David Suzuki Said What?

According to David Suzuki, Canada is full. There is no room for immigrants.

An article link from www.myvisasource.com lead to the National Post article by Josh Visser where David Suzuki was quoted saying, “Oh, I think that Canada is full too! Even if it’s the second biggest country in the world, our usable land is reduced...Our immigration policy is enough to make you sick: we pillage the countries of the south by depriving them of their future professionals and we want to increase our population to help our economy grow. It’s crazy!”

David Suzuki is an award winning scientist and environmentalist who is a third generation Japanese Canadian. He is respected by many and has captivated Canadians with his eco-friendly mindset and his environmental activist work. He achieved national fame through his television broadcastings as the host of the popular series, The Nature of Things and later in 1985 The Secret of Life. In 2004, David Suzuki was one of ten finalists for CBC’s The Greatest Canadian of All Time. He is definitely viewed in a positive light and well known to Canadians.

When Suzuki made the statement of Canada being “full” many were shocked to see this. I am honestly at a loss for words when I read that he said this. I have never seen any articles portraying David Suzuki in a negative way aside from this one. This just does not seem like something David Suzuki would say. As a respected person in Canada who shows in the media a lot, I feel David Suzuki should not have said this. As well, David Suzuki is known for his liberal and accepting views. A comment like this seems discriminating and unfair.

People want to live in the country from a mari usque ad mare – or in English the country from sea to sea, Canada, because it’s a beautiful, safe country that has many opportunities. Immigrants to the country bring a lot of things with them such as new skills and culture. Immigration is a good thing because it adds to Canada’s cultural mosaic, something that upholds what Canada is, and it also creates diversity in Canadian cities, but does David Suzuki have a point to what he is saying?

Suzuki backs up his reasoning as to why Canada is full by saying that our usable land is reduced, but what his comments are still quite baffling. Canada’s Immigration minister Jason Kenney is absolutely furious with David Suzuki’s comment, as are many other Canadians. Kenney claims Suzuki’s comments are “toxic.” Suzuki also explains that he believes the reason why Canada lets in immigrants is solely to increase the population in order to grow the economy. It is true that Canada has a low birth rate and a low death rate, keeping the population relatively steady.  

While he may have reasons to support what he said, here are 3 reasons why it’s shocking to hear the comment about Canada being “full”.

1. His grandparents immigrated to Canada

In the early 1900’s, Suzuki’s paternal and maternal grandparents came to Canada. It’s surprising to hear Suzuki say that no more immigrants should be allowed into Canada when his family came into Canada 3 generations ago.

2. He generally has liberal views

David Suzuki usually has very liberal views. He hopes for a “greener” Canada where its citizens are more eco-friendly. He reduces his carbon foot-print by not vacationing overseas, and also aims to hold web conferences opposed to actually travelling to conferences in person. One would believe that these liberal views would support immigration and promote lax immigration laws. These liberal views contradict the anti-immigration idea he mentions which is why it is surprising to hear David Suzuki saying that Canada is full.

3. He was a finalist for the Greatest Canadian

As a finalist on the hunt for the Greatest Canadian presented by CBC in 2004, he is well known to many and an icon in Canadian culture and heritage. This just goes to show the respect people have for him. He is supported and loved by many due to his work, and when he makes a comment like that, it takes everyone by surprise. Therefore, due to his popularity he should be welcoming and have an open mindset to immigrants and new Canadians. As a role model to many people around Canada, he should act in a way that others look up to. Saying Canada is full is a really harsh statement.  

While David Suzuki has his reasons to what he said about Canada’s immigration, he should be mindful of the repercussions of what he said. He is looked up to, and as someone whose family immigrated to Canada a few generations ago, his comment on Canada’s immigration seems almost inappropriate. Check out the article in the National Post at this link: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/11/jason-kenney-slams-david-suzukis-immigration-views-as-toxic-and-irresponsible-after-environmentalist-says-canada-full/. What do you think of David Suzuki’s comments about immigration? Did you expect him to say something like this?