Harper's Very Cynical, 'Very Ethnic' Strategy

The Conservatives are courting the minority vote while dismantling aid for immigrants.

The Harper regime’s apology for the Chinese head tax and, later, its inquiry into the Air India plane bombing were rightly applauded by members of the Chinese and South Asian communities in Canada. However, given the disclosure of the party’s “very ethnic” election strategy and improper fundraising tactics, the political motivations behind these seemingly noble gestures are becoming clearer. It seems likely that Stephen Harper is trying to prize votes from the opposition parties in these communities by reminding them of the “noble” gestures that the Conservative party has made, and by claiming to share the values that these communities hold dear.

Harper and his communities’ ambassador, Jason Kenney, attempted to win over these targeted communities by visiting India and China and, while they were there, making sure that they were seen in cultural and religious places. This strategy served to demonstrate their sensibility to the values and interests of the Indian and Chinese peoples, who form important communities in Canada. The truly sad reality is that Harper is treating these “very ethnic” communities not as groups of mainstream Canadians, but as election prize commodities.

The Conservatives continue to make increasingly veiled and ideological attacks on key institutions that promote the integration of new minority immigrations into Canadian society, and that combat racial discrimination and injustice. These attacks have already aroused suspicions that, when it comes to courting ethnic communities, Harper’s government may not have the best motives at heart.

For instance, the Harper regime recently cut some $43 million in funding that was previously designated for immigrant settlement agencies in Ontario, some of which have been operating for more than 25 years and have helped the most vulnerable immigrants. As a result of this funding cut, 14 Toronto agencies will lose their funding, and those that survive will lose between 15 and 70 per cent of their funding. Without the English-language training and job and housing assistance that these agencies provide, many new immigrants will spiral down the socio-economic ladder. One agency worker, whose organization is losing 70 per cent of its funding, concluded that the voice of the immigrant community will disappear.

After making these cuts, the Harper regime did not merely reallocate funds as it claimed. Instead, it actually decreased the national funding for immigrants by some $53 million. Compare this figure to the $1 billion spent on the prime minister’s 72-hour G8/G20 photo op, and then tell me: To what extent does Harper’s government really care about, and share the values of, these ethnic communities?

Keep in mind that the Conservatives also killed the Court Challenges Program, which offered small amounts of financial assistance to racial minorities and other disadvantaged Canadians, allowing them to use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Constitution to protect their rights in the courts. The program is critical for minorities who can’t afford to access this judicial protection on their own. Its purpose was to develop key rulings from the courts that would advance the equality rights of communities that face discrimination in Canada.

The so-called “very ethnic” communities in Canada are constantly facing systemic discrimination challenges. Tens of thousands of highly educated and skilled immigrants are struggling to overcome the barriers that prevent them from receiving recognition for their qualifications. Furthermore, the catch-22 requirement for “Canadian experience” often acts as a form of disguised discrimination, preventing immigrants from receiving due credit for their skills even after they have spent huge amounts of time and money gaining the qualifications that are required in Canada.

A revived Court Challenges Program could combat such forms of discrimination. True champions of justice and equality seek not only to rectify injustices of the past, but also to promote change for current and future communities – especially when they claim to care about, and share values with, those communities. Using the guise of justice, equality, and shared values to chase votes from minority groups, while at the same time relegating them to the status of “very ethnic” communities, is far from a signifier of respect.

Photo courtesy of Reuters.