| A Country of Countries Ambassador: a diplomat of the highest rank accredited as representative from one country to another (Web Dict.) Even questions asked in Parliament that are meant to make a Minister look good, or give the impression that Canadians are behind a government initiative or policy e.g. multiculturalism, can be revealing in unexpected ways. In an exchange between the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism's and Mrs. Nina Grewal (Fleetwood—Port Kells, CPC), the Hon. Jason Kenney explains how he sees his role: Mrs. Nina Grewal: Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the hon. Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity for his insights into the multiculturalism program, as well as for outlining how Canada's new government is addressing the needs of new Canadians and ethno-cultural communities. I was interested to hear the Secretary of State mention that he has been consulting with the cultural communities to get a better understanding on how relevant the government program is to our everyday lives. Would the hon. Secretary of State give us an idea of how many meetings and events he has attended since being appointed Secretary of State four months ago? Hon. Jason Kenney: Mr. Chair, as I indicated before, I see a large part of my function as acting as a sort of ambassador with the cultural communities on behalf of the government to ensure that we have our ear to the ground, that we are listening to the preoccupations and priorities of the communities. That is why virtually every weekend I have been travelling especially to the larger cities where there are large concentrations of new Canadians. I have attended, I gather at the latest count, over 100 events with cultural communities to represent the government and to listen. I am proud of that work. Let me give one example. On one weekend in February I attended events with the Armenian community in Toronto, the Hungarian community in Montreal. I was with the Jewish, Sudanese, Hindu and Sikh communities in Winnipeg. This was all on one three day weekend. I attended a meeting on immigration policy with the Sikh community in Toronto, with the Somali community in Toronto and attended a Ukrainian social service organization dinner to bring greetings. I attended a meeting of Sikh farmers in Abbotsford and finally attended the 20,000 person gala celebration of the great social service organization called S.U.C.C.E.S.S., founded by the Chinese Canadian community in Vancouver … Canadian House of Commons, May 16, 2007 Treating cultural and religious communities as the equivalent of sovereign countries. Only in Canada! Bernard Payeur, May 18, 2007
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