National Multicultural Health and Wellness Council announcement
Speaking Notes
for
Allan Rock
Minister of Health at the
Kelowna, British Columbia
October 7, 2001
As delivered
Dr. Rhondawa, officials of the City of Kelowna, representatives of the communities that
make up this vibrant and beautiful city, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm delighted to be here with you today in the company of my friend Senator Ross Fitzpatrick
who so ably speaks for Kelowna and the Okanagan in the government caucus. I want to particularly
thank Dr. Gary Rhondawa, the executive of this caucus, and the multi-cultural society of
Kelowna for the work they have done in organizing this event today.
Like the speakers before me, I wish to call to mind the innocent lives that were lost
in the tragedy of September 11th. Canada, along with all the world, has condemned
these acts of terrorism and has committed itself to work with other nations to find those
responsible and to take what steps are necessary to prevent such tragedies from ever happening
again.
But this afternoon is a time for remembering those who paid the awful price for that terrorism.
I think the lessons that I have found most meaningful coming from this tragedy are derived
from the words spoken many years ago by Martin Luther King who himself faced a lifetime
of persecution, who himself worked against violence.
Martin Luther King said when the evil plot the good must plan. When the evil burn and
bomb, the good must build and bind. And when the evil use the language of hatred, the good
must use the language of love.
That's the message that we share today. And as we mourn that loss - that terrible loss
of September 11th - it's important for us to recommit ourselves to the values
of tolerance, to the power of love in our society, in our dealings with other people. And
seeing these communities come together today to join in that message, in that resolve,
makes me optimistic for our society, for Canada and its future.
Canada is a nation of immigrants. We all have our stories. We and our families came to
this country from all over the world and, British Columbia in particular, has been blessed
by immigration.
The thousands, the tens, the hundreds of thousands who have come to this province, who
come still year after year to build it, to improve it; they bring their hopes and they
build their dreams and they do their share. They pay their way, and because they give their
best we're all better off for the effort.
New Canadians also embrace our freedoms. They often come from parts of the world that
are not so blessed. They soon learn that Canadians are sure enough of themselves that we
not only allow, but we encourage others to strengthen their heritage and to display it
openly. They learn that in Canada, religion is respected not repressed.
They learn that our world is of tolerance not tyranny. They learn that traditions are
to be celebrated not suppressed. That's the very meaning of Canada. That's our gift to
the world. It's a gift that's needed now more than ever.
As you may know, the Prime Minister spoke to the nation earlier today to say that Canada's
been called upon to contribute to a global effort - to take steps to protect ourselves
and to protect the security of the free world. As the Prime Minister said, Canada will
do its part.
The awful events of September 11th also show that we need to be alert here
in our country. We need to be concerned about the security of Canada - and the Government
of Canada is doing its part.
It's been shown that we're all vulnerable. We have to be concerned about the safety of
air travel. We have to take steps to be vigilant at our borders. We have to make sure that
we enforce our laws and cooperate with other governments to root out evil. But at the same
time, we must never forget our values.
The Prime Minister has said those values must influence every step we take. We will make
our own laws here in Canada to get the job done and those laws will reflect Canadian values.
It would be sad and ironic if we allow the terrorists the victory that in responding to
them we somehow betrayed what we believe in most. We cannot let that happen.
That's why it's particularly important to speak out against hate crimes. It's distressing
to see in the weeks since September 11th, that at various places across the
country, there were acts of intimidating violence against various communities.
I was in Richmond three weeks ago and I heard that in the very week following the tragedy
of September 11th there was a school, a Muslim school with 500 students who
were sent home for the week because there were telephone threats and intimidation. In Ottawa,
a grade 11 boy was pulled from a bicycle by four youths who beat him into unconsciousness
because he looked like he was from an Arabic community. In Hamilton, a Hindu temple was
burned to the ground. And in Halifax, threats were phoned to the homes of people. That
cowardly conduct is based on ignorance and those responsible must be denounced and prosecuted
to the full extent of the law.
When I heard about the event in Richmond about the school being closed, I went to visit
that school. I spoke to the teachers and the Imam was kind enough to invite me to speak
at the mosque. When I spoke, I told those present that the Government of Canada, along
with all Canadians, will stand shoulder to shoulder with those members of innocent communities
who have been targeted by this criminal conduct. We'll do what's required to enforce our
laws.
When I was Minister of Justice, we adopted hate crime legislation providing particular
penalties for those who commit crimes motivated by hatred or violence or prejudice based
on a person's ethnic or religious background. We were criticized at the time but we were
right. Crimes motivated by hatred are in a special category because they're intended not
only to do harm to the victim, they're intended to intimidate the whole community, the
entire innocent community. And for that reason, they're in a particular category and they're
recognized as such now by our criminal law.
Canada's strength is in its diversity, in its tolerance and in the civility of its people.
And that should be reflected in the way that we govern ourselves, the way we tackle national
issues and that brings me to health. In a society as diverse as ours, there are bound to
be particular difficulties in understanding the health issues in various communities, in
providing access to health services and in promoting healthy lifestyles. And yet, the Government
of Canada has no formal mechanism to learn about how to do that. That's why today I'm announcing
that we are creating a National Advisory Council on Multiculturalism and Health and Wellness.
This National Advisory Council will be made up of 21 persons who will be appointed from
across Canada. They will bring, in various ways, an understanding of the different perspectives
and the needs of the various communities that make up the Canadian mosaic. I assure you
that Kelowna and Okanagan will be represented; Senator Fitzpatrick will see to that.
This National Advisory Council will be there to help me and the Government of Canada in
four different ways. First, by helping us understand the health status in various communities,
and their particular problems - whether it's diabetes, cancer or high blood pressure. We
have to understand the facts and the trends in order to make sure the health care system
is responsive.
Second, by helping us address barriers to access; whether it's language, whether it's
having brochures or health information available in tongues that are appropriate to the
communities. Perhaps there are barriers of access that are more subtle. In some cultures
of course, women must be seen by women caregivers. Are we meeting that need?
The third is research. A year ago we created the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The Government of Canada is now spending half a billion dollars on health research, and
that's growing year by year. This Council will help us ensure we are paying enough attention
through our research to the specific health needs of the various communities in this diverse
country.
And the fourth is how to target health promotion and the prevention of illness. Whether
its heart health, diabetes, reaching children with the message against tobacco, this Council
will help us determine how can we most effectively promote health in the various communities
that make up our country.
I'd like to close by acknowledging that we face many challenges in health care.
The Government of Canada is working very closely with the Government of British Columbia,
with Sindi Hawkins, with Colin Hansen and with the other Ministers of Health. We're working
to achieve a common objective We all want to get timely access to quality health care.
When we need it, we want to know the health care system is going to be there.
But if one of our defining characteristics in this country is multicultural diversity,
then it's about time the health care system showed a sensitivity to that reality. It's
about time we made sure that our health care system took that into account. That's what
this National Advisory Council is going to help us do.
I'm delighted to be here this afternoon on this occasion with so many of you from this
wonderful community. I thank you and I wish you well for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
Thank you all.
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