Gordon Gilchrist, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Trustee

February 12, 2008 - Letter to the Editor, Port Hope Evening Guide

From: "Gordon Gilchrist" <gordon_gilchrist@kprdsb.ca

Date: February 12, 2008 12:15:50 AM EST (CA)

To: mmartin@northumberlandtoday.com, eargyris@northumberlandtoday.com

Subject: Zero tolerance for the intolerant

Dear Editor,

Let me be the first to accuse Mr. Jack Foote of prejudice. Clearly, Mr. Foote is prejudiced in favour of all that is good about Canada, and fearful of all those things which work against maintaining this, the finest country in the world. Good for you, Mr. Foote, I have seldom read Canadian cultural argument written with such pride, candor, clarity and conviction. Although an immigrant Canadian, Mr. Foote has recognized many of the changes foisted on this country by misguided politicians who were motivated only for re-election and not armed with the determination to sustain Canadian values through vision, patriotism and love of country, with its magnificant future potential. Instead, the failure of imposed multi-culturalism, superimposed on the divisiveness of bilingualism, may ultimately prove the downfall of this magnificent country, in which I grew up and came to revere. As one who was born here, I feel compelled to write in support of Mr. Foote's candid observations.

Mr. Foote has clearly described the crass imposition of bilingualism solely as a government vote-getting instrument, with no regard for the divisiveness it would cause, and he rightly deplores our damaging immigration policies. When will Canadians realize that there is no beneficial offset to the easily-obtained Canadian citizenship that should demand the allegiance of a newcomer? Most immigrants do not bring even a modest understanding of Canadian history or values. Many bring their old-country feuds and hatreds, to be paraded and re-fought on Canadian soil. How could such people be expected to understand and offer a staunch Canadian loyalty to the future of this "Western" country with its Western values when we don't even ask, or require them to do so?

For example, consider the 800,000 Muslims now resident in Canada, some of whom are Islamic extremist. Do their Imams embrace and preach Western values, or do they condone the Islamic university student who declared on the internet that it would be better to kill Canadian soldiers in Canada rather than let them fight in Afghanistan? Or what about their low Regard for women and their "eastern" Sharia law beliefs that allows a father to kill his daughter for not wearing a Habib? Or Indian immigrants who blow up aircraft in order to settle old, foreign scores, and who demand that Mounties wear turbans and students wear daggers to school? Or gun- toting Jamaicans who prefer to settle scores by bullets on the streets rather than by Canadian law in the courts? Or Sri Lankan Tamils who use Canada as a source of funds for homeland rebellion? Or Canadian Passport- carrying Lebanese residents who demand to be saved by Canada when their homeland goes up in flames?

I do not suggest forcing landed Canadians to return to their home countries. A deal is a deal! But we should not be allowing further reinforcements for questionable causes and we don't need more people to bring with them foreign problems as well as cause more domestic ones. Left un-reinforced, these new "Canadians" may ultimately learn to love the true meaning of being "Canadian" and we should be accelerating such change in attitude by teaching more Canadian history and civics in our schools.

But why do we continue to delude ourselves that we are better off with a virtual "open door" policy on immigration? Do we not recognize that in addition to creating a modern "Trojan Horse" situation, these quasi-Canadians cause Canada additional economic and environmental distress? Do they not require public support funds? Do they not take Canadian jobs? Do they not cause increased use of scarce agricultural land for new dwellings? Do they not buy cars which add to road congestion and increase environmental pollution? Do they not cause the US, our good neighbour and major trading partner, concern about our sieve-like immigration policies and who are now tightening up a formerly open border? Do they not reduce, each Canadian citizen's share of this country's wealth? Do they not congregate in ghetto-like enclaves to harbour their own particular ethnic complaints, while they make demands against the Canadian establishment? (Africentric schools, for example.)

It is an great fallacy to believe that we "need" major immigration. Canada should only admit people who have the particular skills Canada needs and who share Canadians' beliefs. We Canadians, who have shown such courage and resolve over the past three centuries, have certainly become apathetic about our glorious history, our former and now dwindling reputation for law and order, our prevention of foreign takeover of our industries, our language, our national pride, our former good influence in world affairs, and our resolve to defend and maintain, unsullied, this beautiful and blessed land, for our children and all future generations.

If Canadians would spend as much time condemning the immigration of uninformed, mis-fitting, and sometimes violent immigrants who are aberrations to Canadian society, as we do carping about our American friends, our neighbours, and protectors, we would be far better off and a far happier country. Why do we welcome our enemies, but disparage our friends? History requires us to share North America with our American friends, but it does not require us to undermine our society by splitting it into a hundred incompatible parts, with some of those parts anathema to Canada's well being.

Thank goodness for "new" Canadians like Mr. Foote who see us for what we are, what we were, and what we may become because of our preoccupation with the political correctness that muzzles open discussion of all that is worthwhile in Canada, and denies what most Canadians want for our country.

For goodness sake people, get excited about this travesty, get involved..... call your M .P. and tell him to turn off the immigration tap before it's too late.

Gordon Gilchrist

Baltimore, ON.

Feb 19, 2008 - Letter to the Editor – Retraction & Apology

To the Editor:

Please let me begin by thanking Roy Cowan and all the phone callers who have supported my Letter to the Editor of Feb. 13. I am glad that they have interpreted my remarks as matters of citizenship and not those of racism.

Racism has no place in our society and I, like any other thinking person, deplore such. My personal remarks, and I wish to stress "personal", were not racially intended.

There are dozens of examples of poor citizenship being evidenced today, in press and media, that should concern all Canadians. I gave some examples but they were not intended to impugn all honest, hard-working and loyal citizens of any race.

I think of the dozens of races and the myriad of their citizens who are such law-abiding Canadians, and who have come to love and respect this country.

For the past 37 years I have had the pleasure of donating and presenting prizes to graduates of several high schools in Cobourg and Scarborough, and at Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto. Almost without exception the winners have been Chinese-Canadians, Indo-Canadians and African-Canadians. It has been a pleasure to see such successful young citizens and to reward them for their constructive efforts.

However, I am sorely distressed that good people like Douglas Smith, George James and Daniel Christie have interpreted my remarks as racist. They were not intended to be and if the fault is in my writing, I am truly sorry.

Although I wrote as a private citizen, I feel I should clarify the situation because of my relationship to the Board of Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board.

I wish to state, categorically that I believe that every child, every single child, is as worthy and as deserving of a good education and an equitable life style as any other child. That is first and foremost in my mind as I go about my duties as trustee, and that will continue to be my creed.

My earlier remarks had only to do with citizenship, good citizenship, by all immigrants and their children and not the outrageous actions in the few examples I gave. It would be as wrong to tar all such races and citizens with the same brush as it would be to declare that all Canadians are apathetic about excessive immigration.

Canada is not the only country facing such a problem. It was about that aspect and none other that I wrote.

The present immigration goal of one per cent of our population each year is an amount Canada cannot handle and integrate successfully. The Toronto District School Board is already having to divert funds from other envelopes just to provide English as a Second Language students with training in the language of their new country, and many new Canadians cannot find jobs to suit their skills.

Integration is a huge problem, but it has nothing to do with race or colour. That was the theme I was trying to convey and for that my remarks remain. If I am guilty of anything, I would like it to be too much in love with this country, its people, young and old, and its beauty. As one who has been so fortunate as to have lived east, west and centre, that love will never change.

However, if I have offended anyone by the lack of clarity in my remarks, I do sincerely apologize. My regard for the good principles of equity and diversity are undiminished and will continue to be given their due place in all my actions.

Gordon Gilchrist /

Baltimore

February 26, 2008 - Peterborough Examiner Editorial

Trustee on record; Gordon Gilchrist can't separate comments from school board role

From: http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=917648

Gordon Gilchrist can backtrack on the inflammatory statements he made in a letter to the editor calling for Canada to drastically reduce the number of immigrants it accepts.

He can claim his remarks were not intended to be racist. He can state that "if the fault is in my writing, I am truly sorry."

Those who read his original letter and his follow-up explanation in the Cobourg and Port Hope daily newspapers, and coverage of the resulting controversy in The Examiner, can judge his claims for themselves.

But there is one important qualifier Gilchrist has tried to introduce that he cannot get away with.

His comments were not those of a "private citizen."

Gilchrist is an elected trustee on the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. He has been the town of Cobourg's representative on the board since 2000.

Gilchrist gave up his claim to private citizen status when he was elected. His opinions are a matter of public interest. No one should be expected to believe that he has one set for his "private" self and another when he is voting at a school board meeting.

School board chairwoman Diane Lloyd made that point in a letter to The Examiner. While not criticizing Gilchrist or his statements directly, Lloyd noted that, "he holds a locally elected office from which he cannot remove himself."

Lloyd then made a considerable effort to distance the board from Gilchrist's letter. She repeatedly referred to "equity, diversity and inclusiveness" and stated: "We are representative of the many voices and faces of the global community."

Clearly, Lloyd was troubled by Gilchrist's letter and picked up an anti-immigrant message. Others who wrote in reply were more direct, accusing Gilchrist of racism.

Gilchrist's response was that he had made a mistake in not qualifying his remarks. He state that the examples he used "were not intended to impugn all honest, hard-working and loyal citizens of any race."

Yet that is what his original letter did - define what appeared to be a very clear belief that a large percentage of the 250,000 or so immigrants who come to Canada each year are either a danger to society or a drain on it.

According to Gilchrist, "most" immigrants have virtually no understanding of Canadian history or values. "Many" re-fight "old-country feuds and hatreds" in Canada.

He states that "these quasi-Canadians" take Canadian jobs, increase the rate at which farmland is needed for housing and cause traffic congestion.

"Why do we welcome our enemies?" he asked, without any qualifier as to how many of those 250,000 annual immigrants are "enemies."

Those statements represent fear mongering at best. Are they racist? Gilchrist claims not.

Do they reflect ignorance of Canada's immigration history and future needs? Absolutely.

There are some problems within immigrant populations. It would be better if more immigrants settled outside the major cities and fewer chose to live in isolated pockets of those cities. But that was also true of the European immigrants who swelled Canada's population in the early- to mid-1900s.

The reality is that those immigrants faced prejudice when they arrived, but helped make Canada the free and prosperous country Gordon Gilchrist is so proud of today, just as the Asian, Middle Eastern and African immigrants arriving since the 1970s have done, and will continue to do.

The other reality is that Gilchrist is a school board trustee. If he runs for office again in 2010, voters in Cobourg should consider his recent statements to be part of his election platform.

Article ID# 917648