harsha

MP Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, was embarrassed at his own event on Monday, March 14, 2011, as members of No One Is Illegal (NOII), Vancouver and its allies crashed his ‘welcome to Canada’ swearing-in citizenship ceremony.

NOII activists disrupted the Vancouver ceremony for roughly half an hour before RCMP officers in uniform removed them; while unable to remain in the ceremony chambers, they  did prevent the door from closing while demanding to be heard. 

According to Nassim Elbardouh of NOII, “Approximately 25 of us, including many recent immigrants, came to protest and challenge this repressive Minister of Censorship and Deportation. It is clear that he only wanted a photo-op as part of his so-called ethnic media strategy.”

“He hid out the whole time while we waited and surrounded the door in anticipation of his arrival. Instead, he had over ten police officers violently remove us, and two people were repeatedly threatened with arrest. Apparently we have the right to protest outside but not to actually challenge and question him to his face”, Elbardouh said.

After the ceremony, MP Kenney described No One Is Illegal as a “bunch of extremists who don’t think we should deport criminals from Canada.”

Members of NOII aren’t friends of Kenney, either.

According to statistics compiled in its press release:

– The number of refugees allowed into the country has dropped by 25% under Kenney (Source: Toronto Star, Feb. 19, 2011)

– According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s annual report the number of refugees who had their asylum claims approved dropped by 56% over the past four years.

– This annual report also revealed a decreasing “target” of 11,000 people as the number of accepted asylum seekers and sponsored family members.

– The number of family-class immigrants accepted into Canada has dropped by 10,000 since the Conservatives took power. (Source: Toronto Star, Feb. 19, 2011)

– The government has decreased skilled worker visas by about 20 per cent (Source: CBC News, Feb. 14, 2011)

– Despite assuring Parliament that admissions in the parents and grandparents visa category would remain stable in 2011, internal documents reveal that Kenney is planning on slashing parent and grandparent visas by more than 25% in 2011. (Source: The Link, Feb. 20, 2011)

– Since 2008 the number of temporary foreign workers (>250,000 people) in Canada now exceeds the number of permanent residents (<250,000 people). (Source, CIC statistics 2008)

– Most recently, Kenney’s refugee Bill C-11 has created a racist two-tier legal system based on nationality.

– Kenney supports Quebec’s Bill C-94 that discriminates against women who wear the niqab (face veil) by denying them essential public services including health and education, thus perpetuating gender inequality by forcing Muslim women not to wear certain clothes.

– Kenney spoke against a UN report documenting poverty, discrimination, and racial profiling in Canada.

– Kenney has labelled Iraq war resisters as bogus refugee claimants.

For more information on Canadian immigration concerns, please see: The collusion of immigration enforcement and policing must end

 

Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...