‘Diversity is a source of our strength
not weakness! But inclusion is a choice,’ said Jennifer Daubeny, Consul General
for Canada, at a programme organized by the Research Department of English,
University of Madras. Quoting statistics, she added that, ‘As much as over 50
per cent of Torontonians have been born in other countries, while 22 per cent
of all Canadians have immigrated to the country.’
She also highlighted the Canadian
attitude towards sustained inclusivity, stating that, ‘the Canadian approach is
to embrace all people irrespective of their differences.’
The Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen had
recently said that Canada has set a target to admit nearly one million
immigrants over the next three years, she said, adding that, the Canadian
government has always extended an open arm to Syrian refugees.
In this context, the Immigration minister
had also stated that, by the year 2036, 100 per cent of Canada's population
growth will be as a result of immigration, it stands at about 75 per cent
today.
Ms. Daubeny was all appreciation for a team
of students from Loyola College, Chennai, who had come to the embassy to give a
petition commending the welcoming of refugees to Canada. Stating that, around three
million Canadians were Indians, Jennifer said that, Canada just has a
population of a little over 36 million, and proclaimed the government’s resolve
to embracing diversity.
She also cited from Atwood’s Surfacing, where the overwhelming, dominant
theme was the land. The difficult terrain, and a challenging geography have
been on-going themes in Canadian writing, she averred, and also appreciated the
Dept of English, University of Madras for being proactively engaged with
Canadian Literature. Professor P Duraisamy, Vice-Chancellor, University of
Madras presided over the function, and Dr. S. Armstrong, Professor & Head,
Department of English, welcomed the gathering. The programme was followed by a wonderful play staged by Curtain Call, the Theatre Wing of the Department of English, based on Leacock's 'Defective Detective.'
No comments:
Post a Comment