Critics say Canada could lose multiculturalism if immigration amendments pass

THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Canada could lose its rich history of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity if controversial amendments are made to the country's immigration law, concerned immigrant groups said Tuesday.

The proposed legislation would give the federal government new power to fast-track certain types of applicants, while refusing to even consider others, and would help target highly sought after skilled workers.

Many visible minorities - who surpassed five million in number in the latest census - fear the proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act would result in immigrants being discriminated against and judged only as commodities, said Sima Sahar Zerehi of the group Status Now.

"Canadian immigration is being totally reverted from a system that is based on a humanitarian basis to a system that is totally being catered to economic gains," she said.

"Immigrants are being stripped of humanity and viewed as strictly economic units - and they can then be discarded when they're no longer useful."

The new policy could spell the demise of well-established ethnic communities, populations that would shrink instead of grow as new immigration priorities are established, said Zerehi, who is Iranian and came to Canada as a refugee.

Eventually, some ethnic cultures could disappear almost entirely from Canadian society as a result, she said.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley hasn't publicly stated exactly which skill sets would be prioritized and which would be less valued.

The seemingly secretive nature of the government's plan is creating worry and anxiety in ethnic communities, said Victor Wong of the Canadian-Chinese National Council.

"It's a lack of transparency that's caused this climate of distrust among the community organizations and that's why you're hearing so many complaints about this," Wong said.

The government should withdraw the proposed amendments for now, release a discussion paper outlining why it wants to change the legislation, and then consult ethnic communities before going any further, Wong said Tuesday at a hearing of the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

"This has been the process in the past," he said.

The Conservatives have included the immigration measures in its larger budget-implementation bill, which is a confidence matter that would trigger an election if the opposition parties voted it down.

Zeheri said she's worried the Liberals will not vote against the immigration amendments because they don't want to face an election any time soon.

The legislative amendments wouldn't be enacted overnight and the public, stakeholders and the opposition will have many opportunities to provide input to the government, said Ed Komarnicki, the Conservative MP for Souris-Moose Mountain in Saskatchewan, who attended the committee hearing in Toronto.

Komarnicki defended the amendments as a much-needed fix to the status quo, which is in desperate need or repair.

"Things need to change and we need to do it now, not years down the road," he said.

© The Canadian Press, 2008