Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government two months ago moved to require veiled Muslim women to show their faces before voting, has dismissed the idea of a crisis involving immigrants who don't adopt Canadian ways.
"Notwithstanding the debate in Quebec and some of the debate during the Ontario election campaign, I first of all think immigrants come to this country to belong to this country," Harper said in a year-end interview with the Canadian Press.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada's approach to immigrants is a 'mixture of integration and accommodation.'
(CBC)
"I also think that the Canadian approach to this — which is a mixture of integration and accommodation, for lack of a better term — is the right approach."
He distanced himself from Quebec politicians who want immigrants to pledge to embrace what they call the province's core values, CP said.
"I know there's a popularly expressed view that immigrants come here and they should change to suit the country. I think they overwhelmingly do," he said.
"But I think the fact is our country also consciously changes somewhat for new immigrants and new cultures, and I think that's a successful model.
"I think if you look around the world for issues of immigration and cultural integration, Canada is as successful as any other country in this regard."
Even so, his cabinet has been discussing issues of Canadian identity and how to foster a sense of Canadian values, he said.
"We probably need to have some thought about what the shared values really are, and how we strengthen those. But, that said, I don't see a cultural fragmentation in this country. I just don't see it."
In Ontario, he said, there has been "some concern about radical elements in the Muslim community, but these are at the margins.
"The fact of the matter is there aren't cultural tensions in the country, there generally is a healthy process of integration along with accommodation.
"And if you focus on the Islamic community, yes, there are extremist elements, but they are small and marginal, and the problems we face in this country compared with other countries are tiny."
PM wants Québécois nation motion enshrined in Constitution
A year after he wooed Quebec with an unprecedented motion recognizing the Québécois nation, Harper says he's ready to take the next step.
In an interview with Montreal newspaper La Presse, Harper indicated he wants to see his Québécois nation motion included in the Canadian Constitution as soon as the ground is "fertile" in Ottawa.
He didn't specify what he considers to be fertile ground.
The motion, which recognizes the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada, was adopted in 2006 by the House of Commons.
It's done a great deal to strengthen Canadian unity ever since, Harper said in his end-of-year interview with the francophone newspaper.
Other policies, including the Conservative's "open federalism," Ottawa's deal with Quebec on UNESCO representation and a budget with solutions to the so-called fiscal imbalance, have all made Quebec feel more at ease in Canada, the prime minister asserted.
Quebecers still want a strong Quebec and want to be recognized, but want those things to happen within Canada, he said.
The Tories haven't forgotten their Québécois motion and will endeavour to build on its momentum in the new year, Harper said. The PM acknowledged the motion is still misunderstood in the rest of Canada, where many don't grasp its significance for Quebec.
The Conservative government would need unanimous consent from all provinces to adopt any amendment to the Constitution, with some provinces requiring a referendum on any constitutional change.
Two constitutional deals have previously failed to recognize Quebec's distinct identity — the Meech Lake accord in 1990, and the aborted Charlottetown deal in 1992.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
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