Manipulating diaspora for political gain serves only to divide us. Time for an official policy on the issue.
By: David Carment, 24 June, 2015
… Canada can only grow and prosper if politicians understand that diaspora are not an instrument for their own personal or political gains. …
Simply put, behind the scenes diaspora lobbying is damaging to Canada’s democratic processes which are expected to be transparent and open to public scrutiny. The problem with the Harper government’s approach to instrumentalising diaspora for political gain is that it creates unevenness in outcomes and inequality in access. It seeks to divide rather than unite. Nor is it clear how catering to specific groups strengthens Canada overall.