Supporters, Allies, and Friends, We have some news. Jason Kenney is coming to town. That’s right — our  favourite racist Immigration Minister will be in Vancouver TOMORROW  (Saturday November 14th) and we’re getting ready to welcome him in style.  Join us!

WHERE? Marine Drive Global Lounge (Bldg #1), Marine Drive Residence @ UBC. See map.
WHEN? 3.15 PM with free pizza! Organized by the UBC Campus Conservatives. OR MEET US: We will be meeting at the UBC Bus Loop (at the 99BLine  stop) at 2.15 PM and will leave at 2.30 to walk down to the residences. If  you are unable to make it earlier, feel free to meet us there. Bring signs,  noisemakers, or other creative props! To reach us, contact 778 552 2099.

Curious why? Here’s a Top Ten List of Reasons, in reverse order, to be  Concerned About Jason Kenney:

10. Kenney’s entrance into Canadian politics was through heading the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation, a neoconservative lobby group who denies climate change, calls for the end of government programs such as job training or the promotion of multiculturalism, and wants to deny EI to women who have had abortions.

9. In 2009, Kenney barred popular British Member of Parliament George Galloway from entering Canada because of his opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan. (Even the media thought this one was crazy – ban a UK MP when Canada’s still technically under the monarchy?). Oh, and also, Kenney was one of the leading supporters in the Canadian House of Commons of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

8. Kenney is responsible for appointing a failed Conservative candidate and known anti-gay activist to the Immigration and Refugee Board, the body of political appointees that has complete discretion over who has the right to stay in Canada and who just isn’t “good enough”. Kenney has also failed to implement the long-promised appeals division of the IRB, meaning the system with an atrociously low acceptance rate still has no avenues of appeal.

7. Kenney is unapologetic in his defense of Israeli war crimes and has strong connections to the Zionist lobby. Kenney pulled Canada out of the 2009 Durban World Conference Against Racism, arguing discussions on Palestine were “promoting” racism not stopping it, even *before* apartheid state Israel itself had pulled out. Despite national outcry, in 2009 Kenney also cut funding to the Canadian Arab Federation due to its involvement in pro-Palestinian efforts. Kenney regularly refers to Canada’s largest Arab-organization as terrorist and anti-semitic. In response to protests organized by CAF during the Israeli massacres in Gaza, Kenney said, “The ideals these terrorist organizations preach are abhorrent to the fundamental values of the Canadian people and of all civilized peoples”.

6. In April 2009 Kenney oversaw the largest immigration raid in recent Canadian history, which went largely unreported. Executing unprecedented US-style tactics, Canadian Border Services Agency officers stormed into factories and farms in Ontario and detained over 100 non-status and migrant workers. In an illegal move, 41 of them were tricked into signing waivers that removed their right to a hearing and many have now been deported.

5. In the latest implementation of severe restrictions on entering Canada, in July 2009 Kenney announced immediate visa requirements for Czechs and Mexicans. Despite the fact that both countries have refugees arriving to Canada fleeing well-documented persecution, Kenney raised ongoing rhetoric about migrants taking advantage of the system and the need to build the walls of Fortress Canada even higher.

4. At a recent Town Hall meeting in Calgary, Kenney went on his usual tirade about refugees who “abuse” the system. When speaking of an elderly Muslim man who has been facing deportation for 19 years, an audience member yelled “Hang Him!” and Kenney laughed, grinned, and kept on talking.

3. In June 2009, a 24-year old woman was murdered in Mexico after having tried twice to claim refugee status in Canada and being refused. Deported to her death, when confronted with the news of this tragic event last month Kenney sarcastically replied, “I plead guilty, I’m a racist”.

2. Kenney and the Conservatives have been responsible for pushing the Canadian immigration system, already fraught with all sorts of discriminatory measures, into one where Canadian citizenship is largely out of reach and low-income migrants are pushed into categories of temporary workers. Denied the rights and privileges available to other Canadians, migrant workers struggle in precarious conditions, are subject at any time to deportation, and are brought in to do the exploitative, dirty work of the country that no one else is willing to do. This is the immigration system Kenney dreams of.

1. Awarded the “Best MP of the Year” by his fellow MPs, this 41 year old is poised to become the next Prime Minister of Canada.

Concerned? You should be.  It’s not often Kenney’s in town on a weekend, so come out and let’s show him what we think of his role in this government!