By Philip Raphael, Richmond News | Link to Article
By Philip Raphael, Richmond News | Link to Article
RICHMOND, B.C. — Members of the group Immigration Watch Canada took to the Blundell Road overpass in Richmond above Highway 99 early Wednesday morning to protest Canada’s immigration policy, blaming it in part for the Lower Mainland’s traffic woes.
The gathering of about a half-dozen people unfurled a large, yellow- and black-lettered sign stating “Fight gridlock: cut immigration” for northbound commuters to see.
Spokesman Dan Murray said the level of immigration in Canada is unwarranted and the group wants the federal government to reduce the numbers, which he believes would help lessen the impact on city streets.
“More people, more cars,” said Murray. “Every two people who come in as immigrants bring another car onto the road. That’s how it works.”
Murray argued Canada’s immigration policy is outmoded and should be cut down from the 250,000 or so people he said have been accepted annually since 1990.
“Since that time, Ottawa has never provided a single iota of justification from bringing in 250,000 people,” he said. “Our current immigration intake is an abnormality in Canada’s immigration history. It’s causing all kinds of problems — one of which is traffic gridlock.”