Alghabra is appalled by Conservative MP’s inflamatory remarks directed at immigrants

Omar Alghabra, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Erindale is appalled by the recent remarks made by Mr. Daniel Petit, Conservative MP for Charlesbourg-Haute St-Charles, Quebec, when he implied that immigrants are a source of violence rather than guns. Yesterday, Mr. Petit said the funding for the firearms registry should instead be spent on the "integration of immigrants," claiming they were responsible for the shootings at l'École Polytechnique, Concordia University and Dawson College.

"The Conservative Party is infested with attitudes that are intolerant and stereotypical.  The Prime Minister should deal with these remarks with the utmost decisiveness," said Mr. Alghabra.

Mr. Petit’s actions are the latest in a pattern of similar behaviour by the Conservatives. In recent months, Gwyn Morgan, the individual that Prime Minister Harper nominated to be the Chairperson of the new Public Appointments Commission, blamed immigrants for having a violent culture. And let’s not forget that it was Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, MP Diane Ablonczy and Prime Minister Harper who initially rushed to convict Maher Arar as a terrorist.

“This is consistent with the Conservative party’s tactics of playing divisive politics where they pit one segment of society against another.  These deplorable measures must stop,” said Alghabra.

In their attempt to divert attention from the issue of gun control and the dismantling of the gun registry, the Conservatives are desperately looking elsewhere to lay blame.  It is profoundly regrettable that they have once again chosen the immigrant community and ethnicity as the basis for their negative, stereotypical rationale.