The Republican Party has paltry support among non-white and immigrant voters, a general-election problem for which two solutions are most commonly proposed: explicitly support immigration reform, or bring in even more white voters. Canada’s Conservative Party shows that there’s a third way. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the CPC has increased its support among immigrants and racial minorities, making the party competitive in communities where the rival Liberal Party used to dominate. How the CPC first accomplished this, and then may have squandered it during this election cycle, should serve as a valuable lesson to the GOP.

Beginning in 2006, Harper tightly controlled his party and clamped down on xenophobic members who expressed cultural disdain of immigrants. At the same time, led by Minister of Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, the party courted support by emphasizing areas where the party and immigrants align, such as lower taxes and social conservatism. Many Republican reformers have upheld the CPC success as a model to follow. “As center-right parties grapple with the problem of how to appeal to ethnic minorities without compromising their principles, they can look to the Canadian Conservative Party for a solution,” Tim Mak reported in FrumForum in 2010. “Without patronage, Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney has executed a minority outreach plan that, for the first time, has started a genuine conversation with immigrant voters—a conversation that has increasingly ended with these voters considering a Conservative vote for the first time.”

But ahead of Monday’s national election, the Harper government has endangered its success in minority outreach by openly running a xenophobic campaign, making a special effort to stir up anxiety about Muslim immigrants. Along with the separatist Bloc Quebecois, the CPC has made an issue of the niqab, the face-covering clothing worn by some Muslim women. Going against court rulings on religious freedom, Harper has insisted that women take off the niqab during citizenship oaths. His party has also floated the idea that the niqab not be allowed in the civil service. On the issue of Syrian refugees, Harper has played up fears that some might be terrorists and used his powers as PM to admit Christian refugees while blocking Muslim ones. Finally, Harper promised to create a “barbaric cultural practices hotline” where Canadians could inform on neighbors adhering to supposedly uncivilized cultural traditions.

During one of the debates held by party leaders, Harper used the phrase “old stock” Canadian, which was widely seen as a dog whistle singling his alignment with the values of white Canadians whose families have been in Canada for many decades. Yet, while Harper is undeniably running a divisive and polarizing campaign, it would be a mistake to think that the divisions he’s creating are simply along white/non-white lines: Many immigrants of color and their Canadian-born children share the wider xenophobia directed against Muslims. According to polling done by University of Toronto political scientist Peter Loewen, foreign-born Canadians are actually more likely to vote Conservative than the native born.

As Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders noted in a column last week, there’s evidence that Harper’s anti-Muslim xenophobia hasn’t hurt him with non-Muslim immigrant groups, where he continues to poll well.