Speeches – 2008

The Honourable Jason Kenney

Roundtable with the Polish Community

Mississauga, Ontario, March 1, 2008

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Witam panstwa i pozdrawiam serdecznie. ( vee t-ahm pan'stvah ee poh-zdrah vee-am ser-dech-knee-eh ) Greetings to everyone and best wishes.
I am very pleased to be here with you.

Events such as these are a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other and to experience our differences while celebrating our common Canadian identity.

The distinctive culture and tradition that Polish immigrants have brought to Canada have enriched the social and cultural diversity of our communities with new perspectives and ideas.

As Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, I am proud to live in a country that embraces many cultures.  Our Government considers Canada' s diversity to be one of our greatest assets, and we are committed to strengthening our pluralism and our national cohesion.

As a testament to our Government' s commitment, I am delighted to be able to share with you an announcement made earlier today by my colleague, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.  Effective immediately, citizens of Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Hungary no longer require a temporary resident visa to visit Canada. 

More than 44,000 people from these four countries received temporary visas to visit Canada in 2006, something their citizens will not have to do in the future.   

Our government enjoys strong ties with all of these countries, and today' s decision strengthens these relationships.

I' m sure you' ll be pleased to know that the Government of Canada is committed to the free and secure movement of people between the European Union (EU) and Canada, and we are also committed to the objective of visa-exempt status for all EU member states.

Last November, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke about the tyranny of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, saying:

"Between the two world wars and the long cold war that followed, apologists tried to persuade us that the ideology of communism was benign.

They said we should be neutral towards it – "an honest broker."  They said we should learn to live with it – that we had nothing to fear from the Soviet Empire.  Canadians knew better.  So we took a stand.  We stood for freedom and fundamental human rights. … We stood with [the] brave people … of the captive nations of Central and Eastern Europe."

Our core Canadian values are democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law.  The more than 200,000 people who come to Canada annually from every corner of the world embrace these values, adding an often indefinable element to our sense of who we are.  Today' s roundtable is certainly an excellent example of this.

This event provides an excellent opportunity for dialogue. 

This is what our Government means when it talks about pluralism. It' s not only about respecting diversity.  It is about actively participating.  And learning about each other and how to work together to form a strong and cohesive Canada.

The Government of Canada takes great pride in the contributions that all of the various communities have made to the social, economic, and political fabric of this country.

And we recognize the many contributions the Polish-Canadian community has made to this country.

More than 800,000 people of Polish heritage enrich this country with their skills, knowledge, and talents, and our society benefits greatly.

The Government of Canada understands that a vibrant economy requires the participation of all Canadians.  We appreciate initiatives and organizations that give Canadians an opportunity to participate fully in society. 

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to commend everyone involved with today' s roundtable and to wish you all the best.  Thank you.