Stephen Harper explains ‘old-stock Canadians’ comment: Defining the Term and What the Numbers Say

Hard to avoid drawing conclusion that this was not a slip of the tongue and was somewhat calculated given Teneycke’s comment that this was part of the ‘war room’ discussions. Even harder to believe that his definition, as stated Friday, second-generation or more, is how his base (and most Canadians) would hear it.

That being said, hard to find a neutral term for ‘old stock Canadians’ – I tend to use ‘long-established’ Canadians (in my mind  third-generation or more) rather than the ‘mainstream’ (excluding others).

The above chart shows the generations of different ethnic groups. Using the third generation definition, ‘old stock’ refers to European, mainly Western and Northern European ethnic groups (other African reflects the long presence of Blacks, Oceania is largely Australian). The difference between ‘old stock’ and ‘new stock’ visible minorities is clear.

In Quebec, “de souche” has a longer-term context, dating back to the original immigration from France before la Conquête, as is periodically played out in Quebec identity politics (e.g., Bouchard-Taylor Commission, Quebec Values Charter:

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has elaborated on what he meant when he alluded to “old-stock Canadians” during last night’s leaders’ debate, saying it refers to “Canadians who have been the descendants of immigrants for one or more generations.”

Harper used the term Thursday while responding to criticism from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau about the government’s move to scrap health-care services for some refugees.

The Tory leader asserted that the measures imposed by his government in 2012 to deny special health care to people whose claim for refugee status had been denied were supported by new immigrants and “old-stock” Canadians alike.

His retort immediately drew ire on social media, as many people seemed confused about what the phrase actually meant.

In his response to CBC News reporter Hannah Thibedeau’s question on Friday, Harper did not repeat the term — nor fully answer why he used it.

The Conservative leader repeated his position that the government should not give special health-care benefits “better than received by ordinary Canadians to people who are clearly not refugees and have been judged as such.”

“I know that that is a position supported widely through the Canadian population, it’s supported by Canadians who are themselves immigrants and also supported by the rest of us, by Canadians who have been the descendants of immigrants for one or more generations.”

….Conservative spokesman Kory Teneycke said after the debate, however, that he doesn’t “think there’s any insult or malice in that phrase.”
The Tory election war room had obviously anticipated the phrase could become a point of contention. Before Friday’s event, campaign representatives circulated an email to media that included quotes by Liberal politicians, including Trudeau, that contained the term.

The email cited a 2007 Toronto Star article that reported Trudeau had wondered in an earlier interview with a Montreal newspaper whether the Québécois nation included everyone in Quebec or just the “old stock” pioneers of the province.

The Conservatives also highlighted a 2014 quote from former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, translated from French, and a 2008 quote from current Liberal candidate Pablo Rogriguez that included the term, albeit in varying contexts.

Source: Stephen Harper explains ‘old-stock Canadians’ comment – Politics – CBC News