Kenney's Kiss-Off

The subject of immigration has been divisive in this country from the sixties. Yet despite the complexities inherent within the system, successive Liberal and Conservative governments have understood the need, both economically and socially, for an open society based on a generous invitation to the world to "check out" the diverse and prosperous quality of life that Canada affords.Immigration Minister Jason Kenney came to my home town - London, Ontario - last week and offered his opinions on this country's immigration standards and the need for new arrivals to "integrate."  This is the kind of language one doesn't normally hear, at least at official levels. Huron College is a respected institution that focuses on politics and public policy and seeks to energize students. Kenney's visit definitely did that but not in a manner that was either respectful of history nor patient with dedicated student inquiry.A significant portion of the students at the University of Western Ontario come from other countries, many having moved here with their families. Mr. Kenney's insistence that such individuals prove they are truly Canadian by learning either English or French flies in the face of our own history. Most do learn the language skills required to function in Canadian society, but obviously that is beside the point. There's some kind of ideology at work here and many are uncomfortable with the sheer vagueness of it. Students left the session at Huron perplexed at Mr. Kenney's assertions and their inability to get direct answers as to the ultimate purpose of the government's agenda on immigration.I had to speak at the university a few days later and the fallout was still being felt, most especially by those students attempting to defend the international peers in their midst. It was not a comfortable situation. Anger at Minister Kenney prompted them to ask as to whether I would be willing to write something bashing his visit in a local paper.  This I refused to do - it is a university of diverse opinion after all - but their reaction was visceral. More troubling than anything was their feeling that Canada was shifting somehow.  One young Chinese student who arrived over a year ago and who speaks perfect English said in all sincerity that he felt like Canada "was saying no to the world."No doubt, many in this country agree with Minister Kenney's stand. But what is troubling is the timing of it all. At a time when we are losing our influence in the world, we are now seemingly entering a faze of domestic policy where the world is losing its influence on us.A university in my own riding got its own subtle taste of this new Canadian international order and it left students with a framework that is no longer clear. Better that Mr. Kenney would have just unfolded his ultimate game plan so that these students would actually know what to fight against. Brian Mulroney, the previous Conservative Prime Minister, increased immigration levels and made them permanent. He did this, he said, because Canada must always keep its doors open to the world and that it provides us with greater capacity in the work force. Those former Mulroney Conservatives are now shaking their heads.  Something is changing and it's troubling not only our students but seasoned political veterans as well.  I just wish Minister Kenney would have announced this subtle shift in some other riding than my own.