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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Catherine Porter: ‘Very ethnic’ group wonders where the Conservative love has gone (in the Toronto Star)

"The Ethiopians aren’t the only ethnic group in Ontario jilted by the Tories. Nine other agencies were completely cut off, including the South Asian Women’s Centre, the Afghan Association of Ontario and the Eritrean Canadian Community Centre of Toronto. Twenty-four others had their funding substantially cut. ...

"In March, the members of the House of Commons voted to reverse the cuts. But the decision wasn’t binding and the Conservatives didn’t listen. The funding wasn’t in their recent budget.

"In total, $43 million was slashed from settlement programs in Ontario. That’s $7 million less than the bill for gazebos and brick sidewalks sprinkled around Tony Clement’s lily-white riding last summer. There aren’t many new immigrants in Muskoka searching for English lessons or Amharic translations of their incomprehensible rental agreements.

"Maybe the “very ethnic” Chinese and South Asian immigrants now glowing in Harper’s adoring gaze will think they are somehow different, like all new lovers do. But they aren’t."

Full article: ‘Very ethnic’ group wonders where the Conservative love has gone.

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