By Roger Belgrave, Brampton Guardian | Link to Article
BRAMPTON— Community leaders were quick to denounce a pamphlet suggesting Canada needs to turn back the clock on immigration before Brampton’s large South Asian diaspora becomes any larger.
By Roger Belgrave, Brampton Guardian | Link to Article
BRAMPTON— Community leaders were quick to denounce a pamphlet suggesting Canada needs to turn back the clock on immigration before Brampton’s large South Asian diaspora becomes any larger.
The flyer, entitled The Changing Face of Brampton, features an old black and white group photograph of white people that is supposed to represent Brampton’s populous many years ago.
That picture is juxtaposed against a photograph of a South Asian crowd— many wearing turbans.
“From this…to this,” the tagline reads. “Is this really what you want?”
Readers are directed to the website for Immigration Watch Canada— a Vancouver-based organization that believes the country’s current immigration policy is turning Canada’s “mainstream” population into a minority.
This kind of message divides the community, said Bramalea-Gore-Malton MPP Jagmeet Singh.
The New Democrat MPP was recognized by the World Sikh Organization as the first turbaned Sikh to be elected to the Ontario legislature.
“We need to celebrate our diversity and celebrate the fact that Canada is first and foremost a country of immigrants,” he insisted. “We’re all immigrants. It’s just a question of when, not if, we came.”
The pamphlet, which has been circulated in parts of Brampton by hand and across the city and country online, drew swift and adamant condemnation from many in the community.
Mayor Susan Fennell expressed her disapproval in a tweet and written statement from her office.
“These flyers are disgusting,” she said, suggesting the document might fall under a hate crime. “Racism has no place in Brampton. I have informed Peel police about these bigoted acts.”
Const. Thomas Ruttan said Peel Regional Police are aware of the flyer and “investigating”.
Singh, who considers himself a strong supporter of freedom of expression, said the pamphlet may not meet the legal definition of hate speech, but it is certainly hurtful.
Dan Murray, of Immigration Watch Canada, said this is not the first time, nor will it be the last time such material is distributed in the community.
Other southern Ontario communities with high concentrations of immigrants, including Markham, will be targeted in the future, he said.
“In general, our organization is concerned with one big question: Why are we bringing 250,000 people into Canada every year,” Murray said.
The federal government cannot provide a sensible answer to that question, according to Murray, adding studies have shown there are no significant economic benefits.
Ottawa has failed to consider the cultural impact of immigration, he added.
“What’s happened in Brampton, and in Markham and quite a few other areas of Canada, is the long-term population in those places has been overwhelmed,” Murray said.
Longtime Canadians are being forced into becoming minorities in their own communities for no good reason, he insisted, immigration also takes an environmental toll.
Murray admits reaction has been mixed, but the campaign is “absolutely not” some sort of racist attack.
“It’s putting Canada and Canadians first. That’s what it’s about,” he said emphatically.
Politicians in Ottawa are afraid to raise this issue and have failed Canadians, according to Murray.
In response to the document, Bramalea-Gore-Malton MP Bal Gosal said diversity makes Canada strong and Brampton one of the best places in the country to live.
“I’m a proud Canadian and proud immigrant, helping to make Canada the best country in the world,” he said.
Read more