Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

Ottawa, July 30, 2010 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement regarding the racist graffiti left in a Richmond, B.C., shopping mall parkade on July 21:

“Like many Canadians, I was saddened and appalled to learn about this act of vandalism targeting members of Canada’s Chinese community”, Minister Kenney said.

“In Canadian society, individuals are free, within the confines of our law and consistent with our traditions of democracy and freedom of expression, to speak their mind,” said The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety. “The scrawling of racial slurs, however, is a hateful and hurtful act of vandalism, and cannot be tolerated. Such a cowardly act of intimidation has absolutely no place in Canada”, Minister Toews added.

Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, added: “Ours is a harmonious society that embraces diversity and finds strength, stability and unity in the coming together of the many cultures and faiths of the world. Those who seek to disrupt the multicultural nature of our society through bigotry and intolerance must be denounced.”

“As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I call on all Canadians to reject intolerance. All forms of racism, bigotry and vandalism are unacceptable and completely contrary to Canada’s fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law”, Minister Kenney said.

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