Group issues xenophobic language guidelines for signs on the North Shore
A nonprofit organization that's freaking out over the presence of Chinese-language signs and advertisements in Metro Vancouver has made known its "latest activism project".
Putting Canada First, which has earned the ire of NDP deputy leader Libby Davies, has issued its own guidelines for public signage and ads in North Vancouver and West Vancouver.
In an email to reporters, politicians, and others, Putting Canada First spokesperson Brad Saltzberg writes:
All non-official language public signage/advertising [for example Farsi, Mandarin, Korean] in the municipalities of North and West Vancouver, B.C must include:
- A full translation into English
- Minimum of 50% of signage space to feature English
- A 2/3 to 1/3 font size ratio between English and non-official language
Saltzberg concludes his email:
You can help prevent the North Shore of Vancouver from suffering the fate municipalities such as Richmond, B.C. have experienced- namely, the loss of traditional Canadian identity at the hands of local politicians, money-hungry real estate companies and ethnocentric multicultural organizations.
Who the heck is Putting Canada First? According to its website, it is a "growing not-for-profit organization with members across the country" that represents the aspirations of "cultural Canadians". (You can see Saltzberg complaining about how "whites" are treated at 1:59 of this video.)
The group's site also blathers:
Faced with the divisive policies of multiculturalism and massive, unnecessary immigration, our culture is in peril. We are at risk of losing our unique identity forever. As a tiny portion of the world’s population, Canada could easily be overwhelmed by mass immigration and multiculturalism, and we refuse to let this happen....
With misguided intentions, Canada, over the last 40 years, has encouraged the development of many new ethnic communities that never existed in Canada (or existed on only a minute scale)....
From our European heritage of democracy, enlightenment, science and economic philosophy, we met the challenges of a harsh landscape and developed a unique society that is the envy of the world....
To support Canadian culture we need demographic stability and immigration must be reduced to very limited numbers. We need to reverse destructive multiculturalism policies and champion a Canadian culture that acts to unify the nation.
Fortunately, it doesn't appear that Putting Canada First is making in-roads at city halls on the North Shore at this time. Unfortunately, a number of people reading this post are no doubt nodding their heads in agreement with Saltzberg and company's views.
Comments
15 Comments
Thank you!
Aug 20, 2014 at 3:01pm
How do I sign up!?
Putting Canada First makes perfect sense to me! It is not hateful, it is not oppressive or racist... it simply wants to protect Canadian culture.
Interesting - if you go to Beijing or Tehran, this is not an issue of course, because they don't allow millions of western immigrants to move in. And if they did - does anyone actually believe the Chinese or Persians would allow whole districts in these wonderful ancient cities to become western enclaves? Of course not - the locals would be up in arms!!!
But here, in spineless old Canada, we are so afraid of being seen as racist (even though this is NOT a race issue), that we stay quiet and say nothing! And in the process lose our history and our culture.
I'll bet we'd all stand up and say something if half a million Texans or Australians or South Africans were dropped into Vancouver bringing with the them the their way of life. I sure would. Race has nothing to do with it. The terrible immigration policy of Canada simply targets those of other races to come here.
Bravo PCF!
blah
Aug 20, 2014 at 4:02pm
If these guys "earned the ire" of Libby Davies they must be doing something right. I live in Richmond and I don't know what half the stores in town sell. Whatever happened to English speaking people being treated fairly? It's not racist to ask a business to put up signs in the language of the country they are active in.
Finally...
Aug 20, 2014 at 8:20pm
Finally someone has the guts to stand up and say what the rest of us are thinking. Hopefully we'll get a chance to vote on whether or not we want Canada and Vancouver to become Asian.
The banks, real estate industry, Tim Hortons all want immigration to drive growth and profits. But the average Canadian gets crowded transit/roads, Balkanized neighbourhoods, urban sprawl, unaffordable housing and downward pressure on wages. It's time to put it to a vote.
I'm glad
Aug 21, 2014 at 11:56am
The moment Canadians put their foot down and stand up for themselves, they are labelled racists and xenophobes. There is something seriously flawed in this country when Canadians are oppressed in their own country, without the freedom to speak up about a serious issue.
My grandfather fought for OUR freedom and this is the result!? I hope more Canadians wake up and speak up.
shame
Aug 21, 2014 at 11:58am
Shame on you for such biased commentary. How dare you put down Canadians who have realized what's going on here.
Scared of the truth?
Big dollars
Aug 21, 2014 at 6:19pm
One must ask are we scared to speak out about this, because Asians are flooding into the lower mainland with bucketloads of money? Are the people "in charge" that easily bought, that they can turn a blind eye to the mass influx of Asian culture that seems to take priority over others? I thought we were a "melting pot" culture, not bending over to one culture specifically. Yet somehow the floodgates have been opened to china and we keep rolling out the red carpet.
How about all of us people that live in the lower mainland 90%+ of the year; that can't afford to live in or near the city, and must drive hours into it just to get to work everyday?
There needs to be a cap on how fat we bend over for the Chinese culture, and balance the supposed 'openness' that we claim to have for all cultures.
Remember folks, canada is meant to be French and English and I can't remember the last time I heard or saw French language on the west coast.
Balance is certainly required. And the greed that we see in the lower mainland needs to be culled.
Biast
Aug 21, 2014 at 6:23pm
Isn't it funny that the writer of this seems to be of Chinese decent....last name Hui.
Really, if your going to be a reporter that shows or receives any sort of credibility, stick to an unbiased report or don't say anything at all.
Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing and I'm sure Stephen Hui you will be shocked at home many of us disagree with your personal thoughts throughout your write up, and how many of us want more information on a group that is focused on not having vancouver become a second china.
You're INCORRECT Mr. Hui!
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:50am
I agree wholeheartedly with EVERY WORD Mr
Saltzberg says.
An immigrant
Aug 25, 2014 at 11:52am
As an immigrant that came to Canada for what it is, and not wanting to change it to something it is not, I welcome this activism and would like to take part!
Vancouverborn
Aug 25, 2014 at 2:08pm
"Unfortunately, a number of people reading this post are no doubt nodding their heads in agreement with Saltzberg and company's views."
No kidding! Nine comments so far, all in agreement with Salzberg with an average positive rating of 8. I think this is reflective of public sentiments. Comments following articles about immigration issues follow a similar pattern. The silenced and muzzled majority agree with Salzberg and people like him. Obviously there is a difference between "published opinion" and "public opinion" In this case, the published opinion of this reporter evidenced a disgraceful bias.
The proliferation of Chinese-only signage rubs our noses in the reality of our ongoing colonization. It is merely a “flashpoint”. But it is not a flashpoint that triggers “racism” , but a nationalism that has been long suppressed like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption. This is not about race, it is about big offshore money inflating our real estate market making housing unaffordable to long-time residents. It is about job displacement, job competition from cheap imported labour and the suppression of our wages, and the net fiscal burden imposed on taxpayers by unskilled foreign workers and the suppression of our wages. It is about mass immigration essentially being a form of corporate wealth cloaked in fine words like "diversity" and "tolerance". And it is about defending our culture. It is not about multi-racialism but multiculturalism. The two are too often and wrongly conflated.
It is ironic that people like Libby Davies are described as being on the "Left". Once upon a time socialists and Leftists, those of my father's and grandfather's generation, understood that better than any union or political party, the best friend of the working class was a tight labour market. That is why CCF (NDP) leader and hero J.S. Woodsworth advocated opposed immigration during the Depression. This lot however, the NDP caucus in Ottawa, want to open the floodgates. They truly are Corporate Canada's "useful idiots".
One question. Why do "progressives" and "anti-racist" crusaders accept that French Quebecers have a right to protect their culture with "French-only" sign laws in their province, but do not extend that right to English speaking Canadians in this province?