A small group of residents rallied downtown Saturday in support of immigration.
They were far outnumbered by those in the so-called yellow vest movement, whose diverse signs covered everything from pro-pipeline and anti-carbon tax to anti-Trudeau sentiments.
Yellow vest activists have rallied regularly near City Hall over the past few weeks.
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Twyla Gill is a member of a Facebook group called Political Soapbox, which was behind the pro-immigration rally. She said it was organized largely to rebut those who argue that Canada’s signing on to a United Nations agreement on international migration has jeopardized our sovereignty.
Federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has defended the pact as an important agreement setting out an international framework for countries to work together on the causes and impacts of migration.
“Our sovereignty is fine,” said Gill. “There are 164 coutries that signed onto this, but it is not a legally binding document, it’s just a framework.
“Our economy depends on immigrants because we have an aging population.”
Kareen Lambert said the group wanted to counter some of the “hateful rhetoric that’s been coming out of the yellow vest movement.”
“A lot of the signs have been anti-immigrant,” she said.
“We just wanted to be a voice just to let our immigrant community know and our refugee community know that they are welcome in our community.
“They are a vital part of our economy and we support them.”
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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