Sunday, December 23, 2007

Je me souviens

Stephen Harper on immigration today:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper heaped praise on Canada's record of both accommodating and integrating immigrants, rejecting the notion that the country is facing a crisis involving newcomers who won't embrace Canadian values.

Notwithstanding the debate in Quebec and some of the debate during the Ontario election campaign, I first of all think immigrants come to this country to belong to this country,” Mr. Harper said in a lengthy answer. “I also think that the Canadian approach to this, which is a mixture of integration and accommodation, for lack of a better term, is the right approach.”

And Stephen Harper in immigration just six years ago:
"You have to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada; people who live in ghettos and are not integrated into Western Canadian society."
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, in Report Newsmagazine, 2001.

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2 comments:

Raphael Alexander said...

Yes, this is noticeable to us as well. It could be a change of opinion on immigration, or it could be pandering to the minority vote and an attempt to get more conservative migrants to vote for the socially conservative policies of the party.

Jason Hickman said...

I suppose you'd be bitching if he hadn't said something different.

Oh well. Merry Christmas, anyway. Hope you make it back to T.O. safe & sound.