Hussein Hamdani says federal election politics behind his suspension

2015/05/04 Leave a comment

Hard not to believe Hamdani, given all the vetting he has been through and his overall track record as a member of the CCRS.

I always found him thoughtful in his contributions when I attended the CCRS, both in his appreciation of some of the factors behind radicalization as well as suggestions regarding what policies and programs could be more effective.

Consultative and advisory bodies are more useful when there is a diversity of views.

While I can understand the Government’s sensitivity towards his public support for the Liberals, it would have been more honest to list that as the reason then try to dredge up accusations from 20 years ago.

And even if true (which I doubt given the source), who among us has not something in our past that today we are uncomfortable with.

More anti-Canadian Muslim wedge politics?

Minister of Public Safety Steven Blaney suspended Hussein Hamdani from the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on National Security this week.

Blaney’s office is looking into questions raised by the French TVA network about politically charged statements it alleges Hamdani made as a university student, and allegations about radical organizations that it says Hamdani had associations with.

Blaney’s office did not explain why it was taking the action now, when it acknowledges it has known about the allegations for “some time.”

But Hamdani told CBC News he believes the decision is politically motivated, and denies all the allegations outright.

“I’ve been vetted and I’ve received various levels of security clearance over the years. So to have this come out now, to me, it clearly has political motivations that are attributed to it,” he said. All members of the roundtable are vetted by CSIS and the RCMP, he said.

“Perhaps they’re not pleased that I’m very critical of Bill C-51,” Hamdani said. “Perhaps the government is displeased that I have been supporting Justin Trudeau and the Liberals.” Bill C-51 is the Conservative government’s controversial proposed anti-terror legislation.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Blaney called the allegations against Hamdani “very concerning.”

“This individual’s membership on the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on National Security has been suspended immediately pending a review of the facts. While questions surrounding this individual’s links to radical ideology have circulated for some time, it was hoped that he could be a positive influence to promote Canadian values. It is now becoming clear this may not have been the case.”

The suspension is a blow to the reputation of a lawyer who has been a prominent Hamilton leader, considered a moderate voice on Muslim issues and whom a local business magazine named in its 40 under 40 roundup in 2012.

Cross-Cultural Roundtable chair Dr. Myrna Lashley told CBC News she was shocked by the allegations.

“That’s not the Mr. Hamdani that I know. I’ve never heard any of these things that was reported.”

Hussein Hamdani says federal election politics behind his suspension – Latest Hamilton news – CBC Hamilton.

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How Canadians celebrate their identity — it’s all in the hyphen

2015/05/04 Leave a comment

On hyphenated identity (or, to use Lawrence Hill’s words, “who among us is not mixed up”):

John Diefenbaker, perhaps the first Canadian public figure to talk extensively about punctuation, was also passionately opposed to hyphenation.

He saw it not as a sign of disloyalty, like Wilson did, but as a manifestation of prejudice: memories of anti-German taunts during and shortly after the First World War launched the Tory prime minister on what he later called a “lifelong attack on hyphenated Canadianism.”

Diefenbaker thought two-part labels were a way of diminishing a group’s membership in the national community. To be “Ukrainian-Canadian” suggested you were less than a full citizen, in his view.

Not everyone shared this interpretation. As Peter C. Newman wrote in The Distemper of Our Times, his political history of Canada in the mid-’60s, many French-Canadians were happy with their hyphens. They saw Diefenbaker’s “One Canada” crusade as a veiled call for assimilation.

As the decade wore on, this celebration of difference spread. Hyphenation, with its way of patching together disparate things, increasingly came to be seen as an orthographic representation of the multicultural Canadian mosaic.

But the hyphen’s hold has been slippery. In the past 15 years, some academics have taken up a renewed critique of the symbol — they call it reductive, even alienating. Minelle Mahtani, a professor of human geography at the University of Toronto Scarborough, says that many of the mixed-race women she spoke to for a 2002 paper rejected hybrid identifiers like “Somali-Canadian.”

“These hyphens of multiculturalism, in effect, operate to produce spaces of distance, in which ethnicity is positioned outside Canadianness,” Mahtani wrote.

Still, for many, the hyphen remains a vital and flexible tool for representing themselves to the world.

In a recent essay for the website The Archipelago, the self-described “first-generation Canadian-Indian-Italian-American” journalist Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite called herself “a walking hyphen.”

There is a growing crop of Canadians punctuating their identities in novel, personal ways. By 2021, at the current rate of growth, a majority of the country’s population will shade in more than one box when they’re asked about ethnicity, according to a report by the Association for Canadian Studies.

Canada’s future is likely to be hyphenated. That means more bridges, more boundary posts, more magic carpets. For better or worse, it means more knots.

via How Canadians celebrate their identity — it’s all in the hyphen | Toronto Star.

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Election Watch: Debunking the “Ethnic Vote” Strategy – New Canadian Media

2015/05/04 Leave a comment

While generally correct, this piece by Stephen E. White, Inder S. Marwah, and Phil Triadafilopoulos understates the degree of targeting – and micro-targeting – between and within ethnic communities. The current government’s approach, taking a more explicit side in any number of diaspora politics, is but one illustration:

New Canadians are no less savvy than the rest of the Canadian electorate. While it’s true that recent immigrants don’t have many years of experience with Canadian politics and elections, research also suggests they learn rather quickly.

There’s no reason, then, to think that parties’ targeted appeals to ethnic minority communities are any more effective than the strategies used to win the support of other kinds of voters.

Where does this leave us?  We can be sure the “ethnic vote” will figure prominently in political parties’ 2015-election campaigning. While the success of their efforts can in no way be assumed, the parties will undoubtedly compete for the support of new Canadians.

There’s no evidence that ethnic outreach actually works – but the parties believe it might, and this conviction shapes both electoral strategies and policy making.

Canadian political parties’ ongoing and ever more systematic efforts to compete for the votes of new Canadians helps explain why anti-immigrant discourse is so rare in Canadian elections and why Canadian parties, regardless of their ideological stripe, support robust immigration levels and the maintenance of an official multiculturalism policy.

Put differently, Canadian “exceptionalism” in the area of immigration politics and policy may have less to do with our innate civic virtues than with the strategic calculations of our political operators.

Election Watch: Debunking the “Ethnic Vote” Strategy – New Canadian Media.

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Religious Diversity in British Parliamentary Constituencies

2015/05/04 Leave a comment

 Concentration and Dispersion.001For those interested, an incredibly detailed mapping of British religious minorities on the eve of the British election, with the sub-text of fear of British Muslims (like so many of the Henry Jackson publications). But the mapping and level of analysis is impressive (although I find the more simple approach in the above Canadian chart provides a better overview).

Christianity is the dominant religion in Great Britain. The 2011 census names five minority religions: Buddhism; Hinduism; Judaism; Islam; and, Sikhism. Together they are followed by 4,577,799 residents, or 7.5% of the population. Of these minority religions, Islam is the largest, which is followed by 4.5% of the national population. Islam’s share of the population is at least three percentage points larger than any of the remaining minority religions: Hinduism (1.4%); Sikhism (0.7%); Judaism (0.4%); and, Buddhism (0.4%).

The prevalence and relative following of the minority religions within Great Britain’s constituencies reflects this order, with the exception of Buddhism which appears more often as the largest minority religion within many more constituencies than its overall share of the population suggests. Islam is the minority religion with the most followers in four-fifths (503, or 80.0%) of Britain’s 632 constituencies. Buddhism comprises the largest minority religion in almost one in ten constituencies (54, or 8.5%). This is followed by Hinduism in 40 constituencies (6.3%), Sikhism in 27 (4.3%), Judaism in six (1.0%), and in the remaining two constituencies the largest minority religion is equally Buddhism and Islam, with the same number of followers.

Map 2 reflects the largest minority religion within constituencies, with each minority religion represented by a different colour and shaded to reflect the size of the population share. A threshold of 0.5% has been applied as a criterion for inclusion, with the remaining 165 constituencies left blank.9 Of the 467 constituencies which met the criterion, Islam is the largest minority religion in 396 (84.8%). This is followed by Hinduism in 36 seats (7.7%), Sikhism in 25 (5.4%), Judaism in six (1.3%), and Buddhism in four (0.9%).

Islam is the dominant minority religion among Great Britain’s constituencies. In the ten constituencies with the largest minority religion share of the population, Islam is both the largest minority religion and is followed by at least one third of the population. Within these constituencies, Islam is also the largest religion as well as the largest minority religion, with the exception of Blackburn, where the Christian share (45.8%) is nine percentage points larger than the Muslim share of 36.3%.

The two constituencies with the largest Muslim share of the population are Birmingham Hodge Hill, where more than half (63,417 of 121,678, or 52.1%) of residents identify as Muslim; and Bradford West, which has a 51.3% Muslim share of the population (58,872 of 114,761). They are currently being challenged by the Respect Party and are held by the Respect Party respectively. This is followed by: Birmingham Hall Green (46.6% Muslim residents); East Ham (37.4%); Bradford East (36.9%); Blackburn (36.3%); Bethnal Green & Bow (35.4%); Birmingham Ladywood (35.2%); Ilford South (34.9%); and, Poplar and Limehouse (33.6%). Regionally, four of these ten constituencies are located in London, three in the West Midlands, two in Yorkshire and The Humber, and one in the North West.

No other minority religion makes up a third of the population in any constituency. There are, however, two constituencies where the Hindu share of the population is 32.0%: Brent North in London, where Hindus comprise 32.0%, and the Christian share is almost one percentage point (0.7%) larger; and, Leicester East in the East Midlands, where Hindus are the largest religious group, comprising 31.8%, and the Christian share is lower at 24.2%.

The largest Sikh share in Great Britain is in Ealing, Southall and Feltham & Heston, both in London, comprising 21.6% and 13.1% respectively. The largest Jewish share is in Finchley & Golders Green and Hendon, both in London, comprising 21.1% and 17.0% respectively. The largest Buddhist share is 3.1% in Aldershot, in the South East.

Religious Diversity in British Parliamentary Constituencies

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Canadian Bar Association Immigration Law Conference: My Presentation – Citizenship: “Harder to Get, Easier to Lose”

2015/05/02 2 Comments

Impact of Citizenship test changes.001I will be presenting this deck on citizenship at the plenary session May 8th. Looking forward to a good discussion with David Manicom of CIC and the audience, moderated by Carter Hoppe.

Citizenship – CBA 8 May 2015 – Final

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Updated Citizenship Statistics: Different Numbers, Same Trend

2015/05/02 Leave a comment

Citizenship Take-Up 2014.001Further to my presentation at Metropolis in March and the media and other commentary the citizenship statistics generated, CIC has provided updated numbers for the full 2014 year, in contrast to the January-October numbers I used.

CIC was also able, for landing years 2005-8, separate out the take-up percentages six years after landing, to provide a more consistent measure (each additional year automatically means more citizens).

But while the number and slope of the curve have changed, the trend of a decline has not.

A longer time series for six years after landing would of course be preferable.

Again, the main reasons for the decline:

  • the processing difficulties and backlog in citizenship processing (currently being addressed so this should be a one-time occurrence, and the difference between the October and full year numbers suggests that is the case);
  • the more difficult citizenship test and higher failure rates (although 2014 January-September numbers show an increase in the overall pass rates to 90.5 percent from an average overall pass rate of 82.7 percent during 2010-13);
  • more rigorous language assessment; and,
  • anti-fraud and misrepresentation measures, including the residency questionnaire, leading to longer processing times.

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New Canadians a better credit risk: Report

2015/05/02 Leave a comment

Not surprising but interesting:

“There is a common misconception that providing credit to new immigrants is a risky move for financial institutions, but the fact is that immigrants have a 20 per cent lower delinquency (rate on credit cards) than the national average of the general population,” explains Regina Malina, senior director of decision insights at Equifax Canada.

In her latest report, she says lenders often approach new Canadians with caution, and wind up presenting these customers with a limited product selection for credit due to a lack of insight into their credit history and risk score.

As a result, limited credit options tend to push customers to seek credit with another institution because the initial options available to them may not meet their changing needs over time, the study found.

For example, many new immigrants end up closing their first Canadian credit cards or let them become inactive, and financial institutions are losing these customers to their competition, often within two years, notes Malina.

But 46 per cent of new immigrants with an inactive or closed credit card still need that product, and 71 per cent of them will turn to a new financial institution that offers a higher limit, says the data and analytics firm study.

Between 2006 and 2011, approximately 1.2 million people immigrated to Canada, primarily from China and India, and one of the first things newcomers do is apply for credit to secure housing, car loans and phones, she said.

“Institutions are competing hard for this key market, as nearly 80 per cent of new immigrants obtain their first financial product from one of five major Canadian banks,” she noted.

“With about 250,000 new immigrants arriving in Canada every year, financial institutions have a big opportunity to build long-term relationships with this growing customer base,” the report states.

New Canadians a better credit risk: Report | Toronto Star.

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Malta Offers Citizenship and All Its Perks for a Price – NYTimes.com

2015/05/02 1 Comment

One approach to citizenship (the mercenary kind):

As wealthy foreigners rush to get citizenship in Malta under a new program, the residency requirement is taking many forms.

Russians rent high-end villas, then stay in five-star hotels when they visit.

An American financier plans to live in Switzerland but occasionally vacation in Malta.

One Vietnamese businessman, eager to start the clock ticking on the 12-month timetable for residency, sent the necessary paperwork on his private jet to expedite renting a property he had never seen.

“They come twice, once to get a residency card and once to get a passport,” said Mark George Hyzler, an immigration lawyer at a firm here.

Malta’s citizenship program, which offers a passport to those willing to pay 1.2 million euros, about $1.3 million, has been controversial since it was introduced more than a year ago. But the residency requirements, meant to make the program more palatable, are only increasing the consternation among critics, who say the program has resulted in the sale of citizenship to the global 0.1 percent.

“They come twice, once to get a residency card and once to get a passport,” said Mark George Hyzler, an immigration lawyer. Credit Darrin Zammit Lupi for The New York Times

Applicants must show they have rented a property in Malta for 12 months. But they do not necessarily have to spend any time in this Mediterranean island nation, raising the question of what genuine links they are establishing.

“It is questionable how the residency requirement is being applied,” said Tonio Fenech, a member of Malta’s Parliament

Lawyers, accountants and real estate agents say the citizenship program has catapulted Malta onto the radar of the global elite. Applications are pouring in, and the program aims to raise €2 billion, more than a quarter of Malta’s gross domestic product.

Malta Offers Citizenship and All Its Perks for a Price – NYTimes.com.

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Conservatives rally for communism memorial as Vietnamese Canadians mark Journey to Freedom Day

2015/05/02 Leave a comment

Making the politics involved even more transparent:

Canada’s minister of state for democratic reform told a crowd of Vietnamese Canadians gathered to commemorate the inaugural Journey to Freedom Day that opposition to the prominent downtown site planned for a memorial for the victims of communism was “shameful” and that the controversial monument will get built.

“It is shameful that the Liberals and the NDP have come out against building this monument at this site, and it is shameful that some in the media have done the same. This is a worthy project, it is the right thing to do, and under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Harper, we will build this monument,” Pierre Poilievre told more than 500 people at a rally on the downtown site chosen for the monument across from the Supreme Court and fronting onto Wellington Street.

Poilievre’s sentiments were echoed by Ludwik Klimkowski, board chair for Tribute to Liberty, the group fundraising to build the monument.

The monument’s prominent location has drawn criticism and opposition from the likes of Mayor Jim Watson, Ottawa architect Barry Padolsky, Shirley Greenberg, an architect who was on the jury that chose the winning design, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Conservatives rally for communism memorial as Vietnamese Canadians mark Journey to Freedom Day | National Post.

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French Muslim girl kicked out of class because her skirt was too long

2015/05/01 Leave a comment

Hard to see how this kind of approach and inflexibility helps integration:

A 15-year-old French Muslim girl has been banned from her classroom for wearing a long black skirt, seen as going against France’s law guaranteeing secularism.

She missed two days this month in a dispute over her skirt, French education officials said Wednesday, and the issue remains unresolved.

A popular Twitter hashtag #jeportemajupecommejeveux (I wear my skirt as I like) popped up on Wednesday after the dispute was made public in the girl’s local newspaper in Charleville-Mézières, in northeast France.

School officials say the skirt itself was not the issue. Rather, the problem was that the student had worn it specifically as a sign of her faith, contravening the 2004 law barring religious symbols in classrooms below university level.

The student, identified as Sarah, was among a group of at least five girls who arrived at the Leo Lagrange school in recent weeks with long skirts — and Islamic headscarves which they removed before entering school, the Reims Academy Services said.

The students were asked to change into “neutral clothing” before coming to class. Sarah complied, then stopped coming to class, the Academy Services said.

“It was a concerted action … with a will to put a (religious) identity on display,” Patrice Dutot, inspector of the Ardennes Academy, which oversees schools in the area, said by telephone.

French Muslim girl kicked out of class because her skirt was too long | Toronto Star.

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