries where they can be tortured. Khadr being abandoned at the age of 15 to be tortured for 8 years without a trial and with CSIS's complicity. The list goes on. How can Presichilli worry about the sincerity of Liberal concerns over an infraction that occurred almost 40 years before the Charter was adopted, while ignoring the current and ongoing facilitation and encouragement of torture of Canadians? What a bizarre mentality afflicting that poor man.