“This week marks the 4^th anniversary of the end the Sri Lankan Civil War, an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the tragedies endured particularly by the Tamil people during the final phases of the 25-year conflict.

“On this occasion, I encourage all Canadians to join with Canada’s Tamil community in commemorating the thousands of innocent civilians who lost their lives or were displaced during and after the war.

“Our country is committed to remembering the victims of the Sri Lankan civil war and will continue to address ongoing and serious human rights concerns. Our government has urged Sri Lankan authorities to demonstrate accountability by thoroughly investigating allegations that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by Sri Lankan troops in the final phase of the civil war. We will continue to urge Sri Lanka to demonstrate a commitment to fundamental Commonwealth values, including respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. That is why Prime Minister Harper stated that he will not attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

“As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I stand with the Tamil community and with all Canadians in commemorating the bloody aftermath of the civil war in Sri Lanka. In remembering the victims, we commit to working with the international community to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.”

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“I am pleased to join with Canada’s Polish community in marking May 3^rd Constitution Day. On this day in 1791, Poland adopted Europe’s first-ever codified, democratic constitution.

 ”Sadly, soon after its adoption, Poland fell under foreign occupation by its expansionist neighbours. However, during the 123 years that followed, the Constitution served as a rallying cry for the Polish struggle for freedom and self-determination. It also became an important symbol of resistance during the period of Communist rule, when the Soviet-backed crony government sought to extinguish the Polish national spirit by replacing the celebration of May 3rd Constitution Day with forced processions on May 1st, known as May Day.

“Today, May 3rd is celebrated as a national holiday in Poland. Here in Canada, Polish-Canadians reflect on the long-standing, historic legacy of the fight for liberty and democracy and honour its brave veterans. They also celebrate the fact that Canada reflects those same values and that Poland is now a free and prosperous European democracy.

“I encourage all Canadians to commemorate this important holiday, which marks an important page in the history of modern democracy.”

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Ottawa, Ontario

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Check against delivery

Survivors, honoured veterans, distinguished guests, fellow Canadians:

Seventy years ago today, fighting raged in what we now know as one of the greatest triumphs of human freedom: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The Uprising was a moment of extraordinary defiance.

Defying insurmountable odds, young women and men of unthinkable courage rebelled against hopelessness. In choosing to fight, rather than succumb, they struck a blow against the most evil tyranny in the annals of human history.

Their acts of bravery echo through time down to us today. They say to us that hope, dignity and freedom can overcome death, despair and depravity.

La famine, la maladie, des situations désespérées, et l’horreur n’ont pas submergé leur volonté de résister à la tyrannie et au génocide.

Ces actes extraordinaires de sacrifice de soi nous inspirent dans la cause de la justice et de l’humanité.

We remember the defiance of those in the Warsaw ghetto, and others – both Jewish and gentile – who defied NAZI terror during those dark years.

Just as we remember today, at this commemoration of Yom Ha’shoah, the sacred memory of the six million who perished. Each one a person of infinite worth.  Each one created in the image and likeness of G-d. Each one the victim of a hatred that surpasses human understanding.

While we remember them, we give thanks for those who are with us here today.

Heroes. Survivors. Veterans.

Canadian descendants of the Righteous Among the Nations.

To the survivors: you are here in spite of insurmountable odds. You defied history. Your courage inspires us.

Vous n’avez pas failli. Vous n’avez pas été vaincus.

Despite unspeakable adversity, you survived, and stand as a living testament of the triumph of good over evil.

As Blessed Pope John Paul II said when meeting survivors in his native Poland: “You have become a loud warning voice for all humanity, for all nations, all the powers of this world, all systems and every person.  It is precisely you who have become this saving warning. This is your special vocation to humanity.”

But long after all the witnesses are gone and their warning voices stilled, we must – and will – continue to speak for them.

We must not allow the passage of time to make us indifferent to the reality of the Shoah, or the evil that animated it.

There are those who are guilty of what Elie Wiesel calls the perils of indifference – those who choose to look the other way rather than face the ugly reality of a resurgent anti-Semitism, in both its old and new manifestations.

But Canada will not look the other way.

Canada will not be indifferent.

Last year, on this solemn occasion, Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared: “While the Holocaust stands alone, it does not stand isolated. It is but the most hellish chapter in the long and continuing history of anti-Semitism… Truly remembering the Holocaust must also be an understanding, and an undertaking. It is an understanding that the same threats exist today. And it is an undertaking of a solemn responsibility to fight those threats.”

By gathering here today, we remember the Shoah and reaffirm the Prime Minister’s injunction.

Et en nous recueillant ici aujourd’hui, nous disons – non seulement nous comprenons les menaces, mais nous nous engageons à les combattre.

As the new chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Canada is leading the world in preserving the memory of the Shoah.

Canada will also continue to lead the world in isolating those who threaten the very existence of the State of Israel – the modern miracle that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust as the first and final refuge of the Jewish people.

On this occasion, let us remember and pay tribute to the valiance of the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising who defied a powerful evil and resisted a great oppression.

We reify their spirit.

We pay tribute to those brave and determined survivors in our midst, pledging to them that we shall never be indifferent.

And in prayerful mourning, together we recall the words of the Kadish:

‘oseh shalom bimromav

Hu ya‘ase shalom ‘alenu

v’ʻal kol yisra’el, v’ʼimru amen

May He who makes peace in His high places grant peace upon us, and upon all his nation Israel, and say Amen.

Minister Kenney visited the visited the memorial at Bykivnia, one of the sites of the Katyn massacre.

April 10, 2013 – Minister Kenney has issued the following statement in remembrance of the victims of Katyn and the Smolensk Presidential plane crash:

Three years ago today, an airplane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, along with 94 high-ranking Polish civilian and military officials and others tragically crashed in Smolensk, Russia. Today, we mourn their deaths and remember their many contributions to a free and democratic Poland.

The tragedy of this plane crash was deepened by the fact that the victims were on their way to Commemoration ceremonies for the 1940 Katyn Massacre. Perpetrated by the murderous Soviet NKVD on the orders of Stalin, the massacre was intended to wipe out the Polish nation’s best and brightest.

Over 20,000 Polish officers who had been taken prisoner by the Red Army were brutally executed, most in the forests of Katyn. For decades, Communist authorities shamefully denied the massacre, until the Soviets finally admitted their guilt in these war crimes in 1990.

I had the solemn honour of visiting the beautiful memorial to some of these victims at Bykownia, just outside of Kiev, during my recent visit to Ukraine.

This coming weekend, Canadians of Polish heritage will gather across the country, in ceremonies and in churches, to commemorate these tragedies. As we move closer to Katyn Memorial Day on April 13, I encourage all Canadians to join  in remembrance of these tragic events in history.

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“On Yom Ha’Shoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – we reflect  on the unique  horror of the Holocaust, and remember the 6 million innocent men, women and children who were brutally murdered by the Nazis. In Israel,  Yom Ha’Shoah is a national memorial day. In Canada, communities gather across the country  to commemorate  the victims of the Holocaust, pay tribute to the survivors, and recognize the righteous individuals who risked their lives to save others.

“Although the Shoah stands alone in the annals of human evil  for  the systematic cruelty and killing,  it is  essential that we  never forget the lessons of the past and continue to educate future generations about the pernicious effects of prejudice and hatred. This is why Canada is committed to  Holocaust remembrance, education and research, and to lead  global efforts to fight  anti-Semitism.

“Last month, Canada assumed the position of chair of  the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. We assumed this role with a sense of pride and duty and have committed to an ambitious campaign in the year ahead to raise Holocaust awareness and combat anti-Semitism, both domestically and internationally.

“As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I encourage Canadians to use the occasion of Yom Ha’shoah to learn about the Holocaust,  commemorate  the victims, and pledge to combat anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of discrimination.”

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Déclaration du ministre Kenney sur Yom HaShoah, Jour commémoratif de l’Holocauste

Ottawa, le 7 avril 2013 — L’honorable Jason Kenney, ministre de la Citoyenneté, de l’Immigration et du Multiculturalisme, a fait la déclaration suivante pour souligner Yom ha-Choa, Jour commémoratif de l’Holocauste.

« À l’occasion de Yom HaShoah – le Jour commémoratif de l’Holocauste –, nous réfléchissons aux horreurs uniques de l’Holocauste, et nous nous souvenons des six millions d’hommes, de femmes et d’enfants innocents qui ont été brutalement tués par les nazis. En Israël,Yom HaShoah est un jour commémoratif national. Au Canada, des communautés se rassemblent partout au pays pour se remémorer les victimes de l’Holocauste, pour rendre hommage aux survivants et pour reconnaître les braves personnes qui ont risqué leur vie pour en sauver d’autres.

« Bien que la Shoah se démarque dans l’histoire des actes horrifiants de l’humain en raison de la cruauté et de la tuerie systématiques qui régnaient, il est essentiel de ne jamais oublier les leçons tirées du passé et de continuer de renseigner les générations futures sur les conséquences pernicieuses des préjugés et de la haine. Voilà pourquoi le Canada est dévoué à la sensibilisation des Canadiens à l’Holocauste, à sa commémoration et à la recherche à ce sujet, ainsi qu’à diriger les efforts de lutte contre l’antisémitisme à l’échelle mondiale.

« Le mois dernier, le Canada a assumé la présidence de l’Alliance internationale pour la mémoire de l’Holocauste. Nous avons accepté ce rôle avec un sentiment de fierté et de devoir, et nous nous sommes engagés à mener une campagne ambitieuse au cours de la prochaine année pour accroître la sensibilisation à l’égard de l’Holocauste et pour lutter contre l’antisémitisme, et ce, tant à l’échelle nationale qu’internationale.

« En tant que ministre de la Citoyenneté, de l’Immigration et du Multiculturalisme, j’encourage les Canadiens à profiter de Yom HaShoah pour en apprendre davantage sur l’Holocauste, pour se remémorer les victimes et pour s’engager à lutter contre l’antisémitisme, le racisme et la discrimination sous toutes ses formes. »

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News Release — Immigration backlog reduced by forty percent

Faster processing times for workers and families

Click here to download Minister Kenney’s presentation (English)

Mississauga, ON, March 26, 2013 — As a result of actions taken by the government since 2008, the backlog of permanent resident applications has been reduced by about forty percent, paving the way for a faster and more effective immigration system in 2013 and beyond, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“Backlogs and delays prevent Canada from attracting the best and brightest from around the world and ensuring that our immigration system is contributing to economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Minister Kenney. “For too long, we accepted far more applications than we could process each year. That led to backlogs increasing every year and processing times of eight to ten years in some cases, which discouraged talented, dynamic people from coming to Canada.”

This has been accomplished, in part, by continuing to process a high number of applications from parents and grandparents in the Family Class while a temporary pause on new applications remains in effect until the end of the year. In addition, a pause was put in place on new Immigrant Investor applications and the oldest Federal Skilled Worker applications were eliminated while we continued to process record high levels of existing applications.

The government will continue to transform Canada’s immigration system to make it fast, flexible and more responsive to the labour market. The massive reduction in the backlog allows us to move toward a just-in-time system that recruits people with the right skills to meet Canada’s labour market needs, fast tracks their applications and gets them working in Canada in a period of months, instead of years. It also means that families will no longer have to wait close to a decade to be reunited with their loved ones.

“We still have work to do, but by taking clear and decisive action to deal with backlogs, we will attain our goal of having a fast and flexible immigration system,” said Minister Kenney. “Newcomers will arrive with skills and talents that are in short supply in Canada and contribute to our economy. The immigration system must work for Canada, which is why we will continue to reduce backlogs and speed up the system, so that people spend less time waiting and more time participating fully in the Canadian economy.”

Communiqué — L’arriéré de l’immigration a été réduit de quarante pour cent

Des délais de traitement plus courts pour les travailleurs et leurs familles

Click here to download Minister Kenney’s presentation (Francais)

Mississauga (Ontario), le 26 mars 2013 — Grâce aux mesures prises par le gouvernement depuis 2008, l’arriéré des demandes de résidence permanente a été réduit d’environ 40 %, ouvrant la voie à un système d’immigration plus rapide et plus efficace à compter de 2013, a annoncé aujourd’hui le ministre de la Citoyenneté, de l’Immigration et du Multiculturalisme Jason Kenney.

« Les arriérés et les longs délais constituent un obstacle pour attirer au Canada les candidats les plus brillants au monde et pour que le système d’immigration contribue à notre croissance économique et à notre prospérité à long terme », a déclaré le ministre Kenney. « Pendant trop longtemps, nous avons accepté un nombre de demandes bien supérieur à ce que nous étions en mesure de traiter chaque année. Cela a donné lieu à des arriérés plus volumineux d’année en année et à des délais de traitement de huit à dix ans dans certains cas, qui ont découragé les candidats talentueux et dynamiques de venir au Canada. »

Ces progrès ont été accomplis en partie en continuant de traiter un nombre élevé de demandes de parents et de grands-parents dans la catégorie du regroupement familial, tout en maintenant une pause temporaire durant laquelle aucune nouvelle demande n’a été acceptée, pause qui, par ailleurs, demeurera en vigueur jusqu’à la fin de l’année. En outre, une pause a été instaurée pour les nouvelles demandes d’investisseurs immigrants, et après avoir éliminé les plus anciennes demandes de travailleurs qualifiés (fédéral), nous avons continué de traiter un nombre record de demandes existantes.

Le gouvernement continuera de transformer le système d’immigration du Canada de façon à ce qu’il soit plus rapide et plus flexible et à ce qu’il réponde mieux aux besoins du marché du travail. La réduction considérable de l’arriéré nous permet d’aller vers un système « juste à temps », qui nous donne la possibilité de recruter les personnes possédant les bonnes compétences pour répondre aux besoins du marché du travail canadien, de traiter rapidement leurs demandes et de les faire venir travailler au Canada en l’espace de quelques mois plutôt que d’années. Cela signifie également que les familles ne devront plus attendre près de dix ans pour être réunies avec leurs êtres chers.

« Il nous reste encore du travail à accomplir, mais, en prenant des mesures claires et décisives pour réduire l’arriéré, nous atteindrons notre objectif d’avoir un système d’immigration rapide et flexible », a déclaré le ministre Kenney. « Les nouveaux arrivants viendront au Canada dotés de compétences et de talents dont nous manquons au Canada et contribueront à notre économie. Le Canada doit tirer profit de son système d’immigration. C’est pourquoi nous continuerons de réduire l’arriéré et d’accélérer le système, de sorte que les gens passent moins de temps à attendre et davantage de temps à participer pleinement à l’économie canadienne. »

“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of James Pon, one of the last surviving Head Tax Payers, and a distinguished, lifelong advocate for recognizing the contributions of Chinese railway workers in the 20th century.

“James came to Canada in 1922 at the age of five. Due to the Head Tax, it took nearly 20 years for his family to repay this debt, and James, from the age of 12, was sent away to work because his parents could not afford his board and lodging.

“After studying business and engineering, James was presented with a Governor General’s award for his design that aided Canada’s aircraft industry during World War II.

“James will be remembered as a true leader who advocated tirelessly for an official head tax apology, and recognition of the contributions of the Chinese railway workers. James’ grandfather laid railway ties during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and James served as Chair of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada.

“In 2006, James was one of six surviving Head Tax Payers present at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s historic official apology to the Chinese community in the House of Commons. As Prime Minister Harper stated: “This was a grave injustice, and one we are morally obligated to acknowledge.”

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to express sincere condolences to James’ family on their loss. His contributions to Canada will not be forgotten.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and James Pon at the official Head Tax apology at the House of Commons (June 22, 2006)

Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, with James Pon at at an event to celebrate the success of the Community Historical Recognition Program (Feb 18, 2013)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and six surviving Head Tax payers, including James Pon, at the official Head Tax apology at the House of Commons (June 22, 2006)

“This weekend I join with Coptic Christians in remembering a great spiritual leader, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Patriarch of Alexandria, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III.

Throughout his many years of tireless service, Pope Shenouda III demonstrated the love of a father for his people. He was a constant advocate for strengthening ecumenical relations and provided strong leadership to the worldwide Coptic community.

I will always proudly remember the honour and privilege I had of meeting with him and welcoming him to Canada. The tremendous depth of love and devotion that the entire Canadian Coptic community has to this day for his blessed memory is a testimony to the service and care he gave so selflessly to his Church.

His particular devotion to and established ongoing pastoral care for young people transformed the lives of thousands of Canadian Coptic youth. He famously and repeatedly said that “A Church without youth is a Church without a future.”

Another fruit of his labours is the growing size and integrity of the Coptic community here in Canada which is manifested most obviously in the recent appointment of a bishop for our country. When I met Pope Tawadros II at his enthronement in November, we discussed how ready Canada was for this moment in the life of a Church. May God bless Pope Tawadros II as he continues Pope Shenouda’s work.

I will be keeping all Copts in my thoughts and prayers as we remember Pope Shenouda III’s powerful legacy and memory.

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“I would like to congratulate all Catholic Canadians on the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio as His Holiness Pope Francis and give him, and all those under his pastoral care, my best wishes as he begins his new ministry of prayer and service.

“Following Pope Benedict XVI’s many years of wise and faithful devotion, Pope Francis inherits a great burden of pastoral responsibility for the spiritual welfare of Christians of many different traditions and nations.

“The Catholic Church in Canada reflects a rich diversity of cultures and traditions. As a cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the first pope ever elected from Latin America, Francis himself represents this Catholic diversity.

“As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said, “Canada and the Holy See share a commitment to the promotion of the dignity of the human person and to freedom of conscience and religion.” As Christians and many other religious minorities around the world confront the growing threat of anti-religious persecution, Canada has established an Office of Religious Freedom to advance these universal values.

“I am confident that Catholic Canadians will benefit from Pope Francis’s leadership in humility, as well as the breadth of his knowledge and experience.”

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Le Canada devrait suivre l’exemple de presque toutes les autres démocraties occidentales, dont l’Australie et le Royaume-Uni, qui ont déjà le pouvoir de révoquer la citoyenneté des terroristes.

J’exhorte le gouvernement à adopter rapidement une loi pour priver les terroristes condamnés de leur citoyenneté canadienne.