Member of Parliament Kellie Leitch’s suggestion that our government should screen immigrants for anti-Canadian values is just what it seems—a suggestion.
Now it is true that Canadian values definitely are difficult to define. But we can certainly point out examples of anti-Canadian practices in the country, just by looking at recent history. These examples show why this type of screening is an important—albeit uncomfortable—policy proposal, and why it does not have to be targeted at Muslims.
There is a fundamentalist Mormon community in Bountiful, British Columbia, that has practiced polygamy. The Mormons of Bountiful are part of a breakaway sect originating in Arizona. Winston Blackmore, the leader of this community, had more than 20 wives at a time—some of them under 18. He is currently awaiting trial for charges of polygamy.
In both Ontario and Quebec, there was an ultra-orthodox Jewish cult known as Lev Tahor that has practiced arranged marriages for children, among other barbaric things. The cult fled to Guatemala in 2014 after a police crackdown, according to the Globe and Mail.
Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans came from Israel to the United States, and then to Canada to set up in a country that would leave his group in peace, the article said. Helbrans was admitted into Canada as a refugee after having possibly made misleading statements to immigration authorities, according to the CBC.
Would it have been such a bad thing to have a policy in place to question people such as Blackmore or Helbrans for their values?
Nobody is condemning a “foreign faith,” so much as the practices that come with the particular culture. There is an important difference. The Centre for Disease Control estimates half a million girls in the United States have had their genitals mutilated or are at risk of this. This is not an issue of faith.
Now, you might say anyone who would want to subvert the system to get into the country could lie about extremist traditions. This is true, but does that mean we disregard the threat altogether?
We do need to have more information about what screening for anti-Canadian values would look like before the policy is implemented, as it could be done very poorly and intrusively. But the concept is not inherently wrong.
For those of you who consider this offensive, you may want to think about these stories and consider the fact that 67 per cent of Canadians think this is a good idea, including 57 per cent of Liberals and 59 per cent of New Democratic Party voters, according to a Forum Research Inc. poll. This isn’t merely pandering to one part of the voting population.
It is better to be more watchful on the borders of our country than to let ourselves descend into fear and self-doubt by passing laws such as 2015’s Anti-Terrorism Act, and banning certain cultural dresses in public spaces.
So no, Leitch cannot decide what the values of Canadians are. But we sure know what they are not, and we must work from that.
