Trudeau says Canadians cannot be overly impatient with integration of immigrants
MONTREAL — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the example of Italian grandmothers in Montreal to explain Thursday why Canadians shouldn’t be “overly impatient” with the integration of newcomers.
Being fearful of immigrants is “nothing new” in Canada and around the world, he said, adding that Italians and Greeks settling in Montreal in the 1950s faced similar kinds of discrimination as do Muslims and other immigrants today.
“The first generation is always going to have challenges in integrating,” Trudeau said during a panel discussion with London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“There are districts (in Montreal) where Italian grandmothers still pretty much only speak Italian and don’t speak that much French or English. But their kids and grandkids are seamlessly and completely integrated into Montreal and the only difference is they tend to be trilingual and not just bilingual.”