Canadian immigration minister: focus on values
April 23 2009 by Ranjan Chakraborty
The Canadian immigration minister, Jason Kenney, has announced that the government is changing the Canadian citizenship programme to include a greater focus on 'Canadian values'.
Speaking at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, he said the government is reviewing the citizenship programme. He added that there would be more questions on the country’s history on citizenship exams and people that move to Canada should be expected to appreciate and live by the country’s values such as equality between men and women and the rule of the law.
Kenney said the current Canadian citizenship exam is outdated as it has not been reviewed for over a decade. He added that there needs to be a greater emphasis on integration, which can be achieved through enhancing new citizens' appreciation and knowledge of the values Canadians live by. "We want to make sure that when people become Canadians, they totally understand that Canadian history becomes their history, Canadian values become their values," added Kenney.
Kenney also talked about how the learning of one of the nation’s two main languages would also be made more of a priority, increasing the number of immigrants who enrol in language classes.
The changes should be finalised in the summer.
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