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Thus far in the federal election campaign, the issue of immigration has been debated mainly by not talking about it.

Two of the biggest “media” stories have been:

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– Controversy over a billboard campaign featuring a picture of People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, accompanied by the words: “Say NO to Mass Immigration”.

– Controversy over a Vancouver Sun column the paper ran criticizing ethnic diversity that it publicly denounced within hours of publishing it.

In the case of the billboards, Bernier didn’t put them up but said he agreed with the sentiment. They were quickly taken down by those who erected them, saying they were responding to public complaints the message they contained was racist.

Media coverage was dominated by pushback, with politicians, academics, journalists and immigration lobbyists condemning the billboards and column as racist, arguing Canada has been a global leader in successfully integrating immigrants, who we need in order to address our aging population and declining birth rate.