The gloriously incorrect municipal stance of Herouxville in Quebec has been widely applauded on the radical right.  We have paid it too little attention.  Here, then, is a bulletin - admittedly over a week old - from immigrationwatchcanada.org which touches on all the key aspects of the case.

PRESS RELEASE

The tumultuous entry (now broadcast around the world) of Herouxville, Quebec into Canada’s immigration debate demonstrates the great divide that exists in Canada on the immigration issue.

On one side are the majority of Canadians who instictively feel something is wrong with Canada’s mass immigration policy (currently about 250,000 per year, the highest per capita in the world). On the other side are Canada’s mass immigration industry and its supporters (often described as a fifth column) who tell Canadians that mass immigration is wonderful.

The national and international uproar that Herouxville has caused is wildly out of proportion to its size. The town has a population of 1300 and is located in rural Quebec, about 150 km. northeast of Montreal. Most Canadian towns and cities of all sizes have passively accepted the historically high immigration levels that Canada’s federal government set for the country in 1990, but which it has never justified. In doing so, Herouxville is literally like David taking on Goliath.

In fact, the little town’s virtual “Declaration of the Rights of Canadians”, which bravely contradicts official multicultural policies, sounds almost like a call to revolution.

Ironically, Herouxville has not had the direct experience with mass immigration that Canada’s urban centres have had. In fact, it has only a few immigrants. So it is surprising that it has made its recent observations.

Undoubtedly, the observing has been done from a distance. And obviously the place it has looked at is the large urban area of Greater Montreal. Like Greater Toronto/Southern Ontario and Greater Vancouver/Fraser Valley, the Montreal area has experienced probably the highest immigrant inflow and the greatest demographic change in its history.

Clearly, recent immigrants have felt empowered by their high numbers. And they have been encouraged by Canada’s immigration industry to assert their power.

And that is precisely what Herouxville is reacting to. In the opinion of many Canadians, the little town is saying now what the country’s federal government has been too timid to say, but should have said many years ago: that the interests of the country (in this case, Canada’s cultural practices) are paramount. Cultural practices that conflict with those in Canada have to be left behind in immigrants’ countries of origin.

The councillors clearly point out that, like most Canadians, they are willing to accept some immigrants, but that a long-established society exists in Quebec. This society has developed its own culture and it is tired of hearing recent multiple demands, (particularly in the Montreal area) that Canadians should adjust to the cultural wishes of new arrivals.

As public reaction across the country has subsequently shown, Herouxville’s frustration is shared by the majority of the country’s population. For years, most Canadians have disapproved while Canada’s “officialdom” has either not spoken up against or subserviently bowed to demand after demand.

There is a long litany of disapproved demands. For example, like most people in Canada, Herouxville did not like the Supreme Court’s approval of the wearing of the Sikh dagger (kirpan) in schools. Like most of Canada, it does not approve of women being subordinated to men and male maltreatment of females—-a practice which is officially denied but actually practiced by some immigrant groups.

It also believes that newcomers should use the public schools to learn how to integrate into Quebec society; immigrants’ own private schools will undermine that goal. Finally, it declares that Canada has many traditions such as Christmas which have to be respected.

One thing that the declaration does not say directly is that the immigration industry and a significant number of recent arrivals seem to believe that this demographic change in Montreal and other parts of Canada should continue unabated. It would seem that Herouxville does not approve.

Obviously, this is because, like the rest of Canada, Herouxville was never asked if it wanted a mass immigration policy. Nor was it asked if it wanted the major demographic transformation which has occurred in the country since this policy was implemented in 1990.

It would seem that, by implication, Herouxville (as well as a number of other Quebec towns and some provincial politicians who have recently expressed solidarity with Herouxville), are bluntly saying to Canada’s official “accommodators”: “Why are we bringing in all of these people?” and “Enough is enough!”

Canada’s accommodating “officialdom” has not liked what Herouxville has said. Among the accommodators is Canada’s CBC, which eminent Canadian journalist Robert Fulford has called a “herd of independent thinkers”. Although the CBC has done very good work generally, its record on immigration is poor, to say the least.

Many Canadians are aware that the CBC has shamelessly promoted mass immigration, abused its position as a publicly-funded institution to cater to every whim of Canada’s immigration industry (often reaching new depths of sycophancy in the process), and intimidated anyone who opposes mass immigration. There is a huge amount of evidence to back up these claims.

The like-minded in a number of other media outlets (as well as a number of politicians) have mocked and patronizingly dismissed Herouxville and the many Canadians who agree with the Quebec town. Neither they nor the CBC want to admit that mass immigration policies have spawned what many Canadians would call a cultural, enviromental and economic disaster-in-progress.

Nor do they want to shoulder part of the responsibility for what has occurred, or face the good possibility that they will be called to an accounting. In fact, both continue to use their power to bully. And both find it incomprehensible that they could be wrong.

However, according to the Herouxville Town Council, “officialdom” is wrong. Direct response to the town has been much like that recorded in the rest of Canada. Around 99% of the 2000 people who had e-mailed the council by the end of last week agreed with the Town Councillors.

In one Councillor’s opinion, the reaction of the majority of e-mailers is summed up by one commentator: “At last, someone is standing up instead of prostrating themselves like certain ministers, judges, executives and companies.”

Most Canadians would say: “Three cheers for Herouxville”.

And, for its demonstration of courage in trying to restore sanity to immigration and to re-take control of Canada from the country’s immigration industry and its fifth column supporters, most would bestow on it the well-deserved title of “Heroville”.