Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie says a proposal to screen new immigrants for anti-Canadian values is “nonsensical” and a “bad idea.”
Baillie slammed the proposal from federal leadership candidate Kellie Leitch as the national conservative caucus kicked off in Halifax Tuesday.
“It’s a bad idea, it sends all the wrong messages about where we are and who we are as a country,” Baillie said.
“It doesn’t even make sense, there are laws on the books that apply to all Canadians — whether they arrived here yesterday or they’ve been here for six generations — about hate, about discrimination, I support those laws, they apply equally to everybody, that’s one of the great things about Canada, that’s where we shoudl leave it,” Baillie told Global News.
Get breaking National news
READ MORE: Kellie Leitch: Stricter immigration vetting ‘isn’t about identity politics’
Leitch sparked a heated debate more than two weeks ago when her campaign floated the idea of screening potential immigrants and refugees for anti-Canadian values.
The question came in a survey on a number of issues which was emailed to people who signed up for news from her campaign.
On Sunday, Leitch told the West Block with Tim Clark, “For me, what I’m doing right now is I’m out introducing myself…to the Canadian public.”
“This isn’t about identity politics, and I understand the compulsion to go there … but that’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m talking about is a unified Canadian identity.”
Asked Tuesday about Baillie’s comments, Leitch said she hasn’t heard from him directly and again defended her stance.
Baillie would have endorsed MacKay
Baillie also said Peter Mackays’s decision not to run in the federal leadership race is disappointing.
“Personally, I’m very disappointed, I’m a big fan and supporter of Peter’s and I think he would have made an excellent leader and prime minister of Canada, I completely understand his decision,” Baillie said.
“Now that we have the entire national Conservative party here in Halifax, it’s a chance for all of us to look at the remaining field of candidates, see which ones have a plan to help us rebuild the economy of Atlantic Canada and make another selection.”
Baillie says he expects to endorse a candidate in the federal leadership race but says he hasn’t decided who.
– With files the Canadian Press and Monique Muise, Global News.
Comments