NO TIME FOR LE PEN

So far, Marine Le Pen has been getting the cold shoulder she deserves during her visit to Quebec. She’s being spurned by politicians of all stripes. Le Pen leads France’s Front National party, whose anti-immigration policies and antiimmigrant discourse are toxic and divisive — many would say racist.

Though a representative suggested she would be meeting with federal and provincial politicians, all the major parties were quick to douse that possibility. Good for them.

When it was reported she had met with young members of the Parti Québécois, leader Pierre Karl Péladeau — to his credit — wasted no time in expressing his shock and the official disapproval of his party. Premier Philippe Couillard’s office offered an uncompromising “no” when asked whether government members would be meeting Le Pen. Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault also declined. And Québec solidaire MNA Amir Khadir said he’d be open to speaking with Le Pen, but strictly to underline the point that Quebec is a welcoming society.

Sunday, Le Pen undiplomatically criticized Canada’s immigration policy, telling a Quebec City news conference “a multicultural society is a conflicted society.”

Her words were in sharp contrast to the scene on Ste-Catherine St. that same day, where tens of thousands of Montrealers of all backgrounds gathered for the annual St. Patrick’s Parade — a proud showcase of diversity and inclusiveness.

Of course, the parade’s raison d’être is to celebrate Irish culture and community, including the invaluable contributions of immigrants from Ireland who helped lead the way for so many others from around the world. But all Montrealers have made it their own.

If Quebec’s political leaders had little time for Le Pen, ordinary Quebecers were no more interested in the foreign visitor’s opinion.

It’s disconcerting, though, that Le Pen has found significant support in France as the European Union struggles with the Syrian refugee crisis, causing French parties on the left and traditional right to band together to stop the Front National from making serious electoral gains in regional elections.

In the United States, Donald Trump has tapped into anti-immigrant anxieties to become the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination.

Thankfully, things are different here. Our federal government has faith in Canadians’ generosity toward refugees and understanding of the economic importance of immigration. Last week, in a meeting with the Montreal Gazette’s editorial board, Immigration Minister John McCallum offered an overview of his government’s various measures to liberalize this country’s immigration and refugee policies, and called Canadians “a welcoming people.”

And indeed we are. Except to Marine Le Pen, that is.