The birth of a party

Re: Bernier unconvincing as populist; John Ivison, Sept. 14 Maxime Bernier’s three main themes are right on:

1 — I have not met one person who doesn’t voice the opinion that immigrants force us to accept their values rather than embrace ours. Because of political correctness, we acquiesce.

2 — To get rid of subsidies is a no-brainer. Ill-informed politicians, using taxpayers’ money, should not choose and are not capable of choosing business winners. The marketplace will do that very efficiently.

3 — Supply management is nothing more than pandering to special interest groups for votes. Does any party ever do what’s right for the country? No, they just do what’s necessary to get their party elected or re-elected.

How can you not consider voting PPC? Patrick Delaney, Niagara Falls, Ont.

In the ’50s, ’60s, and 70’s, Delhi, Ontario, had a Belgian Hall and a German Hall. These two nationalities kept their culture and met in their halls for dances, meetings, and beer drinking. They were open to all, so my sister and I attended these halls many times, mostly to drink beer.

The German and Belgian people enjoyed the camaraderie and the halls were largely self-supporting. The different nationalities fully adopted Canada and were proud of being Canadian. This was multiculturalism at its best.

Contrast this with multiculturalism, starting with Pierre Trudeau in 1971. Our government now pays people to keep their culture and their differences at the expense of our Canadian culture; the government, by its acts, denies that we have a culture in Canada.

Maxime Bernier is correct in that immigration has to be scaled back. When immigrants arrive in very large numbers, they don’t have to assimilate. They even keep their own language.

Witness Richmond, B.C., where there are some shopping centres with no English signs. The predominant languages are Mandarin and Cantonese.

Canada has one of the highest immigration levels per capita in the world. The oft-quoted reason is the population would decline without this level. The numbers belie this view. Canada’s annual increase in population is 1.2 per cent, or 440,000 per year, more than the 310,000 immigrants allowed in last year (not counting the 50,000 border crossers this year). The numbers prove that we could reduce the levels somewhat to help ensure that there is assimilation in language and culture. Ralph McClellan, West Vancouver

The People’s Party of Canada?!?! Seriously? That sounds like communism to me! David Montgomery, Cambridge Ont.