Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to the speech made by the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism as she tabled her annual report of the operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
I am pleased that this important position is held by a woman from a visible minority. Her multiculturalism policy, however, is a complete failure.
First of all, her government ignores the fact that there is a Quebec culture, that there are two founding peoples, two founding nations. She referred to tolerance as a basic value. But the fact is that, last May, a senior minister of this government suggested that I leave Canada and find another place to live because my views diverge from those of the government, because I dared criticize its immigration policy and because I am a sovereignist member from an ethnic community.
The secretary of state also spoke of compassion. But in her own riding of Vancouver Centre, there is a Salvadoran refugee by the name of Maria Barahona who has had to seek refuge in a church basement in 1995 and has been living there with her four children for more than a year.
Neither the secretary of state nor the minister of immigration has done a thing to remedy the situation. Racism is on the rise in Canada. But there is no word of any specific action, any action plan to combat the social scourge of terrorism. There are cutbacks everywhere, particularly in the services for which the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism is responsible.
Ethnic groups are complaining about not getting any subsidies any more. This government has stopped advertising in the ethnic media, and several papers were forced to close down for lack of subsidization and government ads. This is especially true in the case of Latin Americans. This newly established community needs the government's support to ensure its harmonious integration into the host society.
The unemployment rate among visible minorities is alarming. It is much higher than the Canadian average. This means there is an employment equity act that has not been enforced by the federal government. One of the target groups for positive action plans should be visible minorities.
There is also a need for providing intercultural education to this government's officials. Some newcomers to Canada complain about abusive or discriminatory behaviour on the part of federal officials, particularly citizenship and immigration officials.
In a nutshell, equality for all is far from having been achieved in Canada in the social, economic, cultural and political areas.