The man chosen by the Canadian Conservative government to lead the Rights & Democracy organization has publicly warned about threats posed by Muslim immigration. Gérard Latulippe argued that the concentration of immigrants in Montreal, as well as the “geographic concentration of more and more immigrants from Muslim countries,” undermined “the proper functioning of Quebec society.” He made the observations in a brief tabled at a public commission struck by the Quebec government in 2007 amid a raging debate in that province over how best to integrate minorities.
Latulippe then concluded that if Quebec failed to change the way it selected immigrants, it faced a significant threat: the “unnecessary risk of fostering domestic terrorism.” The federal Tories have picked him to become president of the federal organization responsible for promoting human rights and democracy around the world.
One Muslim-rights group is pleading with him to do just that in light of Latulippe’s past musings. “In our opinion this promotes an unfounded fear of Muslims and of Muslim immigration in Canada,” said Ihsaan Gardee of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada. “Mr. Latulippe has a right to his opinion, but it’s a whole other story when it’s taxpayers’ money going to someone whose values don’t reflect what’s in our Charter.”
