Speaking notes - Speaking points for the Hon. Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at an event with the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)

Toronto, Ontario, December 12, 2008

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Thank you for inviting me to join you at this dinner. I’ve already met many of you during my time as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity.

It is an honour to now serve as Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism.

I’m still finding my own way in the job, but I believe the Prime Minister’s decision to move Multiculturalism out of Canadian Heritage and into the Department of Citizenship and Immigration demonstrates the depth of the government’s commitment to multiculturalism, and enhances the program’s prestige.

There’s a joke about Canadian identity that goes “How many Canadians does it take to change a light bulb?” Answer: “None. Canadians don’t change light bulbs; we accept them as they are.”

But all jokes aside, whenever I travel abroad, or receive foreign visitors here at home, I truly 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 such as ordered liberty, human dignity, and freedom of conscience.

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 Ukrainian community that “You will all be better Canadians for being also good Ukrainians.”

Paul Yuzyk paid tribute to the French and British founders, 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.”

I recount 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. But today Canada’s cultural communities are strong enough to stand on their own, and showcase what’s best about their cultures.

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.

But that would impoverish us all.

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 values, such as 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 loyal to Canada’s 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 official 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 bring the multiculturalism program together with Citizenship and Immigration.

It seems to me that Multiculturalism programs and those already in the Citizenship and Immigration department complement one another, so they are an obvious fit. In fact, before 1993, they lived under the same roof in the old super-ministry known as the Secretary of State for Canada.

Far from being a step backwards, reconnecting Multiculturalism to the Citizenship and Immigration programs elevates the former to a higher plane, enhancing the prestige of the program by linking it to CIC to create a broader portfolio.

Our government remains committed to the Multiculturalism Act, which describes multiculturalism as “a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian heritage and identity.” Yet, as a government program, multiculturalism must also keep pace with the times.

My three areas of responsibility, Multiculturalism, Citizenship and Immigration, are not just for newcomers. They are for all Canadians.

Our citizenship ceremonies demonstrate this, and I witnessed such a ceremony shortly after taking on my new job. It was at the Canadian War Museum, and I watched proudly as new- and old-stock Canadians alike wore the Remembrance Day poppy, applauded veterans who were present, and swore allegiance to Canada’s Queen.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has more robust resources, direct contact with cultural communities and is directly involved in settlement programs that deal with challenges such as combating racism, promoting integration, and developing a sense of shared citizenship.

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.

That represents a unique opportunity for you in the ethnic press. I know many cultural communities are closely following what’s happening in Ottawa.

What the federal government does is important throughout the country. I would encourage those of you with reporters in Ottawa, or even who cover federal politics extensively, to seek out membership in the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

In fact, I look forward to the day when local and ethnic media are represented in the Parliamentary Press Gallery in numbers proportional to their high readership.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, these newcomers have helped build our country—a country that is prosperous and rich in diversity. Linking our programs for multiculturalism with our programs for newcomers is a way to help newcomers to have a community and to successfully integrate into Canadian society.

To the department’s previous mandate – reuniting families, maintaining our humanitarian obligations to protected persons and refugees, and supporting Canada’s economy – we now add promoting diversity and intercultural understanding, creating the kind of society Canadians from all origins want.

This promotes a strong relationship with all cultural communities which serves, not only Canadians, but those with whom we relate around the world.

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.

Our success in both cultural diversity and immigration is no mere coincidence. Our policies and our country succeed when newcomers choose to become Canadian citizens because they know in their hearts that this is a great country.

Restoring the link between Multiculturalism and Citizenship and Immigration builds on this feeling. It is logical extension of the government’s commitment to promoting Canadian identity and to build an inclusive Canada which offers opportunity to all.

Thanks to all of you for the role you play in communicating Canadian identity and thank you again for inviting me today.