Bernier’s racist rants are nonsense, but his intentions are dangerous
Conservative MP is setting the stage for a xenophobic election platform
In the world according to Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, there’s nothing wrong with diversity. There is something wrong, however, with “ever more diversity.” Confused? Me too, but I’ll try to break it down for you. Bernier made a series of illadvised tweets around 8:30 on Sunday night. When many Canadians were presumably relaxing and spending time with family, the MP was sharing a few xenophobic thoughts with strangers on the internet. In his own words, on Twitter:
“Trudeau keeps pushing his ‘diversity is our strength’ slogan. Yes, Canada is a huge and diverse country. This diversity is part of us and should be celebrated. But where do we draw the line?
“… Canada is today one of the countries where people have the most freedom to express their identity. But why should we promote ever more diversity? If anything and everything is Canadian, does being Canadian mean something? Shouldn’t we emphasize our cultural traditions, what we have built and have in common, what makes us different from other cultures and societies?
“Having people live among us who reject basic Western values such as freedom, equality, tolerance and openness doesn’t make us strong. People who refuse to integrate into our society and want to live apart in their ghetto don’t make our society strong.”
It sounds reasonable at first, right? That is, until you start asking yourself, who are these people “living among us” who reject our values? And how does one “emphasize cultural traditions” that don’t really exist?
Unless Bernier is referring to a series of brand loyalties (Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Molson Canadian), an obsession with hockey and a penchant for politeness in situations where it isn’t necessary, I’m not sure what Canuck traditions he believes require emphasis. Are new immigrants not drinking enough bagged milk? Are they saying “soda” instead of “pop”? Are they saying “sorry” only when they really mean it?
It appears we are looking at a solution in search of a problem. And it seems Bernier is irked by the fact that separate from international sporting events, Canadians make lousy patriots and even lousier nationalists. If we do have a national identity, it can be summed up in five words: be nice and carry on. That is the key to our general lack of racial tension compared with other nations. Does this relaxed attitude mean some of our new immigrants may have an easier time living their lives in insular ethnic communities without integrating in the fashion Bernier might like them to? Maybe. But I highly doubt it.
In fact, I’m genuinely curious to know: who are these loners conservatives warn about that categorically refuse to integrate? I assumed that I would have come across some by now, having grown up attending an elementary school and high school with massive first- and second-generation immigrant populations hailing from Iran, South Korea, Pakistan and Hong Kong. Everyone and their parents appeared quite eager to learn English, find work and cheer on our professional sports teams.
“... new immigrants know more about Canadian civics and history than the average adult who was born here.”
I volunteered for four years at the Halifax Public Library tutoring adult ESL and again failed to encounter a new immigrant under the age of 80 who had no interest in learning passable English and the customs of this land. I’d wager, having helped newcomers study for their citizenship tests, that new immigrants know more about Canadian civics and history than the average adult who was born here.
Do immigrants come with baggage from the old country? Of course. Does this baggage sometimes mean they take longer to warm up to ideas like same-sex marriage and gender equality? Of course. But I don’t care, because in my mind diversity means more than diversity of religion and ethnicity. It means diversity of opinion, a concept you’d hope a conservative of all people would embrace. And besides, where odious anti-democratic views are concerned, I’m confident our national identity — “be nice and carry on” — has a way of rubbing off on people. Most Canadian kids are more progressive than their parents.
But if you are genuinely concerned that your immigrant neighbours aren’t integrating into Canadian society — if you fear they don’t understand what this country is all about — don’t engage in xenophobia on the internet. Invite them over for dinner.