Will a new minister fix Canada’s ideas-free citizenship policy?:

2013/10/22 Leave a comment

Natalie Brender on the need for a broader review of citizenship policy, given the upcoming modernization of the citizenship act. My expectation is, however, given that recent changes to the citizenship application process (Discover Canada, more difficult test, more rigorous language evaluation, increased fraud prevention) have stressed integrity and meaningfulness, that the act will continue to emphasize meaningfulness, rather than facilitation.

However, that broader discussion on the balance between meaningfulness and facilitation in the context of mobile skilled workers is needed. One of the challenges is how to design policies that provide flexibility for skilled workers while excluding those who are abusing such flexibility with minimal or no attachment to Canada (e.g., expatriates in the Gulf, Lebanese evacuees).

Will a New Minister Fix Canada’s Idea-Free Citizenship Policy

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An Insider’s View of the Harper Government

2013/10/22 Leave a comment

Another book review, this time by New Canadian Media, my first in the ethnic media. Quote:

Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias is a must-read for anybody in Canada who is part of the vast immigration sector (nay, industry) or is interested in the sausage-making policy apparatus in Ottawa. It offers unique insight into how Ministers relate to the public service, how bureaucrats try their hardest to have their way in dubious “Yes, Minister” style, and the extent of disconnect between these two pillars of democracy in particularly contentious areas such as citizenship-immigration, environment or foreign affairs. This consummate public servant of 30 years must be given credit for calling it like it is: “After all, governments are elected, whereas public servants are not, and governments are ultimately accountable for their decisions before the public.”

An Insider’s View of the Harper Government

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Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias: Former DM Reaction

2013/10/19 Leave a comment

A good discussion this week with a group of some 20 former deputy ministers, using my “10 inconvenient truths” framework.

Interesting to hear their views on how previous transitions and relationships compared with the current government. In addition to my points about the sharp ideological contrast and the non-responsiveness of the public service in many cases, participants also noted that the minority nature of the government further exacerbated tension.

Always rewarding to test out one’s ideas with such an experienced group.

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Joseph Health on the Public Service

2013/10/19 Leave a comment

Attended an interesting talk this week by Joseph Heath on the three “poles of allegiance” of the public service: to elected officials, to the public, and to their professional values. Although his working through the issues in each category is a helpful analytical exercise, as a former public servant not sure that helps us much in the end in the Canadian context, where “fearless advice and loyal implementation” to the minister prevails.

My experience, as outlined in Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias: Resetting Citizenship and Multiculturalism, was that whenever public servants deviated from serving elected officials, problems emerged. Should they try to serve the public in recommending Grant & Contribution projects, they missed the change in policy with projects being rejected. And should they try to follow their professionalism with respect to providing advice without taking political context into account, public servants were viewed as obstructive.

But alway good to have a theoretical framework challenge the status quo, and be provoked!

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Editorial: Open up the government

2013/10/19 Leave a comment

Yet more commentary on the government’s failure to comply with its obligations under the Access to Information Act, this time by the Ottawa Citizen.

The government should listen to Legault because there is nothing to fear from openness. Access to information is fundamental to our system of government, and a key tool of citizen engagement. A Conservative government that rode accountability to office should not stand in the way. It should be a champion of openness.

Editorial: Open up the government.

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Charte des valeurs – Ottawa doit bloquer Québec

2013/10/19 Leave a comment

An opinion piece by George Paquet noting the long history of human rights legislation and charters across the centuries and how Ottawa will be obligated to challenge the proposed Charter:

En vérité, ce qui fonde aujourd’hui notre vivre-ensemble pacifique et harmonieux s’est construit depuis le code Hamurabi, du nom du roi de Babylone, en l’an 1750 avant notre ère, en passant par le cylindre de Cyrus, roi de Perse, 600 ans avant notre ère ; la Magna Carta de 1215 en Angleterre ; l’acte de l’Habeas Corpus en Angleterre, en 1640 ; le Traité de Paris et la proclamation royale de 1763 établissant les droits des autochtones au Canada ; la déclaration d’indépendance des États-Unis en 1776 qui a inspiré la Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen de 1789 en France ; les pactes internationaux, l’un relatif aux droits civils et politiques et celui relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels mis en force par l’ONU en 1976 ; la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des autochtones en 2007 ; la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme de l’ONU en 1948 et les autres chartes, plus récentes, que nous connaissons mieux, celle du Canada et celle du Québec.

Charte des valeurs – Ottawa doit bloquer Québec | Le Devoir.

An equally powerful opinion piece by Marc Cassivi, on the need to combat islamophobia and criticizing Denise Filiatrault for her biases and prejudices:

Je suis féministe. Je suis – je vais dire une énormité – pour l’égalité hommes-femmes, garantie par nos deux Chartes. Je suis aussi athée. Je ne crois ni en Dieu ni en Bernard Drainville. Et j’estime, tout comme Janette Bertrand, que les religions monothéistes sont horriblement machistes. Ce qui ne m’empêche pas de considérer la liberté de conscience comme un droit fondamental dans notre société.

Je trouve du reste suprêmement ironique le discours paternaliste de certaines féministes – à commencer par Pauline Marois – , convaincues de savoir du haut de leurs valeurs judéo-chrétiennes ce qu’il y a de mieux pour la femme musulmane (qu’il faut protéger d’elle-même et de tous ceux qui l’oppriment).

Bonjour le colonialisme. Et tant pis pour la nuance, dans ce pays où la grande majorité des musulmanes, stigmatisées collectivement, ne porte pas le voile. Mais où 600 femmes autochtones ont disparu ou ont été assassinées depuis 20 ans sans que quiconque ne s’en soucie. On a l’indignation sélective.

Des quelque 14 000 meurtres commis en 2011 aux États-Unis, selon le New York Times, aucun n’était dû à l’extrémisme islamique. Aucun. Mais qui se soucie des faits dans un débat où foisonnent les généralisations, les préjugés, l’ignorance et l’intolérance.

Yet another group in the healthcare sector opposing the Charter, this time medical residents:

Charte des valeurs québécoises – Les médecins résidents s’opposent à l’interdiction des signes religieux

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Provincial human rights commission slams proposed Quebec values charter and other charter news

2013/10/18 Leave a comment

Not surprisingly, the Quebec provincial human rights commission comes out against the proposed Charter. As the provincial charter can be amended by a simple majority vote in Quebec’s Assembée nationale, not an insurmountable obstacle.

The federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms, on the other hand, is in our Constitution and is not subject to easy amendment (in practice, likely impossible).

Provincial human rights commission slams proposed Quebec values charter – Need to know – Macleans.ca.

Attaque en règle contre la Charte des valeurs

And more fall-out from the Janettes, this time from well-known Quebec actress and director Denise Filiatraut, who apologized for characterizing women who wear the hijab as “follies” (fools).

Propos sur les musulmanes: Denise Filiatrault s’excuse

And naive and paternalistic commentary by Fabienne Larouche in Le Devoir, who, while advocating a strong secular approach, nevertheless wants a gradual process of integration and emancipation.

Naive, as many who wear the hijab are second-generation immigrants, and thus to assume an automatic “emancipation” from the hijab across generations runs against  experience. Looking at any old photos from before the 90s in most Muslim countries, one sees much less wearing of the hijab (see any university graduation photo – the contrasts are striking:

Ces femmes ont hérité d’une culture. Elles sont venues ici pour comprendre ce que notre culture à nous pouvait leur offrir de mieux. Donnons-leur du temps pour changer, s’adapter et permettre à leurs filles de s’émanciper comme les nôtres, mais sans oublier que cette émancipation est inévitable et que nous resterons inflexibles sur cet objectif. C’est tout.

But more fundamentally, this assumes that the only form of emancipation is not wearing the hijab; participation in politics, the workforce, other engagement with broader society is ignored. And such participation is a more important indicator of integration than the head covering worn by men or women.

Une Charte, chez nous…

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Access to information at ‘serious risk,’ watchdog warns – Politics – CBC News

2013/10/18 Leave a comment

More on just how broken our access to information system is. While the basic issue of not enough resources to process requests predates the current government, the delays and inability to respond to requests has gotten worse under the current government. Given that one of the reasons they were elected in the first place was for  accountability, ironic that one of the cornerstones of accountability, transparency, has been undermined.

Access to information at ‘serious risk,’ watchdog warns – Politics – CBC News.

I have still not received any documents from my current ATIP request, submitted 24 April. My last communication with ATIP dates from 12 August, saying still waiting for feedback from CIC and other departments.

Filed under Citizenship, Government, Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

Good enough for Nobel, but not for Quebec

2013/10/17 Leave a comment

Sheema Khan in The Globe, mocking the paternalism of Les feministes laiques de Québec and the “Janettes” (Les femmes voilées sont «manipulées», dit Janette Bertrand):

Feminism, we thought, was about empowering women to make choices for themselves. Instead, la feminisme laïque is the new patriarchy, with its condescending, my-way-or-the-highway attitude. But Muslim women are fusing a new breed of feminism, where spirituality melds with activism to advance the cause of both genders. Their role model is Malala – not Miley or Marois. Spirituality is seen not as an enemy, but as an ally in providing the impetus to seek equal opportunities for women in education, health, wealth and political participation.

Good enough for Nobel, but not for Quebec – The Globe and Mail.

And from within Quebec, the inevitable lettre ouverte replying to the Janettes, from “Les inclusives“. While the gradual inclusive approach to integration makes sense, may not necessarily end up with fewer hijabs in the end; but as long as women are participating in wider society, whether wearing a hijab or not, it doesn’t really matter:

…l’intégration des musulmanes voilées doit se faire petit à petit, sans brusquer les choses. «Ça prend trois générations pour intégrer un immigrant. Nous, on le fait souvent en deux générations. Mais si on commence à les bousculer, ça ne fonctionnera pas», dit-elle.

«C’est la société québécoise dans son ensemble qui va changer les valeurs de ces femmes. Leurs enfants vont fréquenter les garderies. Elles vont aller sur le marché du travail. Et les voiles vont tomber, un à un».

Les «inclusives» répliquent aux Janettes

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Citizenship Act Reforms

2013/10/17 Leave a comment

General announcement of proposed revisions to the Citizenship Act, as announced in the Speech from the Throne. Details will be of course in the actual bill, timing not yet public:

Canadians understand that citizenship should not be simply a passport of convenience. Citizenship is a pledge of mutual responsibility and a shared commitment to values rooted in our history.

  • Our Government will not hesitate to uphold the fundamental rights of all Canadians wherever they are threatened.
  • To strengthen and protect the value of Canadian citizenship, our Government will introduce the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in more than a generation.

Full Speech | Speech From The Throne

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