Environmental activist David Suzuki sparked a war of words with Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney by announcing this month that Canada is “full” and should not accept any more newcomers.
Suzuki, one of the most prominent faces in Canadian environmentalism, was asked about recent controversies in Australia, whose natural resources are increasingly being threatened by economic and population growth.
“Oh, I think that Canada is full too!” Suzuki said in an interview this month with French weekly L’Express. “Even if it’s the second biggest country in the world, our usable land is reduced.”
He then went on to say that Canada’s immigration policy is “crazy” and “sick” in that more people are being brought in to increase the economy while the countries they leave behind increasingly suffer.
However, Suzuki’s point of view is not shared by many Canadian policymakers – including Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, whose department has recently amped up efforts to make the country more appealing to skilled workers abroad.
“Suzuki’s views are toxic [and] irresponsible,” said Kenney in a social media response to the interview. He expressed his disappointment and concern that the media are not focusing more on this story.
Suzuki has long been vocal about his opposition to many of this government’s policies, which he says threaten natural resources as well as many of the basic democratic principles upon which Canada is founded.
Source: National Post