Speaking Notes - Speaking notes for the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at the Canadian Club

Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 13, 2008

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Introduction

Thank you for that kind introduction and good morning.

Colleagues Joy Smith and Steven Fletcher, MLAs Stefanson and Taillieu, City Councillor Browaty, Mr. Wiebe, Ms. Nnadi, Mr. Cantiveros, Mr. Kostas, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Bonjour à tous et à toutes.

It is fitting that my first opportunity to speak broadly about my new portfolio comes here in Winnipeg—a city that knows the benefits of immigration and which is, in many ways, the capital of Canadian multiculturalism.

It’s also a city where I spent part of my childhood. (The memories of the bird-sized mosquitoes haunt me still.)

Friends, let me tell you what an honour it is to serve as Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism.

In some ways I feel as though I am a custodian of Canada’s future.

Whenever I travel abroad, or receive foreign visitors here at home, I am struck by how enthusiastically the rest of the world sees our model of pluralism and immigration.

That success is no accident.

It is the result of our history, of the values rooted in that history.

A history of accommodating differences in culture, language, and religion, rather than trying to impose a false conformity.

And an abiding belief in values like ordered liberty, human dignity, and freedom of conscience.

Winnipeg is a classic example—here, where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, and names like La Verendrye, Lord Selkirk, Fr. Lafleche, and Louis Riel helped shape the future.

We have learned and benefited from the creative tension between English and French; Aboriginal and Métis; Protestant and Catholic—differences that existed in this newest part of the new world from before the Red River Colony.

It wasn’t always easy, and it certainly wasn’t always peaceful.

It was, and still is, a long road.

A road built by many great Canadians.

One of those great Canadians was a Winnipegger named Paul Yuzyk, the Senator for Fort Garry.

Long before he was appointed to the Red Chamber by John Diefenbaker (as one of the first Parliamentarians of eastern European origin), Senator Yuzyk was a professor of history at the University of Manitoba, and the author of several books on Ukrainian history in Canada.

In 1963, when the Pearson government brought in the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, Yuzyk’s was the first voice to be raised on behalf of the one-third of Canadians who were neither British nor French. In so doing Yuzyk identified the “third force.”

Yuzyk was undoubtedly inspired by the prescient words of Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir (John Buchan), who in 1936 told a Manitoba audience from the Ukranian community that “You will all be better Canadians for being also good Ukrainians.”

Paul Yuzyk paid tribute to the French and British founding, and the Aboriginal peoples who were here before. But he added, in his maiden speech in the Senate in 1964, that “with the setting up of other ethnic groups, which now make up almost a third of the population, Canada has become multicultural in fact.”

He became known as the “father of multiculturalism.”

Today, to perpetuate his memory, and to strengthen the vision of “unity in diversity” to which he was so devoted, I am pleased to announce that the government is creating the annual Paul Yuzyk Award, which will be presented each year to an individual or organization that has demonstrated excellence in promoting the multiculturalism for which he stood.

Friends, I have recounted some of this history in order to remind us that the open, pluralistic society that we enjoy today isn’t an accident, or some recent innovation. It is a product of our history.

But as we look to the future, we cannot, and must not, take for granted the success of Canada’s pluralism.

Today, as we maintain historically high levels of immigration, and as our biggest cities become increasingly diverse, we must act deliberately to maintain strong social cohesion, and a common sense of Canadian identity.

This means we must continue to adapt our idea of multiculturalism to meet today’s challenges.

Some have said that the multiculturalism of the 1970’s was about food and folklore.

Now, as you can tell, I’ve had my share of great ethnic cuisine. And we all get a kick out of celebrations like Winnipeg’s famous Folkorama. (Prime Minister Harper certainly enjoyed his visit to the Filipino pavilion this year).

But today Canada’s cultural communities are strong enough to stand on their own, and showcase what’s best about their cultures, without depending on government handouts.

And today many of those communities are so robust that there may be a temptation amongst some new Canadians to stay within their familiar social and cultural networks, rather than venturing out into our broader society. Staying within what academics call “ethnic enclaves.”

But that would impoverish us all. It would be like a Folkorama where everyone just stays put in their own pavilions, all the time. And that wouldn’t be much fun.

But having criss-crossed this great country; having attended hundreds of events and talked to thousands of new Canadians, I am certain of this: we all want a multiculturalism that builds bridges, not walls, between communities.

We want a Canada where we can celebrate our different cultural traditions, but not at the expense of sharing common Canadian traditions.

We want a country where freedom of conscience is deeply respected, but where we also share basic political values, like a belief in human dignity, equality of opportunity, and the rule of law.

We don’t want a Canada that is a hotel, where people come and go with no abiding connection to our past or to one another, where citizenship means only access to a convenient passport. We want a Canada where we are citizens loyal first and finally to this country and her historically grounded values.

The key to building such a Canada, to maintaining our model of unity-in-diversity, is the successful integration of newcomers.

And that should be the focus of today’s multiculturalism.

Integration that empowers newcomers by ensuring that they can speak one or both of our languages.

Integration that opens the doors of economic opportunity by properly recognizing the skills, experience, and education of new Canadians.

Integration that ensures that new Canadians know, own, and identify with our country’s history, symbols, and institutions.

And integration which results in new Canadians giving back to Canada, not just as consumers, workers, or taxpayers—but as active citizens, as volunteers, as members of our Armed Forces, police and emergency services, in all of the manifold ways that we can give our citizenship practical meaning.

That’s why our government has acted to fine-tune Canada’s multiculturalism program.

Changes to IRPA: C-50

Just as immigration has been essential to Canada’s economic development, it is an indispensable part of our future economy.

In 2007, Canada admitted a record 430,000 people from 216 countries, 60,000 more than four years ago, and the largest total number of newcomers in our history.

Frankly, this is because Canada needs these newcomers to fill large and growing labour shortages in the most dynamic areas of our economy.

As Prime Minister Harper has said, “The least understood challenge in the next generation will be potential widespread labour shortages.” What we have seen so far, he said, “will only be the tip of the iceberg if we do not get our act together.”

In the last 50 years, our labour force grew by 200 percent. But in the next 50 years, it is predicted to grow by only 11 percent.

“Not only is the backlog a source of great irritation for those patiently waiting their term. It will hold back Canada’s economic growth,” the Prime Minister noted.

But let me be clear: our government inherited some very serious challenges in the immigration system that must be fixed if we are to ensure that immigration works well for Canada, and for newcomers, in the future.

For instance, we inherited an enormous backlog of over 800,000 applications waiting to be processed, which has caused waiting times to stretch as long several years.

Not only does that frustrate new Canadians waiting patiently to be re-united with their families, but it means that we are losing many of the most highly skilled migrants to countries like Australia and New Zealand, whose waiting times are a fraction of ours.

That’s why we have acted to modernize the immigration system.

For instance, earlier this year we changed the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act through Bill C-50. These changes are a big step to better aligning immigration with our labour-market needs, and to reducing the massive backlog and unacceptable wait times.

Following widespread consultations held earlier this year, I will soon be releasing a list of those professions and trades which are most urgently in need of new workers. Immigrants abroad who apply to come to Canada as Skilled Foreign Workers, and whose experience or training match these categories, will have their applications processed on a priority basis.

Our modernization of the immigration system also includes the introduction of the Canadian Experience Class—with the goal being to keep skilled, credentialed and talented workers and international students in Canada who are already living here.

We have also made significant improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to help Canadian employers address the challenges they face in filling labour shortages.

Beyond bill C-50

But these aren’t the only ways we are helping newcomers. Let me tell you about some others.

I don’t think there’s much I can tell anyone here that you don’t already know about the Provincial Nominee Program.

The agreement we have in place with Manitoba gives the province greater flexibility in selecting immigrants with the skills and talents you’re looking for.

This province is far and away the biggest user of the program. Manitoba accounted for more provincial nominees than all other provinces and territories combined—recruiting 7,689 newcomers last year.

One of the key advantages of this program, for example, is that the provinces have important tools to select immigrants that meet specific local and regional needs.

The establishment of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office last year is another important achievement of the Harper government.

With this office, we’re helping prospective immigrants get the information they need on the foreign credential recognition process and the Canadian labour market—even before they get to Canada.

Now we have foreign credential referral services in 320 Service Canada Centres across Canada, including 20 right here in Manitoba.

We cut in half the Right of Permanent Residence Fee from $975 to $490 per person. That’s important! Almost a thousand dollars to apply for permanent residence was an enormous burden for newcomers struggling to build a new life and support their families.

And as I mentioned we’ve reduced taxes to allow both new and established Canadians to prosper and make the best choices for their families.

I believe all of this demonstrates the range of actions we have taken to help new Canadians succeed.

Improving immigration policy and programs

As statistics from the 2006 Census show, Canada is now home to its highest proportion of immigrants since 1931—the year we achieved full independence from Britain, along with Australia and other members of the Commonwealth.

That means now that one in five people is born outside the country.

We have a responsibility to make sure newcomers integrate into our communities. In 2006, we announced the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities to help increase immigration of French-speaking people to Francophone communities outside Quebec, such as St. Boniface.

Since last year we have substantially increased funding in every province to support programs and services that can make a real difference in the lives of newcomers. Our government committed an additional $1.4 billion in settlement funding over five years.

With this funding, we will continue to help newcomers with employment-related services. We will help them improve their English and French language skills.

And we will connect them with volunteers and mentors to access services, establish contacts in their field of work, and participate in the community.

When they succeed, we all succeed!

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, immigrants have helped build our country—a country that is prosperous and rich in diversity.

Newcomers will continue to be a source of growth and strength. And we must keep up our end of the bargain by doing what we can to ensure their successful integration into Canadian society.

Over the years, we have been remarkably successful. Since Confederation, more than 15 million people have immigrated to Canada.

They’ve come from every corner of the globe, and from every cultural, religious, and ethnic background you can imagine.

This really hit home for me last week when I attended a citizenship ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, just before Remembrance Day.

I was honoured to be there with war veterans who fought for Canada. For freedom. For democracy.

It was awe-inspiring to be surrounded by all the history of heroism and sacrifice, while fifty hopeful people from every corner of the earth, each of them wearing the blood red poppy of Flanders Fields, raised their hands to take the oath of allegiance, and in so doing became Canadians.

Let us all, during this Veterans Week, rededicate ourselves to honouring the example of those who have served Canada in her uniform, as the highest expression of our citizenship. And let us do so by ensuring that this land remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for generations to come.

I think we can all agree that our immigration policy is a success when newcomers choose to become Canadian citizens because they know in their hearts that we live in a great country.

Thank you. God bless Canada.