Ottawa, October 5, 2007
Canadians have built a diverse society based on mutual respect and peaceful co-existence. However, recent events remind us all that we can never take this achievement for granted, and that we must always be vigilant against hatred inspired by race, religion, and ethnicity.
According to media reports, two young men calling themselves the "Port City Aryans" were recently sentenced in a New Brunswick Court for having physically assaulted Chinese university students.
As well, many Canadians were deeply troubled to hear of recent media reports of physical attacks on Canadians of Asian descent here in central Ontario. Such incidents are hateful, cowardly, and intolerable.
As Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), I am extremely concerned about assaults motivated by race or ethnicity. They are harmful to the individual victim, to the community that has been targeted, and to every Canadian who embraces freedom, human rights, and the rule of law - our essential values.
This month marks the one hundredth anniversary of the infamous Anti-Asian Vancouver Riot, when a mob of hundreds rampaged through areas populated by Asian newcomers to Canada vandalizing their homes and businesses. We have come a long way since 1907, but we must all work together to ensure the hatred which motivated those attacks never again takes root in Canada.
Information:
Alykhan Velshi
Director of Communications
Office of the Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP
Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)
819 934-1122
