Working site on citizenship and multiculturalism issues.
2014/02/14 Leave a comment
For Valentine’s Day.
This is an easy one (but why such a student would pick a Women and Gender Studies course). How would UofT and others handle such a request if it was based on religious grounds is the more interesting question.
U of T student loses bid to avoid class with women because he’s shy | Toronto Star.
2014/02/13 Leave a comment
Op-ed by Minister Alexander to some of the over-the-top commentary by The Star on the proposed changes to the Citizenship Act. A number of his points are valid, particularly regarding the failure to recognize that there was abuse in the citizenship (and other) programs (reminds me of the Downton Abbey scene in which the Dowager Countess asks Isabelle whether Isabelle never doubts the honesty of people).
However, the change in a basic principle in Canadian citizenship policy for two generations, equal treatment for Canadian-born and naturalized Canadians, should not be glossed over. This change, combined with the “intent to reside” provision, needs to be reviewed closely on both substantive and process grounds. While the easy cases (e.g., the 130 Canadians fighting with extremist groups cited by the Minister) are of legitimate concern, the risk is that this substantive change to traditional policy (“a Canadian is a Canadian”) may cast a broader net with unforeseen consequences.
Minister Alexander’s overall messaging:
The new measures in Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, are a deterrent to those who might seek to abuse our generosity, circumvent our laws or attack us in cold blood.
We are all proud of our Canadian citizenship. Let’s make it stronger than ever by ensuring new Canadians have a real connection to this country, by reducing processing times, by honouring those who serve, by eliminating fraud and abuse and by deterring disloyalty.
In defence of Ottawa’s citizenship shift: Chris Alexander | Toronto Star.
2014/02/13 Leave a comment
Louise Arbour in the Globe on the Quebec Values Charter:
In short, we are called upon to choose the kind of world in which we want to live. All this talk about secularism, the neutrality of the state, tolerance or the specificity of Quebec should not obscure the fact that this is not about affirming values, but it’s about promoting and implementing them.
We have avoided the pathologies of nationalisms that feed the far right and all other forms of extremism. Quebec society is modern, open to the world and until now inclusive. In that setting, the proposed charter of secularism is a siren song. It evokes images of a homogeneous Catho-secular society where “our” religious symbols are innocuous, since we have voided them of their purely religious content, but where the religious symbols of “others” are a perpetual menace to us all.
In reality Quebec has succeeded remarkably well in absorbing immigration into a tightly knit society. Fear is always a bad adviser. Rather, social cohesion comes from a generous and welcoming spirit that induces others to integrate. This is, in fact, what newcomers have always done.
With the Charter, Quebec risks closing its mind – The Globe and Mail.
On a (relatively) positive note, the Mayor of Quebec city manages to find a balance between tolerance and his discomfort with more fundamentalist Muslim women:
« Y’a des gens qui pourraient être tentés de blâmer ces femmes-là. Je voudrais dire à ceux qui pourraient être tentés de faire ça à Québec de ne pas le faire. De surtout avoir beaucoup de compassion pour ces femmes-là qui sont obligées de s’attriquer de cette façon-là à cause de préceptes religieux, à cause d’interprétations d’une religion qui, quant à moi, sont fausses. »
M. Labeaume a par ailleurs indiqué qu’il n’avait aucun problème à laisser ces femmes porter de tels maillots. « De toute façon, des nageurs professionnels ont à peu près le même », a-t-il dit.
Il n’a pas caché par ailleurs qu’il les plaignait beaucoup et espérait qu’elles « se révoltent un jour ».
Port du burkini: appel à la «compassion»
Fatima Houda-Pépin, excluded from the Liberal Party of Quebec caucus, tabled her own version of laicité, narrower that the proposed Charter coverage but including the creation of an organization to monitor religious fundamentalists. Needless to say, the PQ government is delighted with this, both on substantive and political terms:
2014/02/13 Leave a comment
More on the Huron College Islamic preaching course (Ontario university defends decision to kick non-Muslim out of course that teaches Islamic preaching | National Post).
If seminaries have an exemption from a faith test, does an individual course fall into that category? And if some of the courses on Christian preaching at Huron are open to students of other or no faith, why shouldn’t the one on Islamic preaching. And how do other universities with seminaries or theological colleges handle this?
Nobody, including Watson, has a problem with a course in public speaking about Islam being offered at a college if it is inclusive. He also has no problem with it being exclusive, but offered in a venue such as a mosque or a community centre or a seminary that is not tax-funded. It’s really quite a simple issue. Open up the course or shut it down.
On the other hand, it may be better to have training for Islamic preachers in Canada, rather than relying on imported Imams, less familiar and open to an openly diverse and multi faith society.
Barbara Kay: Huron College should open up its Islam course, or shut it down | National Post.
2014/02/13 Leave a comment
Good overview on French nationality by Victoria Ferauge summarizing a talk by Patrick Weil, one of the leading academics on citizenship and related issues. Well worth reading, including for my Quebec readers, on laicité:
Weil made the very good point that the idea of the separation of Church and state has been wrongly extended from its original purpose – the strict neutrality of the state in matters of religion. What we can see today is another conception of it which views the state’s role as an accelerator of the decline of religious belief (a pre-requisite, some argue, to creating a truly “modern” society), To that end there is an attempt to eject religious expression from public life. (See José Casanova for a discussion about these very different views of secularization.)
He contends, and I agree wholeheartedly, that this was never the intention behind la laïcité. The state is not there to hobble religious expression public or private – on the contrary the state is prevented from favoring any religion over another and is not permitted to do anything to restrict an individual’s freedom of conscience and the expression of his or her beliefs. Here I would say that this attempt on the part of some in the Hexagon to do that is just as much a problem for me as a Roman Catholic as it is for the members of minority religions here.
The Franco-American Flophouse: The Four Pillars of French Nationality.
2014/02/12 2 Comments
Strong commentary on both sides of the political spectrum on the revocation and related provisions of the proposed changes to the Citizenship Act, starting with Chris Selley of the National Post:
Grown-up countries clean up their own messes. You don’t “strengthen Canadian citizenship,” as Bill C-24 purports to, by making it easier to revoke, by kicking your junk into another country’s closet. You strengthen Canadian citizenship by holding wayward or treasonous citizens to account, and by demanding fair and equal treatment for even the most unpopular, thereby reinforcing the obligations they violated. Mr. Khadr’s case showed us how far Canada has to go. The Conservatives propose to take us even further in the wrong direction.
Chris Selley: Actually, my citizenship is a right | National Post.
Audrey Macklin and Lorne Waldman of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, in addition to their previous criticism of the revocation provisions, note additional problems with differential treatment of Canadian-born vs naturalized Canadians:
The provision also holds out the implicit threat that if a naturalized Canadian citizen takes up a job somewhere else (as many Canadians do), or leaves Canada to study abroad (as many Canadians do), the government may move to strip the person of citizenship because they misrepresented their intention to reside in Canada when they were granted citizenship. Whether the government acts on the threat is not the issue; it is enough that people will be made insecure and apprehensive by the possibility that the government may arbitrarily decide to launch revocation proceedings against them if they leave Canada too soon, or remain away too long. That’s not a way to foster a citizenship of commitment. That’s how to foster a citizenship of fear.
I had viewed this provision as more symbolic than enforceable, but Macklin and Waldman have a point as this could be deemed fraud should a naturalized citizen leave Canada for professional or personal reasons. CIC may not today be able to enforce such a provision. However, as the government implements its plans for exit controls, this may change. As many Canadians, both naturally-born and naturalized, live abroad, often for reasons that most would consider valid (i.e., not just “citizens of convenience”), this provision bears greater scrutiny.
Citizenship reforms a serious threat to rights of all Canadians
Being Canadian is a privilege, not a right—that’s the message. Those are much better terms on which to welcome newcomers.
Finally, despite the Toronto Star’s alarmism, it is just and proper to strip citizenship from people who engage in terrorism. Thomas Walkom’s characterization of this view as “radical” shows the extent of his esteem for Canadian citizenship.
Walkom suggests that thousands of Canadians could have their citizenship revoked. Here’s a tip: don’t want to lose your citizenship? Don’t become a terrorist.
“Yesterday’s terrorist can be tomorrow’s hero,” Walkom shrugs. To which we reply: If Canada in the future celebrates Islamic terrorists as heroes, Walkom will have worse things to worry about than Bill C-24.
Canada’s new Citizenship Act is long overdue
Still haven’t seen much commentary in French language media. Will also be interesting to see how ethnic press covers this (how I miss the ethnic media press scan at CIC).
2014/02/12 Leave a comment
Nice to see some evidence-based policy in killing this program. Always had an offensive “buying citizenship for investing in strip malls” aura to it (Martin Collacott: The citizenship fire sale – National Post), as well as “citizens of convenience”:
Sources say the government believes the immigrant investor class pays significantly less in taxes over the decades than other economic immigrants, have less proficiency in English or French and are less likely actually to reside in Canada.
A source said the government is acting based on data that show that, 20 years after arriving in Canada, an immigrant investor has paid about $200,000 less in taxes than a newcomer who came in under the federal skilled worker program, and almost $100,000 less than one who was a live-in caregiver.
In the past 28 years, more than 130,000 people have come to Canada under the investor program, including applicants and their families.
The Conservatives feel newer economic-immigrant programs are doing a better job of attracting newcomers who will integrate well into Canadian society and build the economic base.
These include the Canadian Experience Class, which fast-tracks residency for temporary foreign workers already in Canada and non-Canadians who have graduated from universities and colleges here.
Tories’ new budget to close program giving investors path to citizenship – The Globe and Mail.
2014/02/12 1 Comment
More on the ongoing controversy, and ongoing activities, of fundamentalist preachers and the requirement for gender segregation at UK universities:
The speaker this time was Ustadh Alomgir Ali, a lecturer from Haddad’s Muslim Research and Development Foundation. His audience comprised men at the front and women – the majority of whom waited outside in the rain before the lecture began while the men gathered inside – at the back. Although there were no signs enforcing segregation, he spoke at length in favour of gender division and of a “crisis in society”, with the relationship between men and women in need of correction.
“In Islam, we have laid down certain prohibitions because it leads on to other sins,” he told his audience. “The first important point you must learn at university is lowering the gaze.”
His lecture concluded with some advice. “Brothers and sisters, the important thing is to learn etiquette of modesty, lowering your gaze, avoiding touching the opposite gender and avoiding unnecessary socialising with the opposite gender.”
Islamic preachers: the pied pipers of sexual apartheid? – Telegraph.
2014/02/11 Leave a comment
Globe and Mail
Courtesy of Actively Passive, more compilation of reaction to the proposed changes.
Saskatchewan reacts to proposed Citizenship Act changes (Joe Couture,www.leaderpost.com)
Saskatchewan Economy Minister Bill Boyd says the provincial government is generally supportive of proposed changes to citizenship rules introduced by the federal government Thursday.
http://www.leaderpost.com/Saskatchewan+reacts+proposed+Citizenship+changes/9479347/story.html
Citizenship Act shift hits family (Robert Barron, www.nanaimodailynews.com)
Marina Filatova is concerned about what the changes to Canada’s Citizenship Act that are being proposed by the Conservative government will mean to her and her family.
http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/opinion/citizenship-act-shift-hits-family-1.826905
Canada floats new citizenship rules that could affect thousands of Chinese)
Canada has unveiled sweeping reforms that would require immigrants spend more time as permanent residents, file tax returns and sign an undertaking to continue living in the country if they want to become citizens.
2014/02/11 Leave a comment
Interesting story about an accountant who wished to sign up for an Islamic preaching course to test whether a non-Muslim could apply but who is opposed to public universities providing such training:
James Turk, the executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, said his group opposes faith tests. The exception, however, is seminaries. It’s reasonable, Mr. Turk said, to require students who are training to be leaders within their religious communities to adhere to those beliefs.
Mr. Watson believes a course on how to preach is better suited for a mosque or community centre than it is for a publicly funded university. The student believes he should have the right to see what Ms. Mattson is teaching, particularly in light of what he believes is a growing strain of Islamic extremism in the community.
Ms. Mattson encouraged Mr. Watson to take one of her alternative courses on Islam and politics instead.
“I don’t know to what extent he has a genuine interest or to what extent he has an ideological commitment to a certain world view of Muslims,” she said. “There are people who have genuine concerns and there are ways for them to engage in discussions with Muslims, or with me, about these issues. I would think the Islam and politics class would have been much more suited to his interests.”
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Multicultural Meanderings 