Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Morgan, for coming before the committee.
It's very good to hear your comments, and you have probably read some of my comments in the press. I suppose I've been your loudest critic since I heard about your appointment. I have to be clear with you that I have some real concerns about your appointment. Given what I've read about your views on some issues, we may not be the best of friends at the end of this or agree on much. That said, this is a respectful forum, and I appreciate your ability to come here and be questioned, as we're doing.
Of course, this is not about the others who are being appointed to the proposed commission; this is about you and your qualifications. In a speech you gave recently in a Fraser Institute forum, you attacked my party, social programs, unions, low-wage workers—a number of things I believe in—and I'm here to represent my constituents and beliefs on these issues.
I want to ask you questions about three different areas: first, the comments that I found deeply offensive in this speech regarding Jamaican immigrants in Toronto and their propensity for violence; second, the fact that you, your wife, and your business interests are major financial contributors to the Conservative Party and its previous incarnations; and third, your qualifications for the job.
In a speech you made at a Fraser Institute forum, you talked about believing in a strong immigration policy, and you've reiterated that here. You even end the section of your speech, as you've read, indicating you think that colour, race, and religion should be irrelevant in the selection process. You have talked here about meritocracy. In the speech, however, you also seem to say that race and country of origin are in fact very relevant when it comes to determining how violent a person is. You said, and I quote: “The social side is all too evident with the runaway violence driven mainly by Jamaican immigrants in Toronto, or the all too frequent violence between Asian and other ethnic gangs right here in Calgary.”
On what basis do you make the claim that Jamaican immigrants are the driving force behind violence in Toronto?