Speaking points for the Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P.Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at a Roundtable and lunch reception

Mumbai, India, January 15, 2009

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Na-Ma-STAY(Hello!) Thank you for that kind introduction.

And thank you all for joining me today.

It is such a pleasure for me to be here and to experience some of the sights and sounds of India right here in Mumbai.

Since we arrived, this city and its resilience have impressed me in many ways.

I think that as members of the Commonwealth, Canada and India have quite a lot in common. I think we’ve always had a special bond.

It was in that spirit of friendship that I joined hundreds of people of many backgrounds in Canada at a candlelight vigil in memory of the people were killed—including two Canadians—in the terror attacks here almost two months ago.

The vigil was organized by the Canada-India Foundation and supported by more than 70 faith, cultural, and humanitarian groups. The chair of the Canada-India Foundation, Surjit Babra, put it well, by calling on those at the vigil to help “create a tsunami of peace in the world.”

The Government of Canada condemns such outrageous acts of violence.

No political or religious cause could justify the hatred which leads to such violence against the innocent.

For this reason, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has pledged to stand with our democratic colleagues here in India in their fight to eliminate terrorism.

Terrorism is a global reality, and like our allies, Canada is not immune to the threat. This is why immigration to Canada is regulated by comprehensive legislation to admit people who meet specific requirements while denying entry to those who threaten public health and safety or national security.

Mumbai may not be India’s capital, but you can feel it is the heart of human enterprise as the country’s thriving commercial centre.

Nearly 13 million people call Mumbai home.

And they come from such diverse backgrounds. More than a dozen languages are spoken here, adding colour, flavour and texture to this great cosmopolitan centre.

For many years, India has been one of the most important sources of newcomers to Canada.

In the past 10 years alone, some 250,000 people from this country have emigrated to Canada.

Today, there are about 700,000 people of Indian descent in Canada.

When you consider that Canada’s total population is less than 33 million, these are pretty significant numbers.

The skills, knowledge, innovative ideas and motivation to succeed that these people have brought to Canada are having a tremendous, positive influence on the economic and cultural life of our country.

The opportunities are there. Despite the global economic downturn, Canada has a strong economy, and we want to sustain that strength for the long haul.

To do that, we need a labour force with the skills and the knowledge to keep our economy competitive in the new global marketplace.

One of the things our economic plan does is detail the steps we can take to build that kind of labour force.

And because it is exceedingly clear that we simply do not have enough people, we recognize that immigration will play a key role in realizing our goals in both the short and long term.

I do want to stress at this point that Canada’s immigration system will never be entirely about economics. Family reunification remains an important objective.

In fact, my department has been making a considerable effort to ensure family-class immigrants are processed as efficiently as possible.

As I say these things, I think we should remember that the benefits of immigration do not necessarily flow in one direction only.

In fact, there’s a long tradition of migration between India and Canada. This movement of people has forged strong links between our two countries and strengthened us both.

In the past 10 years, India has emerged as a rising star in the international business community.

An affluent middle class is growing in India. And as Indians come to study, work, and live in other countries like Canada, strong international financial alliances will continue to be formed.

It’s a priority of our government to encourage these partnerships, these alliances.

I look around this room and I can see how you are engaging in precisely the kind of vibrant exchanges that benefit both our countries.

On behalf of Prime Minister Harper and the Government of Canada, I congratulate you, and I encourage you to continue to strengthen the links between our countries.

To explore new ways to make the relationship between Canada and India even stronger in the future.

Thank you again for your tremendous hospitality.

Bo-hott Shok-ri-ya!