[Indigsol] Take Action: Against Minster Jason Kenney

Thu Mar 26 12:21:47 PDT 2009

TAKE ACTION AGAINST MINISTER JASON KENNEY

Dear No One Is Illegal allies and supporters,

Please read the important action alert below, and join with people across
the country who are letting it be known that we will not accept Minister
Kenney’s continuing attacks on migrants or his blatant acts of censorship
of anti-occupation and anti-racist efforts.

CONTACT INFO BELOW!!!! Call, fax and e-mail the Media, Minister Kenney,
and your local Member of Parliament

SAMPLE LETTER: keep it short and sweet: “Minister Kenney is a racist,
anti-immigrant, war-mongering raging Conservative. I do not support his
power-tripping assaults on freedom, justice, and inclusion.  This Minister
of Censorship and Deportation has got to go- Fire Jason Kenney!”

BACKGROUND:

1) RACIST ATTACKS ON (IM)MIGRANTS:  Over the weekend, Kenney stated that
Canada needs to get tough on immigrants who do not speak Canada’s official
(read: colonial) languages of English and French and that citizenship
should be denied unless proficiency in those languages can be
demonstrated. He has further stated “there’s no excuse for immigrants to
avoid learning either English or French.” Such comments, much like the
reasonable accommodation debate in Quebec two years ago, are fundamentally
rooted in racist and white supremacist ideologies of defining who
“belongs” and who does not.  Kenney is appealing to public fears and
prejudices of racialized immigrants, particularly revolting in a context
where the Canadian government and Canadian corporations actively
participate in the creation and reinforcement of a system of global
displacement of migrants and refugees.

Similar to the highly controversial Bill C-50, such comments are framed in
an increasingly hostile climate to family class migrants and refugees who
are deemed ‘undesirable’ relative to high-skilled, professional, and
investor class migrants in the global capitalist and nationalist market of
citizenship.  As the Minister of Immigration, Kenney also oversees the
ongoing brutal detention and deportation regime of Canada, coupled with an
increase in precarious migrant labour programs while decreasing permanent
residency targets. Last week, Kenney appointed a failed Conservative
candidate and known anti-gay activist to the Immigration and Refugee
Board.

French or English should be must for immigrants who want citizenship:
minister:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jQhsa3QnIzF3TrdFJILLvJ4lq50A

Anti-Gay Appointee for Refugee Board:
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2009/03/17/8775716-sun.html

2) FUNDING CUT TO CANADIAN ARAB FEDERATION: The Immigration Minister has
just cut Canadian Arab Federation funding for immigrant language
instruction, alleging that CAF promotes “terror” and is “anti-Semitic” due
to CAF’s involvement in pro-Palestinian organizing especially during the
most recent Israeli assault on Gaza.  According to a release by CAF "This
arbitrary decision made by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and
Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, under the Harper leadership is an attempt
to silence any dissenting voice and is being used as disciplinary action
for CAF's political stand which is contrary to their own. Furthermore,
this is a warning to other non-profit, anti-racist organizations not to
criticize members of the Canadian government or they may face a similar
fate."

Interview with Jason Kenney regarding the Canadian Arab Federation:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Life/Interview+Jason+Kenney/1387002/story.html

3) BANNING OF ANTI-WAR UK MP GEORGE GALLOWAY: Well known Respect Party MP
from the UK George Galloway has been deemed "inadmissible on national
security grounds" and been denied entry into Canada where he was scheduled
to speak at a series of public forums. A minister's spokesman told
reporters in the U.K that the Galloway is inadmissible on national
security grounds because of his views on Afghanistan and the presence of
Canadian troops there.  His proposed visit was also vehemently opposed by
the Jewish Defence League of Canada (JDL), who wrote to the Conservative
government to do "everything possible to keep this hater away" alleging he
is a proxy for the Iranian state and a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah.
The JDL is itself listed by the FBI as a terrorist group and characterized
as a "violent extremist Jewish organization".  Pressure and national
coverage of the issue has stepped up, a legal judicial review of Canada
Border Services Agency decision is pending, and organizers of Galloway’s
speaking tour are planning a high-profile delegation to the Canadian
border to escort him in next week.

Watch a video of Galloway debating Meir Weinstein of the Jewish Defense
League: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAm7rfHKSyY

TAKE ACTION:

Call, fax and e-mail the Media, Minister Kenney, and your local MP

*** SAMPLE LETTER: keep it short and sweet! “Minister Kenney is a racist,
anti- immigrant, war-mongering raging Conservative. I do not support his
power-tripping assaults on freedom, justice, and inclusion.  This Minister
of Censorship and Deportation has got to go- Fire Jason Kenney!”

==> CONTACT JASON KENNEY:

Constituency Office:
1168 137 Ave SE. Calgary, AB T2J 6T6
P. 403-225-3480. F. 403-225-3504

Ottawa Office:
325 East Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
P. 613-992-2235. F. 613-992-1920

Email: kennej at parl.gc.ca

==> CONTACT YOUR MP: You can find your local MP and their contact
information by entering your Postal Code in the link provided below:

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

==> CONTACT THE MEDIA:

Many online stories have comments sections – if you read those comments,
then write on of your own and make a difference in public discourse!

All major news outlets are covering Kenney’s ramblings so letters to the
editor (keep them short – around 100 words – to ensure printing) are very
helpful. All letters must include the name, mailing address and daytime
phone number of the writer; state “Letter to the Editor” in the subject
line; and content should be in the body of the email and not as an
attachment.

Globe and Mail: letters at globeandmail.com
Vancouver Sun: sunletters at png.canwest.com
Vancouver Province: provletters at png.canwest.com
24 Hours: news at sunmedia.ca
Metro News: http://www.metronews.ca/Vancouver/comment/lettereditor
National Post: letters at nationalpost.com
Georgia Straight: letters at straight.com
Toronto Star: lettertoed at thestar.ca

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No One is Illegal-Vancouver is a grassroots anti-colonial
immigrant/refugee rights community collective with leadership from members
of migrant and/or racialized backgrounds. As a movement for
self-determination that challenges the ideology of immigration controls,
we are in full confrontation with Canadian border policies; denouncing and
taking action to combat racial profiling, detention and deportation, the
national security apparatus, law enforcement brutality, and exploitative
working conditions of migrants.

We struggle for the right for our communities to maintain their
livelihoods and resist war, occupation, and displacement; while supporting
indigenous sisters and brothers fighting theft of land and colonization.
We also place ourselves within the broader movement for global social
justice that struggles against capitalism, militarism, oppression,
poverty, imperialism, and other systems of domination and exploitation.

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-- 
"All oppression is relative.
All oppression is specific."

- Albert Memmi