Demonize Whom?

Anatoliy Serdyukov, Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation has noticed Canada. That appears to be so because Canada has noticed Russia's brash and aggressive stance on territories that Canada has embraced as its own historically. Canada has expressed its concern more than a few times over its disagreement with the United States over Canada's sovereignty of the Northwest Passage, with the U.S. claiming it to be international waters, and Canada firmly demurring.

Canada and Denmark scuffle verbally, diplomatically, from time to time over ownership of Hans Island. Canada, the United States and Denmark share scientific enquiry in the Arctic and remain on a sound relational footing; we are one another's sound allies. Denmark is actively assisting Canada in its bid to present scientifically accurate data before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to confirm its territorial claims.

The territory that Canada claims as its own is challenged vociferously and aggressively by Russia, which claims the Lermontov Ridge extends below the sea bed where Canada's territorial waters have traditionally extended. The suddenly renewed interest in Arctic territory spurred by the realization of its undersea riches in minerals and gas and oil. Everyone wants a substantial piece of that pie.

Canada, the United States, Denmark and Norway were astonished when Russia boldly sent an undersea submersible to the sea floor to plant a titanium Russian flag, claiming the territory for its own. Sans United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea approval. Since that time Russia's suddenly-aggressive aerial displays of overflights have produced some puzzlement from North America. There's a message there, and it's fairly clear.

Yet Russia's Minister of Defence is aggrieved that Prime Minister Harper and his Minister of Defence appear to be speaking unkindly in international fora about the behaviour of Russia. Canada, he claims is "practicing the ages-old political tactic of misdirection". According to him, the real challengers of Canada's Arctic sovereignty are the U.S. and Denmark, certainly not Russia. Well, and well.

He's right and he's most certainly wrong as well. It's a matter of degrees, of politesse. And Russia abundantly lacks diplomatic acumen. Russia is being "singled out for harsh treatment", claims Mr. Serdyukov. Wonder why. It's just being a good sort, teasing a bit, not meaning any harm by pretending to challenge Canadian air space and Canadian territory. Can't we take a joke?

Well, no, actually. Neither can Ukraine, or Poland, or Georgia, or Chechnya, or the European Union, come to think of it. Mr. Serdyukov reminds Canadian readers in his article published in the National Post, that "We are partners in the war on terror. We are partners in efforts to stem nuclear proliferation. We are partners in efforts to bring stability to unstable regions of the world." Wot? Say that again?

With all due respect, Minister Serdyukov, any country concerned with battling terror, stemming nuclear proliferation, encouraging stability, would hesitate before sending state-of-the-art munitions to a pariah Islamist theocracy like Iran, and would most certainly refrain from assisting its nuclear ambitions. Back in your court.

The Bright Side of Possibly Lower Turnout

So you think that this year's election would see lower turnout. Is it a bad sign?

Imagine you find yourself on the election day, which also happens to be an official public holiday in Indonesia. You have option of either going to vote or doing something else, like spending time at the zoo, reading the Watchmen, listening to Efek Rumah Kaca, or even just a simple good lazy afternoon nap. What would you do?

The catch is here: That something-else becomes more precious as your wage rate goes up. If your wage rate is higher, you have to sacrifice more money for not working and just reading Anna Karenina.

So on April 9, when you are forced not to work and decide to have these something-else, instead of going to the voting booth like what you did five years ago; it may mean that your wage rate are actually higher than five years ago. (And political complainer literate like you, or pundits in the media, should be happy to know it)

Who would vote then? The ones who are less ignorant to politics and the ones with lower wage rate --who hope election to bring better wage. The former would devote more time and the latter have better incentive to learn relevant information on politicial party and politicians. As a result, a better election quality.

Comes a Time to Demand Loyalty

Past time, isn't it? for the government of Canada to make it abundantly clear that citizenship in the country is a two-way street. The comforts and freedoms and protections that Canada affords its citizens require that all of its citizens understand that they are obligated to conform obligingly and willingly to the values and priorities that constitute our social contract. Before anticipating that one will receive respect and egalitarian treatment, one must be prepared to extend it to others.

This is a fundamental that Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney understands very well, and also insists upon. Like Australia, a sister Commonwealth country with its own problems of immigrant integration into its larger society, Canada should take the step the Australian government did, to rename that portfolio the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. On the basis that they were shifting the emphasis from 'altruism to pragmatism'.

It is nothing but pragmatic to anticipate that immigrants seeking a better life, choosing to emigrate from their home countries to Canada, be prepared to insert themselves in the larger social atmosphere that prevails here. To learn the language, adapt to the customs, become familiar with the laws and practise good citizenship. The foremost of which is to understand that in a society comprised of people of various ethnic, religious and social backgrounds, parochialism takes a back seat.

Above all, it is not permissible that social attitudes inimical to various ethnic or religious groups respecting each other, and traditional enmities not be imported to the new country that has accepted them. The psychological unwillingness to surrender long-held beliefs that are obviously not in keeping with the transition to a pluralist society where all are held in mutual respect despite ethnic and religious diversity, is unacceptable within Canada.

Mr. Kenney has experienced his share of familiarity with building support networks between Sikh, Hindu, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Jewish and Arab communities, during his time as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian identity. It is the 'Canadian identity' portion of his portfolio that should be stressed equally with that of multiculturalism. He was committed to assisting immigrants solve issues important to them.

Helping him were his staff which included an individual of Tibetan origin, a Muslim and an Armenian. He was involved in the government's initiatives to recognize the Ukrainian Holdomore, its apology for the Komagata Maru incident to the East Indian community; the defence of Chinese Uyghur Muslims and he acted for the government in paying respects for the terrorist attack on the Mumbai Jewish Centre. He is colour-blind and ethnicity-insightful in the clarity of his vision.

He needs no lessons from groups such as the Canadian Arab Federation, whose president feels free in this society to spout gratuitous insults and racist slurs. And free also to express his unequivocal support of overseas terrorist groups whose support is seen as a criminal offence by the Government of Canada. It is no credit to Canada that one group of its citizens continually attempts to smear the good character and citizenship of another group whom they despise.

Mr. Kenney feels that immigrants to Canada have an obligation both to themselves and to the country to ensure that one of their first orders of business is language proficiency. Without it, social communication and a full awareness of the society at large is unachievable. Without the ability to function in one or both of the country's two official languages immigrants' opportunities for employment are constrained.

Mr. Kenney's message is clear: immigrants to the country must be aware that it is past time that Canada support its core liberal values of tolerance, democracy and secularism. "We want to avoid the kind of ethnic enclaves or parallel communities that exist in some European countries. So far, we've been pretty successful at that, but I think it's going to require greater effort in the future to make sure that we have an approach to pluralism and immigration that leads to social cohesion rather than fracturing."

Canada welcomes almost a quarter-million new residents annually from every corner of the world. That the federal government, through various incentives to ethnic groups, materially supports the integration of immigrants, language training and employment opportunities is most generous. There was a time in past history when new immigrants were on their own, themselves responsible for the struggle to earn a living, learn the language, support their families, and integrate into the economy and society. And they did all of that, and did it splendidly.

Now, with all the tax dollars spent in various ways to assist new immigrants to settle in to a new country and a new society, the outcomes are more problematical. The more assistance newcomers are given, it seems, the less willing they would appear to make a more personal effort to ensure they fit the expectations of the country, even while their expectations of the country are being fully experienced.

Mr. Kenney is cosmopolitan in outlook, Canadian to the core, and wise beyond his years. That he remains unperturbed by the malicious complaints lodged against him by groups taking umbrage at his decision-making is part of his job. And he does it exceedingly well. The mosaic of the Canadian population largely sorts itself out logically, but there are elements of distrust, unrest and downright racist ideology hindering the potential of universal accord.

Those are the areas of discontent and dissonance that require a firm reminder that specific groups are overstepping the boundaries of government patience and society's acceptance. Canada has an obligation to itself, to all of its people to ensure that its traditional standards of social conduct are observed and respected. It's past time.

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