Conservative MP Jamil Jivani is accusing the federal government of tying Canada Day funding to multiculturalism branding, arguing communities should be free to celebrate the country without being required to promote a particular government policy.In a video posted Tuesday, Jivani said he was contacted by a resident of Newcastle, Ontario, who questioned why the community’s Canada Day celebration had been labelled a “Multiculturalism Day Celebration.” “I looked into it and what I found is that this can be traced back to a federal government decision,” Jivani said. According to Jivani, the federal government required communities receiving Canada Day funding to use the “Multiculturalism Day” designation if celebrations were held before July 1.“The federal government mandated that if they gave your community money for a Canada Day celebration and you held it before July 1st, they could force you to call it a Multiculturalism Day celebration,” he said. .Jivani argued Canada and multiculturalism should not be treated as interchangeable concepts.“Canada is a nation. Multiculturalism is an idea,” he said. He said Canadians should be encouraged to celebrate the country’s history and traditions without what he described as ideological conditions attached to federal funding.“We should be making it easier for people to celebrate our country, our history, and our traditions,” Jivani said. The Conservative MP also accused Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government of displaying “fake patriotism.”“They pretend to love this country and yet what they really love is their own political agenda and their own ideology,” he said. “I believe you should be able to celebrate Canada without celebrating multiculturalism.” The Western Standard reached out to the Canadian Heritage department for comment, and will update the story if a response is received.
