Keeping trails free of garbage
An Island woman is “appalled” after recently receiving a flyer in the mail from an organization criticizing Canada’s immigration policy.
Trudy Spooner, member at large with the Council of Canadians P.E.I. chapter, didn’t pay attention to the flyer at first.
It wasn’t until her husband brought it to her attention that she took a closer look.
“He said, ‘Oh, well the racists are doing well on P.E.I.’, and I said, ‘Excuse me?’ So, I looked, and my first reaction was like, ‘this is crazy’,” she said. “At first I had to give my head a shake and think, ‘I’m not really reading this’.”
What was most appalling to Spooner was a reference that diversity is a “disaster”, and when it said that “senseless” immigration policies will lead to the “replacement of Canada’s founding majority”.
“That’s bonkers,” she said. Spooner wrote a letter to the editor that was published on Saturday in The Guardian. She also plans on sending letters to her MLA and her MP.
Spooner thought about just tossing the flyer, circulated by Immigration Watch Canada, out with the trash, but decided remaining silent wasn’t an option.
“I thought if I don’t say something, then it’s just as bad as if I agreed with them, and it lets it go unchecked,” she said. “I just cannot stand by and have potentially new immigrants getting this in their mail and thinking, ‘Oh, Islanders don’t welcome us’.”
Immigrants help to strengthen the country in many ways, so Canadians should be welcoming, she added.
“I am sure that a lot of people come to Canada because it’s wonderful here, so let’s be wonderful to them,” she said. “Let’s be welcoming and not do this bullshit.”
The flyers were distributed by Canada Post.
In a statement, Canada Post said it “is required by law to deliver all items of mail that are deposited with it. The content of any mail item is the sole responsibility of the sender. Anyone who has concerns about the content of this flyer should contact its publisher.”
The Guardian was unable to reach anyone at Immigration Watch Canada for comment.
The Town of Stratford is providing support to residents’ efforts to clean its beaches and trails.
The town has been working cooperatively with Bob Jensen, who was recently in the news with an initiative called Hike and Bag.
Jensen has been challenging other users of beaches and trails to bring along a garbage bag when they go for a walk and to collect the garbage they come across to keep it out of waterways. Anyone interested in signing up can email info@townofstratford.ca.