‘Multiculturalism gone amok’

Re: Kenney Defends Ban On Niqab For Citizenship Oath, Oct. 18. Jason Kenny is not afraid to stand up for what is right and just. Most politicians are so concerned about losing votes that they don’t even want to discuss the matter, let alone do anything about it. It seems very plain and simple to me: if people come to Canada and don’t like our rules, then they can go back to the country they came from, where they will be more comfortable.

Michael Purcell, Oakville, Ont. This is another case of using religion as an excuse to flaunt Canada’s laws and traditions. Most newcomers of yore — yours truly included — sought to integrate while practising their religion in private. Not anymore. This is diversity and multiculturalism gone amok.

What is missing here is the fact that our faces are more than just a part of our anatomy, like hands or feet. Humans are unique in their facial recognition abilities; able to discern intent and attitude. No one wants to converse or interact with a strip of cloth.

Sigmund Roseth, Mississauga, Ont. Re: … While Chinese Signs Are Sparking A Revolt, Oct. 20. The ongoing debate about Chineseonly signs in Richmond, B.C. is merely a symptom of what has become the proverbial elephant in the room — Canada’s legislated policy of official multiculturalism.

When, on July 7, 1988, Parliament passed the Multiculturalism Act, augmented in 1991, we effectively stopped ascribing any value to the integration of newcomers, and instead institutionalized the notion that host countries aren’t legitimate entities with their own cultures.

These policies have led to the “self-ghettoization” of newcomers, resulting in immigrants remaining outside the lingual and social mainstream. Sadly, Richmond has been a prime example of new immigrants being virtually prompted and encouraged to keep their language and culture at the expense of adopt- ing that of the country in which they have chosen to live.

E.W. Bopp, Tsawwassen, B.C.