Jason Kenney
Encyclopedia
Jason T. Kenney, PC
, MP
(born May 30, 1968) is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast
in the Canadian House of Commons
since 1997.
Initially elected as a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada
, Kenney was re-elected as a Canadian Alliance
candidate in 2000, and has since been re-elected four times as the candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada
.
Following the Conservative victory in the 2006 general election, Kenney was appointed Parliamentary Secretary
to the Prime Minister of Canada
. On January 4, 2007, he was sworn in as the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism
and Canadian Identity, and as a Privy Councillor
. Kenney has held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism since October 30, 2008.
and raised in Saskatchewan
. He is the grandson of band leader Mart Kenney
. He graduated from the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
, a Catholic
, co-educational, boarding high school located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan
.
He studied philosophy
at the St. Ignatius Institute
of the University of San Francisco
, a Jesuit university in San Francisco, California
. While there, he sat on the governing board of the Associated Students Group. When fellow student Laurie Moore won a challenge allowing her to distribute pro-choice literature on campus, Kenney stated to a CNN reporter that "The pro-choice group, which is politically activating to legalize abortion-on-demand on this campus, while using campus facilities, is essentially destroying the mission and the purpose of the university." Kenney and others later petitioned the archbishop of San Francisco to drop the word "Catholic" from the university's name, in an effort to pressure the institution to ban the pro-choice group from campus.
, and in 1988 he served as an executive assistant to Ralph Goodale
, who at that time was party leader. Kenney later served a term as Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Association, and later as President and CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
, a political advocacy organization. Kenney has never worked in the private sector.
He has also served as a volunteer director for several non-profit and political organizations. These include the Catholic Civil Rights League
and the National Foundation for Family Research.
(1997–2000), which became the Canadian Alliance
(2000–2003). He co-chaired the United Alternative
Task Force, and served as the national co-chairman of Stockwell Day
's campaign for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance. He also served as National Co-Chair of the Canadian Alliance 2000 election campaign. While on the Opposition benches in 1997-2005, Kenney served in a number of prominent roles in the Shadow Cabinet
, including Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition, critic for Canada-United States relations, critic for National Revenue, and critic for Finance.
Kenney supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
and suggested that the Chrétien
government's refusal to support the war would damage Canada's relationship with the United States of America.
In 2005, during parliamentary debate on same-sex marriage in Canada
, Kenney stated that fellow MPs Libby Davies
and Svend Robinson
, both of whom had opposite sex relationships before coming out
, stood as proof that marriage law doesn't discriminate against LGBT
individuals since they can still marry members of the opposite sex.
On February 6, 2006, he was appointed to be Parliamentary Secretary
to the Prime Minister of Canada
Stephen Harper
, with the portfolio of multiculturalism
.
In January 2005, during a government trade mission in China
, Kenney visited the home of recently deceased Zhao Ziyang
, the deposed Communist party chief. Zhao was a reformist purged for sympathizing with pro-democracy protesters before they were crushed by the military in 1989.
In April 2006, Kenney attended a rally supporting the People's Mujahedin of Iran
, a socialist group that advocates the overthrow of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Kenney later stated that he did not know at the time the group was on a Canadian terror watchlist.
While at university, Kenney was an outspoken anti-abortion activist, speaking out against campus groups who promoted abortion rights.
Kenney, speaking in Jerusalem, Israel in December 2009 about Canadian government funding of human rights organizations, said “We have de-funded organizations, most recently, like KAIROS who are taking a leadership role in the boycott
[of Israel]. We’re receiving a lot of criticism for these decisions … but we believe we have done these things for the right reasons, and we stand by these decisions.” He later added in a letter to the Toronto Star
that “While I disagree with the nature of KAIROS’s militant stance toward the Jewish homeland
, that is not the reason their request for taxpayer funding was denied."
has stated that Kenney more frequently travels to events held by nine ethnic groups in particular: Koreans, Chinese, Jews, South Asians, Persians, Poles, Jamaicans, Filipinos, and Vietnamese.
According to the Globe & Mail, the Chinese-Canadian community nicknamed Kenney the "Smiling Buddha" in reference to his efforts to garner ethnic votes on the basis of what some perceive as commonly held conservative values. Kenney justified his efforts to gain ethnic support by stating: “You observe how these new Canadians live their lives. They are the personification of Margaret Thatcher's aspirational class. They're all about a massive work ethic.” In April 2009, Kenney officially launched Asian Heritage Month to "better understand the rich diversity the Asian Canadian community brings to Canada.” Kenney noted that “There were 32 Liberal MPs from the GTA, and of the hundreds of ethnocultural events I attended in the past five years going from Scarborough to Mississauga, typically there were no Liberals there ... They treated the ethnic communities like passive vote banks owed to them through the supposed myth of Pierre Trudeau. They mailed it in.”
In August 2006, Kenney compared Hezbollah with the Nazi Party of 1930s Germany
. He also rebuked Prime Minister of Lebanon Fuad Saniora for having criticized Canada's support for Israel
in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
. Saniora had argued that most nations of the world, apart from Canada, regarded Israel's military actions in Lebanon as disproportionate and illegal. Kenney's response was, "Canada took a responsible position and I would hope that the Lebanese prime minister would express gratitude" for supporting attempts to help the Lebanese government regain control over those parts of its territory controlled by Hezbollah.
In early 2008, Kenney openly supported Progressive Conservative candidate Jonathan Denis
, who later became the MLA for Calgary-Egmont
, defeating Liberal Cathie Williams and the independent candidate, Craig Chandler, by a large margin. In early 2008 Kenney posted an announcement on his web site announcing that the Government of Canada recognizes the flag of the Republic of Vietnam as the symbol of the Vietnamese-Canadian community. He said "Our government recognises the flag as an important symbol of the Vietnamese-Canadian community's independence, strength, and belief in national unity,and attempts to disparage it are a deeply troubling attack on one of Canada's ethnic communities and on the principles of multiculturalism." In May 2008 he made a speech at one of their rallies lending strong support to their program.
. He said that unlike in the Vietnam era, the current asylum seekers are neither "draft dodger
s" nor "resisters", but rather are "people who volunteer to serve in the armed forces of a democratic country and simply change their mind to desert. And that's fine, that's the decision they have made, but they are not refugees." He also said that he considered them to be "bogus refugee claimants". These remarks have been seen by some supporters of the asylum seekers as being a form of interference in the asylum process.
from coming to Ontario, British Columbia and Québec, where he planned to give a series of speeches at the end of the month. The Immigration Minister's Office stated that the Canada Border Services Agency deemed Galloway as inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns. Alykhan Velshi
, a spokesperson for Kenney, claimed that Galloway had openly admitted giving "financial support" to Hamas
, which is classified as a terrorist group in Canada. Galloway said his donation of ambulances, medicine, and toys to the people of Gaza (which is governed by Hamas) did not materially support terrorism. The Federal Court
found that Kenney's office had acted inappropriately, using "a flawed and overreaching interpretation of the standards under Canadian law for labelling someone as engaging in terrorism or being a member of a terrorist organization." The presiding judge also determined that the Canadian Border Services Agency had produced its assessment of Galloway on scant evidence after receiving instructions from Velshi.
In October 2010, Galloway said he would sue the Canadian Government for breaching his privacy rights and branding him a terrorist. Galloway later filed a statement of claim on April 12, 2011 citing "alleging defamation and misfeasance of public office".
The Globe and Mail
later pointed out that while Kenney was quick to refuse Galloway entry into Canada, his department gave entry to Geert Wilders
, who has compared Islam
to Nazism
.
reported that Kenney excised information about same-sex marriage legalization and the decriminalization of homosexuality in the new Citizenship and Immigration study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, against the recommendations of his deputy minister. Kenney denied that report by stating, "I did not do such a thing".
The new rules would not confer a Canadian citizenship on children born outside of Canada to parents who were also born outside of Canada. Thus for children to obtain Canadian citizenship if born abroad, they would have to have one parent who was either born in Canada or naturalized in Canada.
”; people who should legally be Canadian citizens but have ‘fallen through the cracks'. Bill C-37 corrected the citizenship issues for 95% of “Lost Canadians” and special grants were to have been made to resolve the remaining 5%. Kenney claims that the Lost Canadians group should not be politicizing their plight but they should be making a “solid application and a strong case. Kenney's predecessor, Diane Finley, had authorized a special grant of citizenship to Guy Valliere. Kenney never followed through with this grant and Guy Valliere died without citizenship, even though he served honourably in the Canadian Forces during World War II.
instead of that of fellow Conservative MP John Duncan
(no relation). This has led to questions regarding possible partisan fundraising with the use of government staff and resources. There was also criticism over the language used in the letter, which labeled some groups and ridings as 'ethnic' or 'very ethnic'. Kenney publicly apologized for the mailing error, citing a staffer's inexperience as the explanation.
magazine; "one of Canada's leading conservative activists" by the Globe and Mail; and "one of 21 Canadians to watch in the 21st century" by the Financial Post
magazine.
On May 13, 2009, Maclean's magazine, in association with the Dominion Institute, L'actualité
and presenting sponsor Enbridge
presented Kenney with the award for "Best Overall MP".
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, MP
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
(born May 30, 1968) is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast
Calgary Southeast
Calgary Southeast is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. The district is in the southeast part of the City of Calgary...
in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
since 1997.
Initially elected as a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, Kenney was re-elected as a Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
candidate in 2000, and has since been re-elected four times as the candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
.
Following the Conservative victory in the 2006 general election, Kenney was appointed Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
. On January 4, 2007, he was sworn in as the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
and Canadian Identity, and as a Privy Councillor
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
. Kenney has held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism since October 30, 2008.
Education and early life
Kenney was born in Oakville, OntarioOakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
and raised in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. He is the grandson of band leader Mart Kenney
Mart Kenney
Herbert Martin "Mart" Kenney was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader whose big band Mart Kenney and His Western Gentlemen was Canada's premier dance band during the 1930s and 1940s.-Musical career:...
. He graduated from the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
- History :In 1920, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis opened the Notre Dame of the Prairies Convent and St. Augustine's residential elementary and high school for boys and girls at Wilcox, Saskatchewan; a small town on the Canadian prairies south of Regina – the provincial capital.Father Athol...
, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, co-educational, boarding high school located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan
Wilcox, Saskatchewan
Wilcox is a small village in Saskatchewan, Canada. Located approximately 41 kilometers south of Regina, Wilcox is best known for being the home of the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a boarding school for students in grades 9-12. The village is also home to the Notre Dame Hounds ice hockey...
.
He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the St. Ignatius Institute
St. Ignatius Institute
The Saint Ignatius Institute is an undergraduate program at the University of San Francisco , a private university operated by the California Province of the Society of Jesus in San Francisco, California....
of the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, a Jesuit university in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. While there, he sat on the governing board of the Associated Students Group. When fellow student Laurie Moore won a challenge allowing her to distribute pro-choice literature on campus, Kenney stated to a CNN reporter that "The pro-choice group, which is politically activating to legalize abortion-on-demand on this campus, while using campus facilities, is essentially destroying the mission and the purpose of the university." Kenney and others later petitioned the archbishop of San Francisco to drop the word "Catholic" from the university's name, in an effort to pressure the institution to ban the pro-choice group from campus.
Early career
Kenney was originally a member of the Saskatchewan Liberal PartySaskatchewan Liberal Party
The Saskatchewan Liberal Party is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.-Early history :The party dominated Saskatchewan politics for the province's first forty years providing six of the first seven Premiers, and being in power for all but five of the years between the...
, and in 1988 he served as an executive assistant to Ralph Goodale
Ralph Goodale
Ralph Edward Goodale, PC, MP was Canada's Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006 and continues to be a Liberal Member of Parliament...
, who at that time was party leader. Kenney later served a term as Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Association, and later as President and CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a Canadian federally incorporated, non-profit organization and taxpayers union that claims to have over 70,000 supporters across Canada. The organization advocates lower taxes, and a reduction of what it considers to be waste in government...
, a political advocacy organization. Kenney has never worked in the private sector.
He has also served as a volunteer director for several non-profit and political organizations. These include the Catholic Civil Rights League
Catholic Civil Rights League
The Catholic Civil Rights League is a Canadian lay Catholic organization committed to combating anti-Catholic defamation, working with the media to secure a fair hearing for Catholic positions on issues of public debate, and lobbying government and intervening in court challenges in support of law...
and the National Foundation for Family Research.
Federal politics
He was a member of the Reform Party of CanadaReform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
(1997–2000), which became the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
(2000–2003). He co-chaired the United Alternative
Unite the Right
The Unite the Right movement was a Canadian political movement which existed from around 1996 to 2003. The movement came into being when it became clear that neither of Canada's two main right-of-center political parties: the Reform Party of Canada or the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
Task Force, and served as the national co-chairman of Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
's campaign for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance. He also served as National Co-Chair of the Canadian Alliance 2000 election campaign. While on the Opposition benches in 1997-2005, Kenney served in a number of prominent roles in the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
, including Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition, critic for Canada-United States relations, critic for National Revenue, and critic for Finance.
Kenney supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and suggested that the Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
government's refusal to support the war would damage Canada's relationship with the United States of America.
In 2005, during parliamentary debate on same-sex marriage in Canada
Same-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
, Kenney stated that fellow MPs Libby Davies
Libby Davies
Libby Davies is a Canadian Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party , representing the riding of Vancouver East in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2007, she was named Deputy Leader of the federal NDP, jointly with Thomas Mulcair.-Background:Davies was born in Aldershot, England and...
and Svend Robinson
Svend Robinson
Svend Robinson is a former Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004, representing the suburban Vancouver-area constituency of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party...
, both of whom had opposite sex relationships before coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
, stood as proof that marriage law doesn't discriminate against LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
individuals since they can still marry members of the opposite sex.
On February 6, 2006, he was appointed to be Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, with the portfolio of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
.
Human rights
Kenney has also been active in promoting human rights and freedom of religion in autocratic countries. He is a member of Parliament's Canada-Tibet Committee, and has hosted the Dalai Lama.In January 2005, during a government trade mission in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Kenney visited the home of recently deceased Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
, the deposed Communist party chief. Zhao was a reformist purged for sympathizing with pro-democracy protesters before they were crushed by the military in 1989.
In April 2006, Kenney attended a rally supporting the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
, a socialist group that advocates the overthrow of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Kenney later stated that he did not know at the time the group was on a Canadian terror watchlist.
While at university, Kenney was an outspoken anti-abortion activist, speaking out against campus groups who promoted abortion rights.
Kenney, speaking in Jerusalem, Israel in December 2009 about Canadian government funding of human rights organizations, said “We have de-funded organizations, most recently, like KAIROS who are taking a leadership role in the boycott
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions refers to a campaign first initiated on 9 July 2005 by 171 Palestinian non-governmental organizations in support of the Palestinian cause ".....
[of Israel]. We’re receiving a lot of criticism for these decisions … but we believe we have done these things for the right reasons, and we stand by these decisions.” He later added in a letter to the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
that “While I disagree with the nature of KAIROS’s militant stance toward the Jewish homeland
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, that is not the reason their request for taxpayer funding was denied."
Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
On January 4, 2007, he was sworn in as the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, and as a Privy Councillor. Kenney has held the post of Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism since October 30, 2008. In this capacity, Kenney has been the Harper government's representative to ethnic communities in Canada. Kenney makes frequent appearances at South Asian ethnic events such as DesiFest in Toronto and also concerts such as Gurdas Mann's concert in Vancouver in 2009. The Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
has stated that Kenney more frequently travels to events held by nine ethnic groups in particular: Koreans, Chinese, Jews, South Asians, Persians, Poles, Jamaicans, Filipinos, and Vietnamese.
According to the Globe & Mail, the Chinese-Canadian community nicknamed Kenney the "Smiling Buddha" in reference to his efforts to garner ethnic votes on the basis of what some perceive as commonly held conservative values. Kenney justified his efforts to gain ethnic support by stating: “You observe how these new Canadians live their lives. They are the personification of Margaret Thatcher's aspirational class. They're all about a massive work ethic.” In April 2009, Kenney officially launched Asian Heritage Month to "better understand the rich diversity the Asian Canadian community brings to Canada.” Kenney noted that “There were 32 Liberal MPs from the GTA, and of the hundreds of ethnocultural events I attended in the past five years going from Scarborough to Mississauga, typically there were no Liberals there ... They treated the ethnic communities like passive vote banks owed to them through the supposed myth of Pierre Trudeau. They mailed it in.”
In August 2006, Kenney compared Hezbollah with the Nazi Party of 1930s Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He also rebuked Prime Minister of Lebanon Fuad Saniora for having criticized Canada's support for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
. Saniora had argued that most nations of the world, apart from Canada, regarded Israel's military actions in Lebanon as disproportionate and illegal. Kenney's response was, "Canada took a responsible position and I would hope that the Lebanese prime minister would express gratitude" for supporting attempts to help the Lebanese government regain control over those parts of its territory controlled by Hezbollah.
In early 2008, Kenney openly supported Progressive Conservative candidate Jonathan Denis
Jonathan Denis
Jonathan Denis, QC is a Canadian politician and currently Minister of Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security for the province of Alberta. He represents the constituency of Calgary-Egmont as a Progressive Conservative in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
, who later became the MLA for Calgary-Egmont
Calgary Southeast
Calgary Southeast is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. The district is in the southeast part of the City of Calgary...
, defeating Liberal Cathie Williams and the independent candidate, Craig Chandler, by a large margin. In early 2008 Kenney posted an announcement on his web site announcing that the Government of Canada recognizes the flag of the Republic of Vietnam as the symbol of the Vietnamese-Canadian community. He said "Our government recognises the flag as an important symbol of the Vietnamese-Canadian community's independence, strength, and belief in national unity,and attempts to disparage it are a deeply troubling attack on one of Canada's ethnic communities and on the principles of multiculturalism." In May 2008 he made a speech at one of their rallies lending strong support to their program.
Iraq War resisters
In January 2009, Kenney made public statements critical of U.S. soldiers seeking asylum in Canada who were facing punishment for their refusal to participate in the Iraq warCanada and Iraq War resisters
During the Iraq War, which began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there were United States military personnel who refused to participate, or continue to participate, in that specific war. Their refusal meant that they faced the possibility of punishment in the United States according to Article 85...
. He said that unlike in the Vietnam era, the current asylum seekers are neither "draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
s" nor "resisters", but rather are "people who volunteer to serve in the armed forces of a democratic country and simply change their mind to desert. And that's fine, that's the decision they have made, but they are not refugees." He also said that he considered them to be "bogus refugee claimants". These remarks have been seen by some supporters of the asylum seekers as being a form of interference in the asylum process.
George Galloway
In March 2009, Kenney said he would not overturn the Canada Border Services Agency's decision to bar British MP George GallowayGeorge Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
from coming to Ontario, British Columbia and Québec, where he planned to give a series of speeches at the end of the month. The Immigration Minister's Office stated that the Canada Border Services Agency deemed Galloway as inadmissible to Canada due to national security concerns. Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi
Alykhan Velshi is a lawyer, policy analyst, and ministerial assistant. He has worked at the predominantly neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and was manager of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he co-founded the Center for Law and Counterterrorism with...
, a spokesperson for Kenney, claimed that Galloway had openly admitted giving "financial support" to Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, which is classified as a terrorist group in Canada. Galloway said his donation of ambulances, medicine, and toys to the people of Gaza (which is governed by Hamas) did not materially support terrorism. The Federal Court
Federal Court (Canada)
The Federal Court is a Canadian trial court that hears cases arising under certain areas of federal law. The Federal Court is a superior court with nationwide jurisdiction...
found that Kenney's office had acted inappropriately, using "a flawed and overreaching interpretation of the standards under Canadian law for labelling someone as engaging in terrorism or being a member of a terrorist organization." The presiding judge also determined that the Canadian Border Services Agency had produced its assessment of Galloway on scant evidence after receiving instructions from Velshi.
In October 2010, Galloway said he would sue the Canadian Government for breaching his privacy rights and branding him a terrorist. Galloway later filed a statement of claim on April 12, 2011 citing "alleging defamation and misfeasance of public office".
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
later pointed out that while Kenney was quick to refuse Galloway entry into Canada, his department gave entry to Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
, who has compared Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
Citizenship study guide
In March 2010, the Canadian PressCanadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
reported that Kenney excised information about same-sex marriage legalization and the decriminalization of homosexuality in the new Citizenship and Immigration study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, against the recommendations of his deputy minister. Kenney denied that report by stating, "I did not do such a thing".
Amendments to Citizenship Act
A new law amending the Citizenship Act came into effect on April 17, 2009. One of the changes instituted by the Government of Canada is the "first generation limitation", considered a punitive measure by some against naturalized citizens who reside abroad for lengthy periods of time. Minister Kenney said the following in the House of Commons of Canada on June 10, 2010: "...That’s why we must protect the values of Canadian citizenship and must take steps against those who would cheapen it....We will strengthen the new limitation on the ability to acquire citizenship for the second generation born abroad."The new rules would not confer a Canadian citizenship on children born outside of Canada to parents who were also born outside of Canada. Thus for children to obtain Canadian citizenship if born abroad, they would have to have one parent who was either born in Canada or naturalized in Canada.
Lost Canadians
Kenney has denied a group of 81 “Lost CanadiansLost Canadians
Lost Canadians are those individuals who believe themselves to be Canadian citizens, but who lost their citizenship through the vagaries of either the current citizenship law or that in force prior to 1977....
”; people who should legally be Canadian citizens but have ‘fallen through the cracks'. Bill C-37 corrected the citizenship issues for 95% of “Lost Canadians” and special grants were to have been made to resolve the remaining 5%. Kenney claims that the Lost Canadians group should not be politicizing their plight but they should be making a “solid application and a strong case. Kenney's predecessor, Diane Finley, had authorized a special grant of citizenship to Guy Valliere. Kenney never followed through with this grant and Guy Valliere died without citizenship, even though he served honourably in the Canadian Forces during World War II.
Refugee reform
On March 29, 2010, Kenney announced an overhaul of the Canadian refugee system. The reform package also committed to allowing the resettlement of 2,500 more refugees living in UN refugee camps and urban slums. The plan also included expansion of the Government-Assisted Refugees Program to 500 places while a further 2,000 resettlement places were added to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program. In total, the new plan would lead to the resettlement of 14,500 UN-selected refugees from refugee camps and urban slums to Canada.Immigration Changes
On June 26, 2010, Kenney announced changes to the Skilled Worker Immigration Program. Skilled worker applicants are now required to either have an offer of arranged employment, or possess one of 29 eligible occupations (out of 520 occupations described in the NOC) for their application to be processed. A cap of 20,000 applications per year from skilled workers in the 29 occupations was also introduced. As of July 1, 2011, a maximum of 10,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing in the subsequent 12 months. Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 federal skilled worker applications per eligible occupation will be considered for processing each year.Revocation of Canadian Citizenship
On July 19, 2011 Kenney announced government intends to revoke the citizenship of 1,800 people it believes obtained their status through ´´fraudulent´´ means. The decision to revoke citizenship is rare, and a large-scale crackdown such as this is unprecedented. Fewer than 70 citizenships have ever been revoked since the Citizenship Act was passed in 1947. The move will most likely affect individuals from the Middle East and Persian Gulf countries, as well as China.Fundraising letter
Early in 2011, a letter using government stationery was sent to Conservative riding associations seeking assistance in raising $200,000 funding for an ad campaign aimed at bolstering support among ethnic communities in ridings that the Conservatives are targeting in the next election. News of this broke when a copy was believed to have been mistakenly sent to the office of opposition MP Linda DuncanLinda Duncan
Linda Francis Duncan is a Canadian lawyer and politician, currently serving as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Edmonton—Strathcona in Alberta. She is a member of the New Democratic Party and, since 2008, she has been the only MP from an Alberta riding not a member of the Conservative Party...
instead of that of fellow Conservative MP John Duncan
John Duncan (Canadian politician)
John Morris Duncan, PC, MP, is a Canadian politician sitting as a member of the Canadian Parliament from 1993 to January 2006 and again from October 2008...
(no relation). This has led to questions regarding possible partisan fundraising with the use of government staff and resources. There was also criticism over the language used in the letter, which labeled some groups and ridings as 'ethnic' or 'very ethnic'. Kenney publicly apologized for the mailing error, citing a staffer's inexperience as the explanation.
Awards and recognition
Kenney has been named one of Canada's "100 Leaders of the Future" by Maclean'sMaclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
magazine; "one of Canada's leading conservative activists" by the Globe and Mail; and "one of 21 Canadians to watch in the 21st century" by the Financial Post
Financial Post
The Financial Post was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new National Post, although the name Financial Post has been retained as the banner for that paper's business section and also lives on in the Post’s...
magazine.
On May 13, 2009, Maclean's magazine, in association with the Dominion Institute, L'actualité
L'actualité
L'actualité is a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine published in Montreal by Les Éditions Rogers, which is owned by Rogers Communications. The magazine has over a million readers, according to Canada's Print Measurement Bureau, from its circulation which is mainly...
and presenting sponsor Enbridge
Enbridge
Enbridge Inc. is a Calgary, Alberta based company focused on three core businesses: crude oil and liquids pipelines, natural gas transportation and distribution, and green energy. The company has approximately 6,000 employees, mostly in Canada and the United States...
presented Kenney with the award for "Best Overall MP".